Best tv shows like Line of Duty
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Steve Arnott is a young officer who’s fallen foul of his superiors for refusing to help in the cover-up of an operation that ended in the shooting of an innocent father. He seems ideal to join AC-12, an anti-corruption police unit, just as it starts to investigate Detective Chief Inspector Tony Gates, the regional force’s Officer of the Year.
IMDB Rating: 8.7
IMDB Votes: 68000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: realistic, tense, suspenseful, serious, detective, crime drama, atmospheric, dark, sitcom, deep
Best tv shows and movies like Line of Duty (2012):
Similar in 76%
Bancroft (2017)
Plot Summary:
A dark and compelling thriller centering on Detective Superintendent Elizabeth Bancroft, a female detective with an explosive secret.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: detective, exciting, intellectual, captivating, hardboiled detective, psychological, detective series
Similar in 81%
Collision (2009)
Plot Summary:
Collision is a five-part television drama miniseries, which debuted on ITV & UTV in November 2009. In the same month, it was also on PBS as a series in two parts. It tells the story of a group of strangers whose lives intertwine following a devastating car crash. The crash opens a number of startling revelations as stories of everything from government cover-ups and smuggling, to embezzlement and murder start to unravel. The series is open-ended, with a number of unresolved issues; moreover, the story is ostensibly resolved in a metafictional manner with a flashback to an incident in the service station and the swatting of a wasp, which precipitates the initial crash, thus allowing the characters to carry on on their journeys. The wasp as a motif and theme is frequently in evidence throughout the series. The original British broadcast of Collision was edited from the original 5 hours down to three and a half hours. The American broadcast on PBS's Masterpiece Contemporary, the Australian broadcast on ABC1 and the Region 1 DVD release all featured the shortened version. In Australia, Foxtel and Austar's W Channel aired Collision in its original format of five 45-minute episodes, Tuesday, 15 March 2011.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 201 min
Plot tags: detective, realistic, tense, serious, suspenseful, dark, crime drama
Similar in 81%
The Silence (2010)
Plot Summary:
Drama about a deaf girl who witnesses the audacious murder of a policewoman.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: bleak, serious, captivating, suspenseful, detective, tense, realistic
Similar in 89%
Shetland (2013)
Plot Summary:
Created from the novels by award winning crime writer Ann Cleeves, Shetland follows DI Jimmy Perez and his team as they investigate crime within the close knit island community. In this isolated and sometimes inhospitable environment, the team have to rely on a uniquely resourceful style of policing.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, tense, crime drama, serious, stylized, detective, suspense, realistic, noir, suspenseful
Similar in 86%
Scott & Bailey (2011)
Plot Summary:
D.C. Rachel Bailey and D.C. Janet Scott have a robust and engaging friendship which enables them to draw upon each other’s strengths and investigate murders for the Manchester Metropolitan Police.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, suspenseful, realistic, detective, crime drama
Similar in 78%
Vera (2011)
Plot Summary:
A sharp detective with a messy life, DCI Vera Stanhope patrols her “patch” of northeast England, pursuing the truth in cases of murder, kidnapping, and blackmail. Vera is obsessive about her work and faces the world with caustic wit, guile and courage.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, detective, crime drama, captivating, costume drama, hardboiled detective, suspenseful, stylized, tense
Similar in 81%
Prime Suspect (1991)
Plot Summary:
A female police detective investigates a series of serial murders while dealing with sexist hostility from her male comrades.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 207 min
Plot tags: detective, suspense, suspenseful, tense, atmospheric, enigmatic, emotional, intense, crime drama, realistic
Similar in 80%
Happy Valley (2014)
Plot Summary:
Happy Valley is a dark, funny, multi-layered thriller revolving around the personal and professional life of Catherine, a dedicated, experienced, hard-working copper. She is also a bereaved mother who looks after her orphaned grandchild.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 62000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 58 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, tense, detective, crime drama, realistic, captivating, atmospheric, noir, bleak
Similar in 84%
DCI Banks (2010)
Plot Summary:
A thrilling drama based on the novels by Peter Robinson. Stephen Tompkinson and Andrea Lowe star as the tenacious and stubborn Chief Inspector Alan Banks and the feisty and headstrong Detective Sergeant Annie Cabbot.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: detective, realistic, crime drama, tense, rough, serious, suspenseful, dark, gloomy
Similar in 77%
Motive (2013)
Plot Summary:
A cat-and-mouse series with a twist on the everyday whodunit, "Motive" centers on Angie Flynn, a detective on a backwards chase for clues to a killer that has already been revealed to viewers. The series, filmed in Vancouver, is an unconventional way to watch a crime unfold. Each episode begins by revealing to the audience, not only the victim, but the killer as well. The homicide detective then begins to piece together clues. How did they do it? How are the victim and killer connected? What's the motive? As the mystery unfolds, the audience navigates the twisted and complicated maze of each murder and solves the puzzle alongside Det. Flynn and her team.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Canada
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, suspenseful, detective, realistic, captivating, suspense, disturbing, thrilling
Similar in 76%
Prime Suspect (2011)
Plot Summary:
Prime Suspect is an American police procedural television drama series that premiered on NBC on September 22, 2011. It stars Maria Bello as Detective Jane Timoney. The series is a "re-imagining" of the original British series Prime Suspect. The series was created by Lynda La Plante and was redeveloped by Alexandra Cunningham who also serves as executive producer and writer. Peter Berg serves as executive producer and director. Sarah Aubrey, Julie Meldal-Johnson, Paul Buccieri, Lynda La Plante, and John McNamara all serve as executive producers. The series is produced by Universal Television, ITV Studios America, and Film 44. On November 14, 2011, NBC announced it would replace Prime Suspect in the Thursday night line-up with The Firm, beginning January 12, 2012.The final two produced episodes were broadcast by NBC on Sunday, January 22, 2012.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, suspenseful, realistic, detective
Similar in 86%
River (2015)
Plot Summary:
John River, a brilliant police officer whose genius and fault-line is the fragility of his mind - a man haunted by the murder victims whose cases he must lay to rest.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 27000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, detective, crime drama, surprise ending, melancholic, atmospheric, enigmatic, tense, captivating
Similar in 89%
Above Suspicion (2009)
Plot Summary:
Above Suspicion is a British TV series based on Lynda La Plante's novels Above Suspicion, The Red Dahlia, Deadly Intent and Silent Scream. It stars Kelly Reilly and Ciarán Hinds, and features the career of La Plante's latest heroine DC Anna Travis. The first series, Above Suspicion, was shown on the fourth and fifth of January 2009; the second series, Above Suspicion: The Red Dahlia, was shown on the fourth, fifth and sixth of January 2010. The third series, Above Suspicion: Deadly Intent, was shown on the third, fourth and fifth of January 2011. The fourth series, Above Suspicion – Silent Scream was shown on the ninth, sixteenth and twenty-third of January 2012; in a break from the previous broadcasts, which were broadcast on consecutive days, this latest tale was serialised weekly. ITV cancelled Above Suspicion on May 28, 2012.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 46 min
Plot tags: detective, realistic, suspenseful, tense, serious, crime drama, dark
Similar in 83%
Braquo (2009)
Plot Summary:
A group of police officers in Paris use violence and intimidation to solve crimes.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Crime, Thriller
Country: France
Duration: 52 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, bleak, suspenseful, detective, crime drama, captivating, psychological thriller, exciting, thrilling
Similar in 76%
Shades of Blue (2016)
Plot Summary:
Sexy New York detective and single mother Harlee Santos fell in with a tight-knit group of dirty cops, taking bribes and protection money that she uses to provide the best life for her honest, talented daughter. But when she's trapped by the FBI and forced to inform on her own "brothers," she'll have to walk the fine line between love, loyalty, honor and betrayal, and try to keep it together for her daughter's future.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, realistic, suspense, detective, neo noir
Similar in 89%
Salamander (2012)
Plot Summary:
A police inspector investigates the robbery of 66 safe deposit boxes at a private bank in Brussels.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Belgium
Duration: 40 min
Plot tags: captivating, suspenseful, tense, serious, realistic, noir, detective
Similar in 78%
Between the Lines (1992)
Plot Summary:
Between the Lines was a television police drama series created by J. C. Wilsher and produced by World Productions for the BBC. It was first shown on BBC1 between 1992 and 1994, running for three series. The show centred on the eventful life of Detective Superintendent Tony Clark, played by Neil Pearson. Clark was an ambitious member of the Complaints Investigation Bureau, an internal organisation that investigates claims of corruption inside the police in England and Wales. Along the way Clark had to overcome strong influence from his superiors and problems in his private life, most notably the break-up of his marriage following an affair with WPC Jenny Dean. Throughout the series Clark was assisted by sidekicks Harry Naylor and Mo Connell. Clark's work as a lead officer in CIB was the focus of the first two series. In the first series his boss was Deakin, a tough Irish policeman. At the end of the first series Deakin was revealed to be a corrupt officer himself. He left the force but remained a recurring character working freelance for the security services and others, sometimes in conflict with Clark and sometimes assisting him. At the start of the third series Clark, Naylor and Connell leave the police force and work in the murky world of private security, far right politics and espionage. The third series ends with the betrayal of Clark and Naylor who had been masquerading as mercenaries. The betrayal is made by Connell in league with Deakin, their former boss and nemesis. It is unclear whether Clark and Naylor have died as the show ended on a cliffhanger. Rumours of a remake did circulate for some years, but Pearson confirmed in 'Watching the Detectives' that he had wanted a 'final' ending at the time and would never return to the role.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 611
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: detective, tense, serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 80%
Low Winter Sun (2013)
Plot Summary:
Low Winter Sun is an American television drama series developed by Chris Mundy, starring Mark Strong and Lennie James. The series premiered on August 11, 2013, on AMC, with the first season consisting of ten episodes. It is based upon the 2006 British two-part miniseries of the same name.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, suspenseful, detective, spooky, realistic, independent film
Similar in 81%
Southland (2009)
Plot Summary:
Since premiering in 2009, Southland has redefined the police drama with its raw, authentic look at the lives and work of Los Angeles detectives and beat cops. The show centers on four main characters: Officer John Cooper (Cudlitz), a seasoned cop who will have to prove himself again after recovering from surgery; Officer Ben Sherman (McKenzie), who still has much to learn after recently completing his training rotation; Detective Lydia Adams (King), whose unending caseload hits closer to home; and Sammy Bryant (Hatosy), a former detective who decided to go back to being a uniform cop after the traumatic death of his partner.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 29000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: detective, captivating, serious, rough, realistic, suspenseful, exciting, epic, anime, thrilling
Similar in 83%
Bodyguard (2018)
Plot Summary:
A troubled war veteran is assigned to protect a controversial politician who may be the target of a terror plot.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 142000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: political, detective, exciting, suspense, disturbing, romantic, philosophical, atmospheric, feel good, serious
Similar in 81%
The Closer (2005)
Plot Summary:
Deputy Police Chief Brenda Jean Johnson transfers from Atlanta to LA to head up a special unit of the LAPD that handles sensitive, high-profile murder cases. Johnson's quirky personality and hard-nosed approach often rubs her colleagues the wrong way, but her reputation as one of the world's best interrogator eventually wins over even her toughest critics.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 28000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 46 min
Plot tags: captivating, realistic, sincere, tense, serious, detective, suspense, inspirational, bloody, thrilling
Similar in 86%
Endeavour (2012)
Plot Summary:
The early days of a young Endeavour Morse, whose experiences as a detective constable with the Oxford City Police will ultimately shape his future.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 32000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: serious, detective, intellectual, realistic, atmospheric, crime drama, period piece, captivating, melancholic, costume drama
Similar in 88%
The Shadow Line (2011)
Plot Summary:
A noir thriller with diverse individuals whose worlds become interwoven after the murder of drug baron Harvey Wratten. From the cop with a bullet in his brain, whose amnesia leaves him doubtful of his own moral compass; to the drug-lord driven by a profound personal tragedy, risking it all on one last deal; to the brilliantly lethal puppet-master who gradually emerges from the shadows to bring the story to its shocking climax The Shadow Line explores the morality of these characters as they negotiate the repercussions of Wratten's death and attempt to navigate the fine line between right and wrong. As the thread around Wratten's operation begins to unravel, the web of intrigue becomes more complex and the question of which side of the line they stand on becomes increasingly blurred. An intelligent and gripping conspiracy thriller that delves to the heart of human morality, The Shadow Line will have audiences enthralled over six taut and thrilling episodes. Faced with similar dilemmas, on which side of the line would you stand?.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, atmospheric, detective, rough, suspenseful, stylized, tense, captivating, realistic, crime drama
Similar in 82%
Top of the Lake (2013)
Plot Summary:
A woman haunted by her past, Detective Robin Griffin, investigates complex and unsettling cases.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 37000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, Australia, New Zealand, USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, clever, bleak, captivating, detective, suspenseful, dark, crime drama, spooky, psychological thriller
Similar in 75%
Justified (2010)
Plot Summary:
A character drama based on the 2001 Elmore Leonard short story "Fire in the Hole." Leonard's tale centers around U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens of Kentucky, a quiet but strong-willed official of the law. The tale covers his high-stakes job, as well as his strained relationships with his ex-wife and father.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 116000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 3400 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, realistic, neo noir, dramatic, detective, southern gothic, crime drama, neo western, exciting
Similar in 85%
The Blacklist (2013)
Plot Summary:
Raymond "Red" Reddington, one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives, surrenders in person at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. He claims that he and the FBI have the same interests: bringing down dangerous criminals and terrorists. In the last two decades, he's made a list of criminals and terrorists that matter the most but the FBI cannot find because it does not know they exist. Reddington calls this "The Blacklist". Reddington will co-operate, but insists that he will speak only to Elizabeth Keen, a rookie FBI profiler.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 274000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: exciting, tense, serious, captivating, clever, detective, disturbing, realistic, intellectual, political
Similar in 89%
Luther (2010)
Plot Summary:
A dark psychological crime drama starring Idris Elba as Luther, a man struggling with his own terrible demons, who might be as dangerous as the depraved murderers he hunts.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 152000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, psychological thriller, tense, detective, rough, serious, crime drama, exciting, dramatic, suspenseful
Similar in 78%
The Killing (2011)
Plot Summary:
The Killing is an American crime drama television series based upon the Danish television series Forbrydelsen. Set in Seattle, Washington, the series follows the various murder investigations by homicide detectives Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 120000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: psychological, gloomy, neo noir, tense, serious, detective, suspenseful, atmospheric, realistic, dark
Similar in 86%
The Fall (2013)
Plot Summary:
When the Police Service of Northern Ireland are unable to close a case after 28 days, Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson of the Metropolitan Police Service is called in to review the case. Under her new leadership, the local detectives must track down and stop a serial killer who is terrorising the city of Belfast.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 116000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: psychological thriller, psychological, captivating, serious, tense, detective, crime drama, suspenseful, atmospheric, noir
Similar in 76%
The Shield (2002)
Plot Summary:
The story of an inner-city Los Angeles police precinct where some of the cops aren't above breaking the rules or working against their associates to both keep the streets safe and their self-interests intact.
IMDB Rating: 8.7
IMDB Votes: 86000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 47 min
Plot tags: exciting, tense, rough, suspenseful, realistic, cynical, dramatic, detective, crime drama, serious