Best tv shows like Most Wanted
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Most Wanted is an American crime drama series shown on ABC from October 16, 1976 until August 20, 1977. It stars Robert Stack, Jo Ann Harris, Shelly Novack, and Hari Rhodes. This program marks the reunion of series star Stack with noted producer Quinn Martin, as the two had worked together previously on the legendary hit crime series The Untouchables. This is one of only three series from QM Productions not to have an announcer reading out or accompanying the opening credits.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 84
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective
Best tv shows and movies like Most Wanted (1976):
Similar in 86%
MacGruder and Loud (1985)
Plot Summary:
MacGruder and Loud is an American crime drama from Aaron Spelling Productions that aired on ABC in 1985. The series stars John Getz and Kathryn Harrold as married police officers Malcolm MacGruder and Jenny Loud in a Los Angeles Police Department-styled police agency. They fought a battle every day to keep it a closely guarded secret from their boss, Sgt. Hanson. Malcolm and Jenny lived in a duplex-type apartment complex where there was a secret door behind the grandfather clock in her apartment, where Malcolm could sneak in and enjoy her company. This was one of the few failures from Aaron Spelling's production company in its history, since it was picked by ABC to debut right after the Super Bowl in 1985 and was heavily promoted during the game. The promotion resulted in high ratings at first, but following a quick decline, the series was cancelled three months into its run, after ranking 40th out of 104 programs that aired that season with an average 15.76 household rating, according to TVTango.com. Because of the frequent commercials during the Super Bowl, the following night Johnny Carson ask rhetorically during his monologue on The Tonight Show: "Did you see that new show, 'Frequent and Loud'?".
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 122
Genere: Drama, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, detective series
Similar in 90%
Bronk (1975)
Plot Summary:
Bronk is an American television series starring Jack Palance as Detective Lieutenant Alex Bronkov. The series is set in the fictional Ocean City, California. 24 episodes were aired from September 21, 1975 to March 28, 1976 on CBS. The series lasted only one season.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 134
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective
Similar in 81%
The Rookies (1972)
Plot Summary:
The Rookies is an American crime drama series that aired on ABC from 1972 until 1976. It follows the exploits of three rookie police officers working in an unidentified city for the fictitious Southern California Police Department.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, retro, vintage
Similar in 79%
The Cops (1998)
Plot Summary:
Set in and around Stanton, a faceless and grim Northern enclave, The Cops depicts the daily grind for a group of policemen and women out on the beat as they interact, and sometimes clash, with the local community.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 171
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: detective
Similar in 79%
Missing Persons (1993)
Plot Summary:
Missing Persons is a short-lived American crime drama television series, set in Chicago. It followed a fictitious missing persons unit; each episode usually following the investigation into three or more cases. It ran on ABC from August 30, 1993 to February 17, 1994. It was produced by Gary Sherman Productions in association with Stephen J. Cannell Productions, and often used local Chicago-based actors, as well as occasional big-name guest stars such as Nina Foch, Eddie Bracken and Lois Smith. Semi-regulars included Ian Gomez, Irma P. Hall, Laura Cerón and Valerie Harper. Unlike most series from Cannell's company, he did not create or co-create this series.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 73
Genere: Drama, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: detective
Similar in 78%
The Old Fox (1977)
Plot Summary:
A police department, lead by an older, experienced detective solve crimes together.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 748
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: West Germany
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, sincere, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 85%
Police Story (1973)
Plot Summary:
Police Story is an anthology television crime drama. The show was the brainchild of author and former policeman Joseph Wambaugh and represented a major step forward in the realistic depiction of police work and violence on network TV. Although it was an anthology, there were certain things that all episodes had in common; for instance, the main character in each episode was a police officer. The setting was always Los Angeles and the characters always worked for some branch of the LAPD. Notwithstanding the anthology format, there were recurring characters. Scott Brady appeared in more than a dozen episodes as "Vinnie," a former cop who, upon retirement, had opened a bar catering to police officers, and who acted as a sort of Greek chorus during the run of the series, commenting on the characters and plots.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: anthology, detective, vintage
Similar in 80%
Harry O (1973)
Plot Summary:
Harry O, sometimes spelled Harry-O, is an American crime drama series that aired for two seasons on ABC from 1974 to 1976. The series starred David Janssen and was executive produced by Jerry Thorpe. Harry O followed the broadcast of two pilot films: Such Dust as Dreams Are Made On and then the second, Smile Jenny, You're Dead, both starring Janssen.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 874
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, serious, realistic, suspenseful, vintage
Similar in 87%
Matt Houston (1982)
Plot Summary:
Matt Houston is an American crime drama series that aired on ABC from 1982 to 1985. Created by Lawrence Gordon, the series was produced by Aaron Spelling.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: detective
Similar in 77%
Delvecchio (1976)
Plot Summary:
Dominick Delvecchio is an integrity-minded, honest police detective who works out of the Washington Heights division of the Los Angeles Police Department. When not screeching tires, rousting bad guys and trading quips with his burly partner Paul Shonski, Delvecchio can usually be found at his father Tomaso's barber shop or cracking the books studying for the bar exam, which he has already flunked more than once. His hard-nosed yet sympathetic boss is Lt. Macavan.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 163
Genere: Drama, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, humorous, realistic, suspenseful, semi serious
Similar in 79%
Z Cars (1962)
Plot Summary:
Z-Cars or Z Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 370
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: detective, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 86%
The Bill (1984)
Plot Summary:
The Bill is a police procedural television series that was broadcast on the ITV network from 16 October 1984 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, entitled Woodentop, which was broadcast in August 1983. In its final year on air, The Bill was broadcast once a week, usually on Tuesdays or Thursdays, in a one-hour format. The programme focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work. At the time of the series' conclusion, The Bill was the longest-running police procedural television series in the United Kingdom, and was among the longest-running of any British television series. The series was produced by Thames Television. The series name originated from "Old Bill", a slang term for the police. This was also Geoff McQueen's original title idea for the series, before he eventually decided on "The Bill". Although highly acclaimed amongst fans and critics alike, the series attracted controversy on several occasions. An episode broadcast in 2008 was criticised for featuring fictional treatment for multiple sclerosis, and another episode in the same year resulted in litigation, submitted by MP George Galloway for defamation. The series has also faced more general criticism, concerning the levels of violence it portrays, particularly prior to 2009, when it occupied a pre-watershed slot. During its time on air, The Bill won several awards, including BAFTAs, a Writers' Guild of Great Britain award and the title of "best drama" at the Inside Soap Awards in 2009, the latter being the series' fourth consecutive win. Throughout its twenty-seven-year run, the programme was always broadcast on the main ITV network. In later years, episodes of the show were repeated on ITV3 on their week of broadcast. The series has also been repeated on other digital stations, including UKTV Gold, Alibi, Watch and UKTV G2. In March 2010, executives at ITV announced that the network did not intend to recommission The Bill, and that filming on the series would cease on 14 June 2010. The last ever episode of the series was aired on 31 August 2010.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: captivating, serious, sincere, detective, crime drama, realistic
Similar in 86%
S.W.A.T. (1975)
Plot Summary:
S.W.A.T. is an American action/crime drama series about the adventures of a Special Weapons And Tactics team operating in an unidentified California city. A spin-off of The Rookies, the series aired on ABC from February 1975 to April 1976. Like The Rookies, S.W.A.T. was produced by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: rough, realistic, stylized, serious, detective, exciting, fast
Similar in 87%
The Streets of San Francisco (1972)
Plot Summary:
The Streets of San Francisco is a 1970s television police drama filmed on location in San Francisco, California, and produced by Quinn Martin Productions, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros. Television. It starred Karl Malden and Michael Douglas as two detectives in San Francisco. The show ran for five seasons, between September 16, 1972, and June 9, 1977, on ABC, amassing a total of 119 60-minute episodes. The series started with a pilot movie of the same title a week before the series debuted. Edward Hume, who wrote the teleplay for the pilot, was credited as having developed the series based on characters in Weston's novel. The pilot featured guest stars Robert Wagner, Tom Bosley and Kim Darby. Douglas left the series at the start of its final season and was replaced by Richard Hatch.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, realistic, retro, rough, serious, suspenseful, neo noir, vintage
Similar in 81%
Burke's Law (1994)
Plot Summary:
Burke's Law, a revival of the 1960s cop television series of the same name, aired on CBS from 1994 to 1995. The series centers on Amos Burke, a senior Los Angeles police officer and millionaire, and his son, Peter, who is a detective under his command.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 419
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, thrilling, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 80%
Police Woman (1974)
Plot Summary:
Sergeant “Pepper"” Anderson, an undercover cop for the Criminal Conspiracy Unit of the Los Angeles Police Department, poses undercover from mob girl to prostitute.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: detective, retro, exciting, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 77%
T.J. Hooker (1982)
Plot Summary:
T. J. Hooker is an American police drama television program starring William Shatner in the title role as a 15-year veteran police sergeant. The series premiered as a mid-season replacement on March 13, 1982, on ABC and ran on the network until May 4, 1985. The show was then picked up for a further single season by CBS. The supporting cast includes Adrian Zmed as rookie Officer Vince Romano, Heather Locklear as rookie Officer Stacy Sheridan, and Richard Herd as Captain Dennis Sheridan as personnel in the fictional "LCPD" Police Department Academy Precinct. Towards the end of the show's second season, James Darren became a regular cast member as Officer Jim Corrigan. The series was created by Rick Husky, who later went on to serve as executive producer of Walker Texas Ranger, and produced by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, exciting, serious, realistic, suspenseful, witty, campy
Similar in 76%
Dragnet 1967 (1967)
Plot Summary:
The classic police drama is updated for the 1960s. No-nonsense Sgt. Joe Friday and his partner, Officer Bill Gannon, tackle traditional police cases and face new challenges such as LSD, race riots, and public service TV shows.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: detective, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 76%
Jake and the Fatman (1987)
Plot Summary:
Jake and the Fatman is a television crime drama starring William Conrad as prosecutor J. L. "Fatman" McCabe and Joe Penny as investigator Jake Styles. The series ran on CBS for five seasons from 1987 to 1992. Diagnosis: Murder was a spin-off of this series.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: detective, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 75%
Thirty Cases of Major Zema (1975)
Plot Summary:
Thirty Cases of Major Zeman is a Czechoslovak action-drama television show intended as a political propaganda to support the official attitude of the communist party. The series were filmed in the 1970s. Each episode encompasses one year, and investigations are stylized to that year. Most are inspired by real cases. The series follows the life of police investigator Jan Zeman during his career from 1945 to 1975.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 243
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Czechoslovakia
Duration:
Plot tags: detective, poliziottesco
Similar in 85%
Stalker (2014)
Plot Summary:
A pair of detectives investigate stalkers in Los Angeles. Strong and focused, Lt. Beth Davis is an expert in the field of repeated harassment, driven by personal experience of being a victim. She heads the LAPD's Threat Assessment Unit, which investigates cases of stalking -- including voyeurism, cyberharassment and romantic fixation. The history of recent transfer Jack Larsen -- whose personality and questionable behavior have been an issue in the past -- may help him in his assignment to her team. Her other detectives are young but eager Ben Caldwell and deceptively intelligent Janice Lawrence. Together they try to stop situations from spinning out of control -- and to keep their personal obsessions at bay.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: psychological, suspenseful, serious, tense, detective, realistic, thrilling, psychological thriller
Similar in 89%
Wicked City (2015)
Plot Summary:
“Wicked City” follows a unique case set in a noteworthy era of L.A. history, starting with a murder case from 1982 centered on the rock ’n’ roll, cocaine-infused revelry of the Sunset Strip. Alliances are formed to solve a serial murder case.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: erotic, captivating, suspense, tense, realistic, detective, period drama
Similar in 87%
High Incident (1996)
Plot Summary:
High Incident is a police drama series produced by DreamWorks Television for the ABC network. The show was created by Steven Spielberg, Michael Pavone, Eric Bogosian and Dave Alan Johnson. It first aired on March 4, 1996, running a total of 32 episodes.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 427
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, exciting, rough, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 89%
The Protector (2011)
Plot Summary:
Gloria Sheppard is an intuitive LAPD homicide detective who juggles her demanding personal and professional lives while raising two sons with the help of her troubled younger brother, Davey.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 627
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: sincere, captivating, detective, psychological, tense, sentimental, touching, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 80%
Unbelievable (2019)
Plot Summary:
The true story of Marie, a teenager who was charged with lying about having been raped, and the two female detectives who followed a twisting path to arrive at the truth.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 116000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 385 min
Plot tags: detective, serious, crime drama, tense, enigmatic, suspense, social, suspenseful, disturbing, compassionate
Similar in 82%
Adam-12 (1968)
Plot Summary:
Adam-12 is a television police drama that followed two police officers of the Los Angeles Police Department, Pete Malloy and Jim Reed, as they patrolled the streets of Los Angeles in their patrol unit, 1-Adam-12. Created by R. A. Cinader and Jack Webb, who is known for creating Dragnet, the series captured a typical day in the life of a police officer as realistically as possible. The show ran from September 21, 1968 through May 20, 1975, and helped introduce police procedures and jargon to the general public in the United States of America.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: realistic, sincere, serious, stylized, detective, captivating, vintage
Similar in 81%
L.A. Dragnet (2003)
Plot Summary:
Sgt. Joe Friday and his partner Frank Smith methodically investigate crimes in Los Angeles.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, detective
Similar in 76%
Bosch: Legacy (2022)
Plot Summary:
Bosch is now making a living as a private investigator two years after he quit the LAPD and finds himself working with one time enemy and top-notch attorney Honey “Money” Chandler. Meanwhile, Bosch's daughter Maddie is venturing into the world of the LAPD.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 26000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing, detective
Similar in 75%
Bosch (2014)
Plot Summary:
Based on Michael Connelly's best-selling novels, these are the stories of relentless LAPD homicide Detective Harry Bosch who pursues justice at all costs. But behind his tireless momentum is a man who is haunted by his past and struggles to remain loyal to his personal code: “Everybody counts or nobody counts.”.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 81000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 51 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, exciting, detective, neo noir, tense, crime drama, mind blowing, crime thriller, gloomy
Similar in 87%
Blue Murder (2001)
Plot Summary:
Blue Murder is a Canadian crime drama television series, featuring stories that reflected the turbulence of urban life and the crimes that make headlines. The Blue Murder squad members were an elite group of big-city investigators out to solve some of the city's most complicated and riveting crimes.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 144
Genere: Drama, Crime
Country: Canada
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, tense, captivating