Best tv shows like Starsky & Hutch
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Starsky & Hutch is a 1970s American cop thriller television series, which consisted of a 70-minute pilot movie and 92 episodes of 50 minutes each. The show was created by William Blinn, produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast between April 30, 1975 and May 15, 1979 on the ABC network. It was distributed by Columbia Pictures Television in the United States and, originally, Metromedia Producers Corporation in Canada and some other parts of the world. Sony Pictures Television is now the worldwide distributor for the series. The series also inspired a theatrical film and a video game.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, exciting, rough, realistic, semi serious, tense, retro, fast, vintage, cult film
Best tv shows and movies like Starsky & Hutch (1975):
Similar in 85%
Fuzz (1972)
Plot Summary:
Police in Boston search for a mad bomber trying to extort money from the city.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, realistic, semi serious, humorous, witty, fast, suspenseful, detective
Similar in 84%
The Professionals (1977)
Plot Summary:
The lives of Bodie and Doyle, top agents for Britain's CI5 (Criminal Intelligence 5), and their controller, George Cowley. The mandate of CI5 was to fight terrorism and similar high-profile crimes. Cowley, a hard ex-MI5 operative, hand-picked each of his men. Bodie is a cynical ex-SAS paratrooper and mercenary whose nature ran to controlled violence, while his partner, Doyle, comes to CI5 from the regular police force, and is more of an open minded liberal. Their relationship is often contentious, but they are the top men in their field, and the ones to whom Cowley always assigned to the toughest cases.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Comedy, Crime
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: rough, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful, controversial
Similar in 90%
CHiPs (1977)
Plot Summary:
CHiPs is an American television drama series produced by MGM Studios that originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to July 17, 1983. CHiPs followed the lives of two motorcycle police officers of the California Highway Patrol. The series ran for 139 episodes over six seasons.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, humorous, realistic, suspenseful, semi serious, vintage, campy
Similar in 87%
Fastlane (2002)
Plot Summary:
Fastlane is an American action/crime drama series that was broadcast on Fox from September 18, 2002 to April 25, 2003. On August 14, 2005 G4 began rebroadcasting the complete series. After finishing its initial run on the network, Fastlane stopped airing on G4. Fastlane also aired on TVOne sometime around 2006.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspenseful, stylized, realistic, detective, sexy, bad ending, neo noir, anime, semi serious
Similar in 78%
The Seven-Ups (1973)
Plot Summary:
A tough detective who is part of an elite New York City unit is trying to find out who killed his partner, but uncovers a plot to kidnap mobsters for money.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: detective, tense, neo noir, crime drama, grim, action thriller, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 75%
Cagney & Lacey (1981)
Plot Summary:
Mary Beth Lacey and Chris Cagney are teamed up as NYPD police detectives. Their opposing personalities (one is tough and the other sensitive) mesh to make this one of the great crime-fighting duos of all time.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 88%
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 86%
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 79%
Walker, Texas Ranger (1993)
Plot Summary:
Walker, Texas Ranger is an American television action crime drama series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis, both starring Chuck Norris as a member of the Texas Ranger Division. The show aired on CBS in the spring of 1993, with the first season consisting of three pilot episodes. Eight full seasons followed with new episodes airing from September 25, 1993 to May 19, 2001 and reruns continuing on CBS until July 28, 2001. It was broadcast in over 100 countries, and has since spawned a made-for-television movie, entitled Trial By Fire. The movie ended on a cliffhanger, which, as of 2013, has not yet been resolved. DVD sets of all seasons have been released. At various times since 1997, reruns of the show have aired, in syndication, on the USA Network and Action in Canada. As of September 13, 2010, the series is shown on WGN America. The show was known for its moral values. For example, the characters refrained from the use of drugs, and they participated in community service. Martial arts were displayed prominently as the primary tool of law enforcement and occasionally as a tool for Walker and company to reach out to the community. The show has since become one of the most popular action shows in television history and has gained a cult following for its camp appeal.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, captivating, suspense, detective, action adventure, rough, funny, retro
Similar in 81%
Hawaii Five-O (1968)
Plot Summary:
Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for 12 seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. Jack Lord portrayed Detective Lieutenant Steve McGarrett, the head of a special state police task force which was based on an actual unit that existed under martial law in the 1940s. The theme music composed by Morton Stevens became especially popular. Many episodes would end with McGarrett instructing his subordinate to "Book 'em, Danno!", sometimes specifying a charge such as "murder one".
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: captivating, tense, stylized, realistic, suspenseful, detective, serious, vintage, telenovela
Similar in 89%
Alarm for Cobra 11: The Motorway Police (1996)
Plot Summary:
Alarm für Cobra 11 – Die Autobahnpolizei is a long-running, popular German television series about a two-man team of highway police, originally set in Berlin and later in North Rhine-Westphalia. The series has been broadcast in countries worldwide. Ihr Revier ist die Autobahn (Their precinct is the autobahn) Ihr Tempo ist mörderisch (They work at break-neck speed) Ihre Gegner: Autoschieber, Mörder und Erpresser (They're up against car thieves, burglars, and extortionists) Einsatz rund um die Uhr für die Männer von Cobra 11 (They're on call around the clock: the men of Cobra 11) Unsere Sicherheit ist ihr Job (Our safety is their job).
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, captivating, detective, suspenseful, retro
Similar in 90%
L.A. Heat (1996)
Plot Summary:
L.A. Heat is an American action series starring Wolf Larson and Steven Williams as Los Angeles police detectives, in the tradition of films like Lethal Weapon. The series aired on TNT from March 15, 1999.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 455
Genere: Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: detective, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, fast
Similar in 84%
Hill Street Blues (1981)
Plot Summary:
Hill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations influenced many subsequent dramatic television series produced in North America.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: realistic, suspenseful, clever, serious, detective, retro, atmospheric, neo noir, rough, gloomy
Similar in 81%
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 76%
FX: The Series (1996)
Plot Summary:
Rollie Tyler, a special effects expert, helps his detective friend solve crimes by making criminals see what they want to see. But what is real and what is illusion?.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 787
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: detective, exciting, clever, serious, realistic, suspenseful, cynical, stylized, fast
Similar in 87%
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 87%
Crime Story (1986)
Plot Summary:
Crime Story is an American TV drama, created by Gustave Reininger and Chuck Adamson, that premiered in 1986 and ran for two seasons on NBC. The executive producer was Michael Mann, who had left his other series Miami Vice to oversee Crime Story and direct the film Manhunter. The show premiered with a two-hour pilot — a movie which had been exhibited theatrically — and was watched by over 30 million viewers. It was then scheduled to follow Miami Vice on Friday nights, and continued to attract a record number of viewers. NBC then moved the show to Tuesdays at 10 pm opposite ABC's Moonlighting, hurting its ratings to the point that NBC ordered its cancellation after only two seasons. Set in the early, pre-Beatles 1960s, the series depicted two men — Lt. Mike Torello and mobster Ray Luca — with an obsessive drive to destroy each other. As Luca started with street crime in Chicago, was "made" in the Chicago Outfit and then sent to Las Vegas to monitor their casinos, Torello pursued Luca as head of a special Organized Crime Strike Force. Torello, his friend Ted Kehoe, and Luca had grown up in Chicago's "The Patch" neighborhood, also called "Little Sicily" or "Little Italy" and the haunt of the Forty-Two Gang. The show attracted both acclaim and controversy for its serialized format, in which a continuing storyline was told over an entire season, rather than being episodic, as was normal with shows at the time.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, suspense, disturbing, detective, tense, captivating, anime, serious, realistic, neo noir
Similar in 85%
21 Jump Street (1987)
Plot Summary:
21 Jump Street is an American police procedural crime drama television series that aired on the Fox Network and in first run syndication from April 12, 1987, to April 27, 1991, with a total of 103 episodes. The series focuses on a squad of youthful-looking undercover police officers investigating crimes in high schools, colleges, and other teenage venues. It was originally going to be titled Jump Street Chapel, after the deconsecrated church building in which the unit has its headquarters, but was changed at Fox's request so as not to mislead viewers into thinking it was a religious program. Created by Patrick Hasburgh and Stephen J. Cannell, the series was produced by Patrick Hasburgh Productions and Stephen J. Cannell Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television. Executive Producers included Hasburgh, Cannell, Steve Beers and Bill Nuss. The show was an early hit for the fledgling Fox Network, and was created to attract a younger audience. The final season aired in first-run syndication mainly on local Fox affiliates. It was later rerun on the FX cable network from 1996 to 1998. The series provided a spark to Johnny Depp's nascent acting career, garnering him national recognition as a teen idol. Depp found this status irritating, but he continued on the series under his contract and was paid $45,000 per episode. Eventually he was released from his contract after the fourth season. A spin-off series, Booker, was produced for the character of Dennis Booker; it ran one season, from September 1989 to June 1990. A film adaptation starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum was released on March 16, 2012.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: captivating, detective, light, sitcom, sentimental, enigmatic, serious, cult classic, spectacular, realistic
Similar in 77%
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 83%
Baretta (1975)
Plot Summary:
Baretta is an American detective television series which ran on ABC from 1975 to 1978. The show was a milder version of a successful 1973–74 ABC series, Toma, starring Tony Musante as chameleon-like, real-life New Jersey police officer David Toma. While popular, Toma received intense criticism at the time for its realistic and frequent depiction of police and criminal violence. When Musante left the series after a single season, the concept was retooled as Baretta, with Robert Blake in the title role.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, retro, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 82%
Knight Rider (1982)
Plot Summary:
Michael Long, an undercover police officer, is shot while investigating a case and left for dead by his assailants. He is rescued by Wilton Knight, a wealthy, dying millionaire and inventor who arranges life-saving surgery, including a new face and a new identity--that of Michael Knight. Michael is then given a special computerized and indestructible car called the Knight Industries Two Thousand (nicknamed KITT), and a mission: apprehend criminals who are beyond the reach of the law. The series depicts Michael's exploits as he and KITT battle the forces of evil on behalf of the Foundation for Law and Government.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 37000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 46 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspenseful, tense, touching, erotic, retro, soap opera, action adventure, serious, fast
Similar in 85%
Nash Bridges (1996)
Plot Summary:
Nash Bridges is an American television police drama created by Carlton Cuse. The show starred Don Johnson and Cheech Marin as two Inspectors with the San Francisco Police Department's Special Investigations Unit. The show ran for six seasons on CBS from March 29, 1996 to May 4, 2001 with a total of 122 episodes being produced. The show has aired in over 70 countries. It currently airs in the Middle East on MBC's newly launched Action block MBC Action, DR2 in Denmark, Crime & Investigation Network, WGN America, Universal HD in the United States, TV1 in Australia, 13th Street in The Netherlands and Universal Channel in Serbia.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, exciting, suspenseful, stylized, serious, realistic, crime drama
Similar in 83%
Hunter (1984)
Plot Summary:
Hunter is an American police drama television series created by Frank Lupo, and starring Fred Dryer as Sgt. Rick Hunter and Stepfanie Kramer as Sgt. Dee Dee McCall, which ran on NBC from 1984 to 1991. However, Kramer left after the sixth season to pursue other acting and musical opportunities. In the seventh season, Hunter partnered with two different women officers. The titular character, Sgt. Rick Hunter, was a wily, physically imposing, and often rule-breaking homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. The show's main characters, Hunter and McCall, resolve many of their cases by shooting dead the perpetrators. The show's executive producer during the first season was Stephen J. Cannell, whose company produced the series.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 48 min
Plot tags: detective, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 87%
Kojak (1973)
Plot Summary:
Kojak is an American television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, bald New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak. It aired from October 24, 1973, to March 18, 1978, on CBS. It took the time slot of the popular Cannon series, which was moved one hour earlier. Kojak's Greek American heritage, shared by actor Savalas, was prominently featured in the series. In 1999 TV Guide ranked Theo Kojak number 18 on its 50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time list.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, rough, clever, serious, realistic, suspenseful, witty, urban fantasy
Similar in 80%
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 77%
The Chicago Code (2011)
Plot Summary:
The series follows officers of the Chicago Police Department as they fight crime on the streets and try to expose political corruption within the city.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 44 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, detective, dark drama, fast
Similar in 86%
Miami Vice (1984)
Plot Summary:
The story of the Miami Police Department's vice squad and its efforts to end drug trafficking and prostitution, centered on the unlikely partnership of Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs - who first meet when Tubbs is undercover in a drug cartel.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 29000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 48 min
Plot tags: detective, serious, exciting, stylized, realistic, retro, anthology, anime, action adventure, neo noir
Similar in 82%
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 80%
Dark Blue (2009)
Plot Summary:
Dark Blue was an action/drama television series which premiered on TNT on July 15, 2009, at 10 pm. It ended its run on September 15, 2010. The series is set in Los Angeles, California. It revolves around Carter Shaw, the leader of an undercover unit. He is an officer who has dedicated his life to taking down the worst criminals in L.A., and this dedication has cost him his marriage. His team includes Ty Curtis, a newlywed who struggles between his job and his new life; Dean Bendis, an officer who is so deep in his undercover role that his team is no longer sure which side he is on; and Jaimie Allen, a green patrol cop recruited into the undercover unit because of her dark past and criminal skills.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, detective, crime drama, exciting
Similar in 81%
Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Plot Summary:
Steve McGarrett returns home to Oahu, in order to find his father's killer. The governor offers him the chance to run his own task force (Five-0). Steve's team is joined by Chin Ho Kelly, Danny "Danno" Williams, and Kono Kalakaua.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 77000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: exciting, detective, realistic, cliffhanger, action packed, stylized, serious, suspenseful, telenovela