Best tv shows like Lovejoy
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Plot Summary:
The series concerns the adventures of the eponymous Lovejoy, played by Ian McShane, a likeable but roguish antiques dealer based in East Anglia. Within the trade, he has a reputation as a "divvie", a person with an almost supernatural powers for recognising exceptional items as well as distinguishing genuine antique from clever fakes or forgeries.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: detective, sitcom, exciting, clever, humorous, captivating, realistic, suspenseful, witty, semi serious
Best tv shows and movies like Lovejoy (1986):
Similar in 83%
In the Nick of Time (2005)
Plot Summary:
Sto Para Pente, is a popular Greek comedy-drama television series, which was broadcast on Mega Channel for two seasons, from September 27, 2005 until June 18, 2007. The script was written by Giorgos Kapoutzidis, who had also written the successful Greek TV series, Savvatogenimenes, that aired on that same network for the 2003-2004 season. The director was Antonis Aggelopoulos. Being an instant critical and popular success, Sto Para Pente was the biggest television hit of both the 2005-2006 and the 2006-2007 seasons and is regarded as one of the most famed and successful shows in Greek television history. The series was originally supposed to include only one season but its immense popularity resulted to a second season consisting of 23 more episodes. The first episode of Season 2 aired on October 2, 2006. Despite early, widespread calls for the creation of a third season, Kapoutzidis made it clear that the second would be the last season of the show. The highly anticipated series finale attracted an audience of nearly 3 million viewers, making this 70-minute-long special episode the third most watched episode of any television series ever in Greece since ratings began. "Sto Para Pente" also met great success abroad within Greek diaspora communities.
IMDB Rating: 8.8
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Mystery
Country: Greece
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: exciting, humorous, suspenseful, semi serious, detective, realistic
Similar in 77%
The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (1972)
Plot Summary:
When one of the more venerable members of the Bellona Club passes away in the reading room, Lord Peter Wimsey is brought in to determine the time of death for testamentary purposes. But the more he investigates, the more complicated things seem.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 325
Genere: Crime, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: detective, mind bending, clever, serious, realistic, suspenseful, witty, talky, stylized
Similar in 83%
One Foot in the Grave (1990)
Plot Summary:
One Foot in the Grave is a BBC television sitcom series written by David Renwick. The show ran for six series, including seven Christmas specials, two Comic Relief specials, over an eleven-year period, from early 1990 to late 2000. The latter Comic Relief special was shown after the series officially ended in spring 2001. The series features the exploits of Victor Meldrew, played by Richard Wilson, and his long-suffering wife, Margaret, played by Annette Crosbie. The programmes invariably deal with Meldrew's battle against the problems he creates for himself. Living in a typical household in an unnamed English suburb, Victor takes involuntary early retirement. His various efforts to keep himself busy, while encountering various misfortunes and misunderstandings are the themes of the sitcom. The series was largely filmed on location in Walkford, near New Milton in Hampshire, although several clues show that the series may have been set in Hampshire – possibly Winchester. Despite its traditional production, the series supplants its domestic sitcom setting with elements of black humour and surrealism. The series was occasionally the subject of controversy for some of its darker story elements, but was nevertheless the recipient of a number of awards, including the 1992 BAFTA for Best Comedy. In 2004, the series came tenth in a 2004 BBC poll to find "Britain's Best Sitcom". The programme also came 80th in the British Film Institute's 100 Greatest British Television Programmes. The series, originally shown on BBC One, is now available on DVD and is regularly repeated in the United Kingdom on Gold. Seven episodes were remade for BBC Radio 2 and the series also inspired a novel.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: sitcom, funny, dark comedy, surreal, humorous, realistic, witty, cynical, semi serious
Similar in 90%
Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (1996)
Plot Summary:
Hetty Wainthropp Investigates is a genteel British crime/comedy drama television programme that aired from 1996 to 1998 on BBC One. Patricia Routledge starred as the titular character, Derek Benfield as her patient husband Robert, Dominic Monaghan as their lodger Geoffrey Shawcross and John Graham Davies as DCI Adams. Later episodes include Suzanne Maddock as Janet Frazer, a feisty young auto mechanic who sells a car to Geoffrey; their relationship develops by the end of the series. In the United States, episodes have been featured on PBS's anthology programme Mystery!.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 75 min
Plot tags: detective, retro, crime drama, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 79%
Mapp & Lucia (2014)
Plot Summary:
1930s comedy drama based on EF Benson's novels, about the rivalry between two women in a quaint village.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 787
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
Duration:
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, realistic, witty, historical drama, period piece
Similar in 89%
Rumpole of the Bailey (1978)
Plot Summary:
Rumpole of the Bailey is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer. It stars Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, an aging London barrister who defends any and all clients, and has been spun off into a series of short stories, novels, and radio programmes.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, clever, serious, realistic, witty
Similar in 89%
Boon (1986)
Plot Summary:
Boon is a British television drama and modern-day western series starring Michael Elphick, David Daker, and later Neil Morrissey. It was created by Jim Hill and Bill Stair and filmed by Central Television for ITV. It revolved around the life of a modern-day Lone Ranger and ex-firefighter, Ken Boon.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 983
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 83%
Hamish Macbeth (1995)
Plot Summary:
Hamish Macbeth is a comedy-drama series made by BBC Scotland and first aired in 1995. It is loosely based on a series of mystery novels by M. C. Beaton. The series concerns a local police officer, Constable Hamish Macbeth in the fictitious town of Lochdubh on the west coast of Scotland. The titular character was played by Robert Carlyle. It ran for three series from 1995 to 1997, with the first two series having six episodes and the third having eight.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, semi serious, detective, touching, exciting, tense, crime drama, comedy drama
Similar in 80%
Dalziel and Pascoe (1996)
Plot Summary:
A British crime drama based on the "Dalziel and Pascoe" series of books by Reginald Hill, set in the fictional Yorkshire town of Wetherton. The unlikely duo of politically incorrect elephant-in-a-china-shop-copper Detective Superintendent Andrew Dalziel (pronounced Dee-ell) and his more sensitive and university educated sidekick Detective Sargent, later Detective Inspector, Peter Pascoe is always on hand to solve the classic murder mystery, while maintaining a down to earth wit and humour.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: serious, detective, crime drama, tense, realistic, witty, suspenseful
Similar in 82%
Vexed (2010)
Plot Summary:
Comedy drama following a mismatched pair of police officers who disagree on everything with their partner, from policing to their personal life.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, captivating, humorous, detective, tense, exciting, anime, hilarious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 81%
Campion (1989)
Plot Summary:
Campion is a television show made by the BBC, adapting the Albert Campion mystery novels written by Margery Allingham. Two series were made, in 1989 and 1990, starring Peter Davison as Campion, Brian Glover as his manservant Magersfontein Lugg and Andrew Burt as his policeman friend Stanislaus Oates. A total of eight novels were adapted, four in each series, each of which was originally broadcast as two separate hour-long episodes. Peter Davison sang the title music for the first series himself; in the second series, it was replaced with an instrumental version.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 975
Genere: Adventure, Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: detective, crime drama, humorous, realistic, suspenseful, semi serious, period drama
Similar in 77%
Jonathan Creek (1997)
Plot Summary:
Jonathan Creek follows the story of Madeline Magellan, an investigative journalist. Like most journalists, she sticks her nose in where it isn't wanted, but this is what makes her such a great journalist! While writing a piece about the death of a prominent artist, she happens across a man named Jonathan Creek. Jonathan makes a living inventing magical tricks for magician Adam Klaus, and has a brilliantly lateral mind.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: clever, detective, anthology, sitcom, crime drama, realistic, serious, suspenseful
Similar in 79%
Dirk Gently (2010)
Plot Summary:
Dirk Gently is a British comedy detective drama TV series based on characters from the Dirk Gently novels by Douglas Adams. The series was created by Howard Overman and stars Stephen Mangan as holistic detective Dirk Gently and Darren Boyd as his sidekick Richard MacDuff. Recurring actors include Helen Baxendale as MacDuff's girlfriend Susan Harmison, Jason Watkins as Dirk's nemesis DI Gilks and Lisa Jackson as Dirk's receptionist Janice Pearce. Unlike most detective series Dirk Gently features broadly comic touches and even some science fiction themes such as time travel and artificial intelligence. Dirk Gently operates his Holistic Detective Agency based on the "fundamental interconnectedness of all things", which relies on random chance methods to uncover connections between seemingly-unrelated cases. He claims that he follows the principles of quantum mechanics, and although the majority of his clients suspect he may be a conman he often produces surprising results. With the help of his assistant, Richard MacDuff, Dirk investigates a number of seemingly unrelated but interconnected cases. An hour-long pilot episode loosely based on plot elements from Adams' 1987 novel Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency was broadcast on BBC Four on 16 December 2010 and was watched by 1.1 million viewers. Critical reception was generally positive. A full series of three one-hour episodes was subsequently commissioned in March 2011 and was broadcast on BBC Four in March 2012. The series was the first continuing drama series produced for the digital channel.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Country: UK
Duration: 58 min
Plot tags: detective, humorous, semi serious, captivating, exciting, touching, hilarious, offbeat, suspenseful, witty
Similar in 75%
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (2008)
Plot Summary:
The adventures of Mma Ramotswe, a Motswana woman who starts Botswana's first female-owned detective agency.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Family, Mystery
Country: UK, USA, South Africa
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, semi serious, detective, offbeat, clever
Similar in 90%
Partners in Crime (1983)
Plot Summary:
Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime is a 1983 British television series based on the short stories of the same name by Agatha Christie. It was directed by John A. Davis and Tony Wharmby, and starred James Warwick and Francesca Annis in the leading roles of husband and wife sleuths Tommy and Prudence 'Tuppence' Beresford. Reece Dinsdale co-starred as Albert in all except episodes 3 and 5. The series follows the adventures and exploits of the Beresfords, who have recently taken over the running of a detective agency based in London, and each episode features one of the stories from the book. Among these are a quest for missing jewels, the investigation of poltergeists and a story involving poisoned chocolates. The series followed the short stories closely with two notable exceptions: First, the detective parodies, although alluded to on occasion, were for the most part dispensed with. Secondly, the story arc of the blue Russian letters and the search for the agent known as Number 16 were also dispensed with. For this reason three chapters were not adapted. The series' original run was immediately preceded by transmission on 9 October 1983 of the same production team's adaptation of Christie's second novel The Secret Adversary, which also starred Annis and Warwick in the same roles and which acted as an introduction for viewers to Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 860
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: detective, atmospheric, clever, humorous, realistic, suspenseful, stylized, semi serious
Similar in 75%
The Little Murders of Agatha Christie (2009)
Plot Summary:
In 1930s France, Superintendent Larosière has a passion for beautiful women and solving cases, while hapless young inspector Lampion just tries to keep up. Later series, are set in the mid-'50s, where suave Commissioner Laurence unravels knotty crimes with the help of reporter Alice.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: France, Switzerland
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: humorous, suspenseful, semi serious, realistic, slasher, detective, period drama
Similar in 78%
Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: At Bertram's Hotel (1987)
Plot Summary:
Miss Jane Marple is staying at an elegant hotel from her childhood compliments of her nephew Raymond. Also there is international adventurer Bess Sedgwick and Lady Selena Hazy (Joan Greenwood in her next to last performance). A doorman working at the hotel turns out to be from Bess' past, and when he is killed, she is the prime suspect. But what does his murder have to do with the disappearance of an elderly vicar staying at the hotel, and a string of robberies over the last few months? Miss Marple must find out before the murderer strikes again!!!.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK, USA, Australia
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: detective, clever, serious, captivating, mind bending, realistic, suspenseful, contemplative
Similar in 80%
The Murder Room (2004)
Plot Summary:
The lease on the Dupayne Museum is almost up and under the terms of their father's will, all three of the Dupayne children must agree to continue or the museum is to close. Neville Dupayne is dead set against continuing the museum when the money could be used for a much better purpose. One of the museum's key attractions is the Murder Room, displaying information on a series of notorious murders from between the two World Wars. When Neville dies in a way reminiscent of one of the murders on display in the Murder Room, Commander Adam Dalgleish is asked to investigate. There are any number of suspects: his siblings, several museum employees who will lose their job, his secretary with whom he once had an affair and his daughter who felt he was an absentee father. A second murder reveals some of the activities of the upper classes and the solution lies in a long-ago wrong that someone is seeking to right.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 544
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, serious, suspenseful, detective, tense, mind bending, realistic
Similar in 86%
Murder, She Wrote (1984)
Plot Summary:
An unassuming mystery writer turned sleuth uses her professional insight to help solve real-life homicide cases.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 28000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: clever, detective, witty, thought provoking, thrilling, suspenseful, realistic, serious, iconic
Similar in 83%
Carter (2018)
Plot Summary:
An actor returns home after a public meltdown. Partnering with his police detective friend, he tries to use his acting experience to solve real crimes.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: Canada
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: witty, feel good, captivating, detective, semi serious, hilarious, action adventure
Similar in 87%
Rock & Chips (2010)
Plot Summary:
Prequel to Only Fools and Horses, set in the 1960s, Joan Trotter is in an unhappy marriage with the work-shy Reg, with whom she has a teenage son, Derek ("Del Boy"). However, the reappearance in Peckham of bank robber, "art connoisseur" and womaniser Freddie Robdal, recently released after a ten year prison sentence, would bring about changes in Joan's life.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, witty, semi serious
Similar in 78%
Partners in Crime (2015)
Plot Summary:
Set in a 1950s Britain rising from the ashes of the Blitz into the grip of a new Cold War, our beekeeping duo stumble into a world of murder, undercover agents and cold war conspiracy. Tuppence is a woman who sees adventure round every corner, throwing herself head first into every mystery with passion and fervour, determined to get to the truth no matter what it takes, much to the dismay of her more cautious husband Tommy.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 55 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, humorous, semi serious, suspenseful, detective, costume drama, realistic, stylized, period piece, detective series
Similar in 89%
Father Brown (2013)
Plot Summary:
Father Brown is based on G. K. Chesterton's detective stories about a Catholic priest who doubles as an amateur detective in order to try and solve mysteries.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 52 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, intellectual, suspenseful, detective, realistic, crime drama, suspense, exciting, funny
Similar in 85%
Rosemary & Thyme (2003)
Plot Summary:
Rosemary & Thyme is a British television mystery series starring Felicity Kendal and Pam Ferris as gardening detectives Rosemary Boxer and Laura Thyme. The show began on ITV in 2003. The third series ended in August 2007. The theme is murder mysteries in the setting of professional gardening jobs. It was created by Brian Eastman to entertain his wife, Christabel Albery, who is an avid gardener. The show was directed by Brian Farnham, Simon Langton, and Tom Clegg. Clive Exton, who helped create the show, contributed 10 of the 22 scripts.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 48 min
Plot tags: feel good, realistic, captivating, clever, detective, semi serious, crime drama, suspenseful
Similar in 82%
The Last Detective (2003)
Plot Summary:
The Last Detective is an ITV drama starring Peter Davison as Dangerous Davies. The first series aired in 2003 with three more seasons succeeding this. The first consisted of a pilot and three episodes, the second and the third series both consisted of four normal episodes and the fourth series increased the run to five episodes and the duration of each individual episode to 90 minutes as opposed to the previous 70-minute format. As of 2007 this series had 17 episodes in total.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: detective, clever, realistic, suspenseful, dark, crime drama, semi serious
Similar in 87%
Taggart (1983)
Plot Summary:
Taggart is a Scottish detective television programme, created by Glenn Chandler, who has written many of the episodes, and made by STV Productions for the ITV network. The series revolves around a group of detectives initially in the Maryhill CID of Strathclyde Police, though various storylines have happened in other parts of the Greater Glasgow area, and as of the most recent series the team have operated out of the fictional John Street police station across the street from the City Chambers. It is one of the UK's longest-running dramas and is the longest-running police drama after the cancellation of The Bill. The show's 100th story aired on Christmas Eve 2009 on the ITV network. In May 2011, it was reported that the ITV network had decided to axe Taggart from the network after 28 years. The series may continue to be screened in Scotland on the STV network and on overseas broadcasters.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: detective, crime drama, tense, rough, serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 81%
Diagnosis Murder (1993)
Plot Summary:
Dr. Mark Sloan is a good-natured, offbeat physician who is called upon to solve murders.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: detective, serious, suspenseful, captivating, realistic, exciting, humorous, suspense, medical drama, thrilling
Similar in 75%
Agatha Christie's Marple (2004)
Plot Summary:
The show follows the adventures of Miss Jane Marple, an elderly spinster living in the quiet little village of St Mary Mead. During her many visits to friends and relatives in other villages, Miss Marple often stumbles upon mysterious murders which she helps solve. Although the police are sometimes reluctant to accept Miss Marple's help, her reputation and unparalleled powers of observation eventually win them over.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: clever, serious, detective, realistic, suspenseful, tense, captivating, suspense, slasher, anthology
Similar in 83%
Midsomer Murders (1997)
Plot Summary:
The peacefulness of the Midsomer community is shattered by violent crimes, suspects are placed under suspicion, and it is up to a veteran DCI and his young sergeant to calmly and diligently eliminate the innocent and ruthlessly pursue the guilty.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 38000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, detective, crime drama, realistic, serious, suspenseful, clever, dark, slasher, thrilling
Similar in 84%
Grantchester (2014)
Plot Summary:
Drama series set in 1953, against the backdrop of the real hamlet of Grantchester. The drama focuses upon the life of Sidney Chambers, a charismatic, charming clergyman who turns investigative vicar when one of his parishioners dies in suspicious circumstances.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, detective, crime drama, period piece, slasher, costume drama, historical drama, realistic, suspenseful