Best tv shows like The Detectives
Last updated March 2024
Looking for tv shows related to The Detectives? Leverage your insights to navigate others toward tv shows and movies you've viewed previously that they might like too. Help broaden the cohort of people suggesting videos to each other. We appreciate your engagement!
Plot Summary:
The absurd adventures of two defective detectives, who - despite unbelievable incompetence - somehow manage to solve their cases (or be nearby when the cases are solved) and retain their jobs.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Crime
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: sitcom, detective, spoof, slapstick comedy, slapstick, parody, detective series
Best tv shows and movies like The Detectives (1993):
Similar in 77%
Dead Canny (2022)
Plot Summary:
Kay, a questionable young psychic from Consett, County Durham, has the ability to see dead people. This not only earns her a few quid cash-in-hand down the local pub, but also lands her as the prime suspect in a murder enquiry.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 112
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration:
Plot tags: sitcom
Similar in 78%
'Orrible (2001)
Plot Summary:
'Orrible is a British television sitcom produced by the BBC. Broadcast in 2001, it was written by and starred Johnny Vaughan. Vaughan appears as a taxi-cab driver and wannabe small time criminal in Acton. Despite the BBC having high hopes and heavily promoting the series, it was panned by critics for the script and Vaughan's acting ability. It achieved very low viewing figures and ran for one series, and has never been repeated by the BBC. "Ultimately, it was shit" said Vaughan in a 2004 interview in The Stage.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 173
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Crime
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom
Similar in 79%
Scot Squad (2014)
Plot Summary:
Mockumentary comedy series following the life of scottish police officers from different areas of the force in a fly on the wall style.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 378
Genere: Comedy, Crime
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, spoof, mockumentary
Similar in 85%
Der Bulle von Tölz (1996)
Plot Summary:
The Bull of Tölz is commissioned by Sat.1 German crime series.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 445
Genere: Comedy, Crime
Country: Germany
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: detective
Similar in 75%
Inspector Zenigata (2017)
Plot Summary:
The Tokyo police receives a bomb threat from what appears to be Lupin III. This proves to be a distraction and a priceless painting was stolen from the nearby Tokyo Empire Museum, leaving a guard dead. Enter Inspector Zenigata who is convinced this wasn't Lupin III at all. In his own unique way he goes about proving this only to attract the attention of a real bomber calling himself Mr. Question. Will his riddles defeat Zenigata and his team or will they persevere and save Tokyo?.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 25
Genere: Action, Comedy, Crime
Country: Japan
Duration: 54 min
Plot tags: detective, anime
Similar in 83%
Reporting for Duty (2023)
Plot Summary:
When Suzano assumes the role of police chief at a new precinct, the timid newbie will have to prove his mettle to his fearless squad.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 175
Genere: Comedy, Crime
Country: Brazil
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, detective
Similar in 85%
The Goodies (1970)
Plot Summary:
The Goodies is a British television comedy series of the 1970s and early 1980s. The series, which combines surreal sketches and situation comedy, was broadcast by BBC 2 from 1970 until 1980 — and was then broadcast by the ITV company LWT for a year, between 1981 to 1982. The show was co-written by and starred Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie. Bill Oddie also wrote the music and songs for the series — while "The Goodies Theme" was co-written by Bill Oddie and Michael Gibbs. The directors/producers of the series were John Howard Davies, Jim Franklin and Bob Spiers. An early title which was considered for the series was Narrow Your Mind and prior to that the working title was Super Chaps Three.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, surreal, sitcom, spoof, slapstick comedy, slapstick, parody
Similar in 83%
Murder in Successville (2015)
Plot Summary:
Each week Successville's loveable detective, D.I Sleet, enlists the help of a celebrity sidekick to solve the latest high-profile murder in this improvised comedy murder mystery series.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: detective, sitcom
Similar in 88%
Beverly Hills Buntz (1987)
Plot Summary:
Beverly Hills Buntz is a spinoff from Hill Street Blues. It aired on NBC during the 1987–88 season.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 111
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: detective, sitcom
Similar in 83%
Year of the Rabbit (2019)
Plot Summary:
Set in the dark heart of Victorian London, Detective Inspector Rabbit is a hardened booze-hound who's seen it all. Rabbit's been chasing bad guys for as long as he can remember, but these days his heart keeps stopping at inopportune moments.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, captivating, semi serious, detective, funny, spoof, dark comedy, parody, offbeat
Similar in 78%
Sick Note (2017)
Plot Summary:
When Daniel Glass is misdiagnosed with a fatal disease he begins to notice how everyone around him treats him better. But then he finds out he was misdiagnosed by the most incompetent oncologist on Earth and now he has a big decision to make: come clean and go back to his old rubbish life, or keep pretending to be ill.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Comedy, Crime
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: semi serious, absurd, sitcom, captivating, entertaining, dark comedy
Similar in 84%
Operation Good Guys (1997)
Plot Summary:
Operation Good Guys is a British mockumentary, a fly-on-the-wall documentary series about an elite police unit's bid to snare one of Britain's most powerful crime lords. It was first screened on BBC Two from 1997 - 2000. Blurring the line between fact and fiction, it witnesses, on camera, the total breakdown, professionally and personally, of the Operation Good Guys team. Throughout the operation, The 'Good Guys' have an unfortunate habit of embroiling into their calamitous world some of the country's best-known celebrities, from actors and footballers, to TV presenters and even the odd ex-convict. It was created by Ray Burdis and co written by Ray Burdis, Hugo Blick and Dominic Anciano, although much of the dialogue was improvised by the actors. The series utilised the concept of a mock documentary capturing the truths of a workplace four years before the notion reached fame in The Office. However, this mockumentary style was watered down slightly when a laugh track was added for the second and third series. The series was awarded the Silver Rose for Best Sitcom and the Prix de la Presse, voted for by the International Press, at the Montreux Golden Rose Festival.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 548
Genere: Comedy, Crime
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, mockumentary, sitcom, detective, offbeat, realistic, not serious, surreal
Similar in 90%
Pie in the Sky (1994)
Plot Summary:
Pie in the Sky is a British offbeat police comedy drama programme starring Richard Griffiths and Maggie Steed, created by Andrew Payne and first broadcast in five series on BBC1 between 13 March 1994 and 17 August 1997 as well as being syndicated on other channels in other countries, including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The series departs slightly from other police dramas in that the protagonist, Henry Crabbe, while still being an on-duty policeman, is also the head chef of the title restaurant set in the fictional town of Middleton and county of Westershire.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: detective
Similar in 80%
Porridge (1974)
Plot Summary:
Porridge is a British situation comedy broadcast on BBC1 from 1974 to 1977, running for three series, two Christmas specials and a feature film also titled Porridge. Written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, it stars Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale as two inmates at the fictional HMP Slade in Cumberland. "Doing porridge" is British slang for serving a prison sentence, porridge once being the traditional breakfast in UK prisons. The series was followed by a 1978 sequel, Going Straight, which established that Fletcher would not be going back to prison again. Porridge was voted number seven in a 2004 BBC poll of the 100 greatest British sitcoms.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Comedy, Crime
Country: UK
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: sitcom, clever, humorous, realistic, witty, talky, semi serious, fun
Similar in 80%
Car 54, Where Are You? (1961)
Plot Summary:
Car 54, Where Are You? is an American sitcom that ran on NBC from 1961 to 1963, and was about two New York police officers based at the fictional 53rd precinct in The Bronx. Car 54 was their patrol car. The show was filmed only in black-and-white. Episodes had different directors, the most recognized being Al De Caprio. Stanley Prager and Nat Hiken also directed several episodes. Most filming was on location in the New York City borough of The Bronx, and at Gold Medal Studios in The Bronx.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, detective, realistic, not serious, buddy comedy
Similar in 81%
Murder Most Horrid (1991)
Plot Summary:
A comedy that started in 1991 as a pilot, Murder Most Horrid stars Dawn French as various characters, as she embarks on a different mystery every episode. In one way or another she is involved with murder - either committing the crime herself or even getting bumped off herself!.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 651
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: anthology, detective, dark comedy, parody
Similar in 80%
McDonald & Dodds (2020)
Plot Summary:
Two detectives, DCI McDonald and DS Dodds, who seemingly have nothing in common, are thrown together and forge a rumbustious friendship and entertaining partnership in this two-part British detective drama miniseries set in modern-day Bath.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: tense, detective, intellectual, unusual plot structure, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing, contemplative
Similar in 90%
The Michael Richards Show (2000)
Plot Summary:
The Michael Richards Show is a sitcom that debuted on NBC in 2000. The show starred Michael Richards as reality-challenged but successful private detective Vic Nardozza who gets the job done despite his unconventional methods.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 350
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, suspenseful, semi serious, realistic, detective
Similar in 88%
Wycliffe (1993)
Plot Summary:
Wycliffe is a British television series, based on W. J. Burley's novels about Detective Superintendent Charles Wycliffe. It was produced by HTV and broadcast on the ITV Network, following a pilot episode on 7 August 1993, between 24 July 1994 and 5 July 1998. The series was filmed in Cornwall, with a production office in Truro. Music for the series was composed by Nigel Hess and was awarded the Royal Television Society award for the best television theme. Wycliffe is played by Jack Shepherd, assisted by DI Doug Kersey and DI Lucy Lane. Each episode deals with a murder investigation. In the early series, the stories are adapted from Burley's books and are in classic whodunit style, often with quirky characters and plot elements. In later seasons, the tone becomes more naturalistic and there is more emphasis on internal politics within the police.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: detective, crime drama
Similar in 84%
The Job (2001)
Plot Summary:
The Job is a single-camera television comedy drama about a New York City police officer named Mike McNeil -- who indulges in adultery, alcohol, cigarettes and prescription drug abuse—and his fellow 'bumbling detective' pals. The show, which appeared to borrow the tone and look of NYPD Blue for semi-satirical purposes, was built around the Mike McNeil character, but relied on a strong ensemble cast. The show filmed entirely on location in New York City.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, realistic, witty, sitcom, detective, clever, cynical, biting, black comedy
Similar in 82%
Bakersfield P.D. (1993)
Plot Summary:
Bakersfield P.D. is a short-lived American television comedy series that aired on the Fox network in 1993-94. The show was based in the police department of the city of Bakersfield, California. It was shot with naturalistic lighting and without a laugh track. Fox canceled the show after one season, citing low ratings. The cable channel Trio reran the show under its "Brilliant But Cancelled" umbrella.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 315
Genere: Comedy, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, detective, exciting, humorous, realistic, not serious
Similar in 85%
The Thin Blue Line (1995)
Plot Summary:
The Thin Blue Line is a British sitcom starring Rowan Atkinson set in a police station that ran for two series on the BBC from 1995 to 1996. It was written by Ben Elton.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Comedy, Crime
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, sitcom, detective, not serious, realistic, witty, hilarious, atmospheric, double entendre, alternative comedy
Similar in 81%
Police Squad! (1982)
Plot Summary:
Police Squad! is a television comedy series first broadcast in 1982, created by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker, and starring Leslie Nielsen. A spoof of police procedurals, the series featured Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker's usual sight gags, wordplay and non sequiturs. While a parody of many television shows and movies, it bore a particular resemblance to the Lee Marvin cop show, M Squad and the late 1960s series Felony Squad. Although cancelled after only six episodes, the show spawned the successful Naked Gun film series. TV Guide ranked it #7 on their 2013 list of 60 shows that were "Cancelled Too Soon".
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Comedy, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: parody, spoof, sitcom, humorous, funny, detective, absurd, anime, cult classic, realistic
Similar in 82%
Reno 911! (2003)
Plot Summary:
Reno 911! is an American comedy television series on Comedy Central that ran from 2003 to 2009. It is a mockumentary-style parody of law enforcement documentary shows, specifically COPS, with comic actors playing the police officers. Most of the material is improvised, using a broad outline, and with minimal scripted material. The series spawned a film, Reno 911!: Miami, featuring the same cast. Thomas Lennon, Robert Ben Garant and Kerri Kenney-Silver both starred in and are billed as creators of the series.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Comedy, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, parody, mockumentary, not serious, funny, detective, spoof, hilarious, offbeat
Similar in 87%
Breaking In (2011)
Plot Summary:
Contra Security is a high tech security firm that specializes in breaking in as a way to test security measures. The team members comprise various skills, and even more various personalities.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Comedy, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, captivating, sitcom, funny, detective, thrilling, offbeat, realistic, black comedy
Similar in 90%
Common Law (2012)
Plot Summary:
Common Law is an American comedy-drama television series, which ran on USA Network from May 11 to August 10, 2012, and stars Michael Ealy and Warren Kole as two Los Angeles Police Department detectives who can't stand each other and are ordered to see a couples therapist to remedy the situation. The series was created by Cormac and Marianne Wibberley and was produced by CBS Television Studios and Junction Entertainment. While originally planned to premiere on January 26, 2012, the series was pushed back until summer 2012. The series premiered following Fairly Legal on Friday, May 11, 2012. The show was canceled by the USA Network after one season and 12 episodes on October 31, 2012, due to low ratings.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Comedy, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: exciting, humorous, semi serious, realistic, detective, crime drama, talky
Similar in 87%
A Touch of Cloth (2012)
Plot Summary:
Hannah plays DI Jack Cloth, who is called in to investigate an apparent series of serial killings alongside his new partner, DC Anne Oldman, described as a "plucky, no-nonsense sidekick". Playing with the cliches and conventions of British police dramas, subplots include Cloth dealing with visions of his dead wife and the bisexual DC Oldman coming to grips with her feelings for both her female fiancee and Cloth.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Comedy, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: parody, humorous, detective, exciting, captivating, tense, clever, slapstick, funny, hilarious
Similar in 84%
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 86%
Warren (2019)
Plot Summary:
Warren Thompson just wants an easy life, but thanks to his naturally difficult personality, he’s constantly finding himself in sticky situations.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 817
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, funny, feel good, light, humorous, captivating, entertaining
Similar in 77%
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013)
Plot Summary:
A single-camera ensemble comedy following the lives of an eclectic group of detectives in a New York precinct, including one slacker who is forced to shape up when he gets a new boss.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 349000
Genere: Comedy, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, not serious, funny, detective, hilarious, captivating, light, intellectual, feel good