Best tv shows like The Handler
Last updated March 2024
Looking for tv shows similar to The Handler? Impart your insights to lead others toward movies and tv series you've already seen that may also captivate them. Help increase the assembly of people bringing up videos amongst one another. We welcome your contribution!
Plot Summary:
The Handler is a crime series created by Canadian writer-producer Chris Haddock, airing in the United States on CBS in the 2003-04 season. The show starred Joe Pantoliano as Joe Renato, an FBI agent assigned to train and handle young undercover officers in the FBI. Other cast members included Hill Harper, Anna Belknap, Lola Glaudini, and Tanya Wright. Belknap and Harper would reunite as costars on the drama CSI: New York beginning in 2005.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 200
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Best tv shows and movies like The Handler (2003):
Similar in 87%
Strike Force (1975)
Plot Summary:
A New York City detective teams up with a federal agent and a state trooper to bust up a drug ring.
IMDB Rating: 4.2
IMDB Votes: 252
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 73 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, fast
Similar in 86%
Cover Me: Based on the True Life of an FBI Family (2000)
Plot Summary:
Cover Me: Based on the True Life of an FBI Family is an American television series which ran from March 5, 2000 to March 24, 2001 on the USA Network.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 192
Genere: Crime, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: disturbing, serious, realistic, suspenseful, captivating, detective
Similar in 89%
Vice (2008)
Plot Summary:
Michael Madsen stars as Max Walker, a down-and-out cop who becomes the target of a bloodthirsty drug cartel after he leads a narcotics bust to intercept a large shipment of heroin. When someone starts picking off his team members -- and the drugs seized in the raid suddenly disappear -- Walker pairs up with one of his detectives (Daryl Hannah) to uncover a conspiracy that may go straight up the chain of command.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 937
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, suspenseful, realistic
Similar in 75%
Ambushed (2013)
Plot Summary:
In the frenetic underbelly of Los Angeles, Agent Maxwell closes in on an international cocaine smuggling operation run by criminal mastermind Vincent Camastra. When Agent Beverly Royce goes undercover with the drug dealers and finds herself deeper then she can handle - the case becomes personal for Maxwell who has to combat ruthless killers and dirty cops in an all-out action filled finale to bring the criminals to justice.
IMDB Rating: 3.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: rough, realistic, suspenseful, serious, tense
Similar in 79%
The Ghost Squad (2005)
Plot Summary:
The Ghost Squad was a 2005 British crime drama series produced by Company Pictures, for Channel 4. The show was created by Tom Grieves. Inspired by the real life "Ghost Squad" that existed between 1994 and 1998, secretly investigating police corruption, the premise of the series is that the squad continued to operate in secret after officially being shut down. It starred Elaine Cassidy as a police constable recruited into the squad and Jonas Armstrong as her handler. The show was cancelled after a single seven episode series.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 475
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, detective, bleak
Similar in 83%
Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye (2002)
Plot Summary:
Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye is an American television series that premiered in 2002 on the PAX Network. The show ended in May 2005 due to PAX's decision to halt the production of original programming. It was one of the two highest rated shows on the network.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspenseful, detective
Similar in 87%
Threat Matrix (2003)
Plot Summary:
Threat Matrix is a 2003 American drama television series. It lasted 16 episodes. The plot consisted of the events in a United States Homeland Security anti-terrorism unit, led by Special agent John Kilmer. The title of the show refers to a report given to the President of the United States each morning, which contains information relating to the latest threats against the security of the United States.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 356
Genere: Drama, Thriller, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, suspenseful, realistic
Similar in 85%
Killer Instinct (2005)
Plot Summary:
Killer Instinct is an American crime drama television series filmed in Vancouver that originally aired on the Fox Network. The pilot episode aired on September 23, 2005, and the final episode aired on December 2, 2005. Fox ordered 13 episodes, only nine of which were broadcast in the United States; the remaining four premiered in the UK on Five. The series also been broadcast in France, New Zealand, Croatia, Italy, Netherlands, Australia, Japan, and Poland.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 629
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, detective
Similar in 90%
Touching Evil (2004)
Plot Summary:
Returning from a year-long psychological leave of absence after surviving an almost-fatal gunshot wound to the head, Detective David Creegan is assigned to the FBI's Organized and Serial Crime Unit – a rapid-response, elite crime investigation squad – where he and his new partner, Detective Susan Branca, find themselves committed to saving lives and solving cases. In spite of his inability to abide by common sense and the laws he's sworn to uphold, Creegan, with the help of Branca, works on hunting down the most vicious criminals on the streets.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, serious, realistic, suspenseful, detective, crime drama
Similar in 77%
Traffic (2004)
Plot Summary:
A three-part miniseries that offers a look into the world of trafficking, where drugs, weapons, and even people are traded all over the world. Here, the lives of three Seattle-based men become intertwined...until they're all in over their heads.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 920
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 260 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, realistic, serious, tense, psychological, exciting, rough, crime drama
Similar in 82%
Smith (2006)
Plot Summary:
Though Bobby Stevens appears to be a regular family man with a nine-to-five job, he's actually an expert thief who is seeking a few last big jobs so he can finally leave the business for a comfortable, lawful lifestyle with his wife, Hope, and their two children. While they never discuss Bobby's illegal pursuits, Hope is growing weary of turning a blind eye.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, suspenseful, sensitive, realistic
Similar in 86%
Angela's Eyes (2006)
Plot Summary:
FBI agent Angela Clinton has the exceptional gift of knowing when someone is lying. She discovered this skill at age 14, when she learned her "average" American parents were actually spies. Attempting to right her parents' wrong, Angela is now working with the same agency that brought her parents down.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 397
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, exciting, realistic, detective, suspenseful
Similar in 83%
Sleeper Cell (2005)
Plot Summary:
A chilling and unflinching look at all sides of a complicated issue, focusing on an African-American Muslim who joins an Islamic sleeper terrorist cell in the United States while working undercover for the FBI.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, captivating, suspenseful, erotic, detective, bleak, serious, realistic
Similar in 79%
Missing (2003)
Plot Summary:
Missing is a Canadian-American crime drama television series based on the 1-800-WHERE-R-YOU book series by Meg Cabot. The series aired on the A network and W Network in Canada, and on Lifetime in the United States from August 2003 to February 2006.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, detective, crime drama
Similar in 75%
Intelligence (2005)
Plot Summary:
Intelligence is a Vancouver-based television crime drama starring Ian Tracey and Klea Scott that aired on the CBC. With its pilot first airing on November 28, 2005, the series began regular broadcasting on October 10, 2006. CBC reaired the pilot on June 7, 2007 and began broadcasting reruns of season one on Fridays starting on June 8, 2007. A second season then aired from October 2007, concluding in December that same year. The series was produced by Haddock Entertainment, which also produced Da Vinci's Inquest and Da Vinci's City Hall. On March 7, 2008, the CBC announced that Intelligence would be cancelled. There were various rumors surrounding the cancellation of the series. Kevin Baker from The National Post alleged: "There's a theory afloat that CBC Television cancelled the unusually good drama Intelligence in fear of upsetting Canada's New Government, which is thought to be slavering for an excuse to junk the nation's public broadcaster and sell off the parts." The show centres on Jimmy Reardon, one of Vancouver's top organized crime bosses, and Mary Spalding, the director of the Vancouver Organized Crime Unit, who has offered Reardon immunity from prosecution in exchange for his role as a police informant. The show also stars Matt Frewer as Ted Altman, the scheming assistant director of the OCU who seeks to replace Spalding, and John Cassini as Ronnie Delmonico, Reardon's business partner and confidant.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: Canada
Duration: 44 min
Plot tags: exciting, realistic, rough, serious, suspenseful, detective
Similar in 90%
The Inside (2005)
Plot Summary:
The Inside is an American crime drama television series created by Tim Minear and Howard Gordon and produced by Imagine Television. The Inside follows the work of the FBI's Los Angeles Violent Crimes Unit, a division dedicated to investigating particularly dangerous crimes. The Inside initially aired on the Fox Network from June 8 to July 13, 2005. Although thirteen episodes were produced, Fox aired only seven episodes before canceling the series. All thirteen episodes were subsequently aired on Britain's ITV4 in 2006.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: exciting, realistic, serious, suspenseful, mind bending, detective
Similar in 89%
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 81%
The Beast (2009)
Plot Summary:
FBI agent Charles Barker applies controversial techniques in his attempts to bring criminals to justice, which often border on illegal and unsettle his uninitiated partner, Ellis Dove. Over the course of the first season, Barker is investigated by fellow FBI agents for alleged misconduct. Dove's loyalty to his partner is challenged when internal affairs agent Ray Beaumont (Larry Gilliard) approaches him to gain information. Shortly thereafter, Dove learns of darker secrets in Barker's past.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, rough, suspenseful, detective, anime
Similar in 86%
Robbery Homicide Division (2002)
Plot Summary:
Robbery Homicide Division was an American police procedural television series on CBS, created by Barry Schindel with executive producer Michael Mann. Schindel has been nominated for three Emmy Awards.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 403
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, suspenseful, exciting, captivating, realistic
Similar in 88%
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 77%
New York Undercover (1994)
Plot Summary:
New York Undercover is an American police drama that aired on the Fox television network from 1994 to 1998. The series stars Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and Michael DeLorenzo as Detective Eddie Torres, two undercover detectives in New York City's Fourth Precinct who were assigned to investigate various crimes and gang-related cases. The cast also included Patti D'Arbanville-Quinn as their superior, Lt. Virginia Cooper, and Lauren Vélez, who joined the cast in the second season as Nina Moreno, fellow detective and love interest to Torres. New York Undercover was created and produced by Dick Wolf, and its storyline takes place in the same fictional universe as Wolf's NBC series Law & Order and its spin-offs. New York Undercover is notable for being the first police drama on American television to feature two people of color in the starring roles. In contrast to the popularity of NBC's "Must See TV" on Thursday nights in the 1990s, many African-American viewers flocked to Fox's Thursday night line-up of Living Single, New York Undercover, and Martin. In fact, these were the three highest rated series among black households for the 1996-1997 season.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, rough, realistic, suspenseful, detective, crime drama
Similar in 81%
Wiseguy (1987)
Plot Summary:
Vinnie Terranova does time in a New Jersey penitentiary to set up his undercover role as an agent for the OCB (Organized Crime Bureau) of the United States. His roots in a traditional Italian city neighborhood form the underlying dramatic base throughout the series, bringing him into conflict with his conservative mother and other family members while acting undercover as syndicate enforcer.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: realistic, suspenseful, atmospheric, serious, detective, sincere, bleak, gloomy
Similar in 76%
Line of Fire (2003)
Plot Summary:
Line of Fire is a crime drama television series that was broadcast on ABC for 11 episodes in the winter of 2003-2004. It starred Leslie Bibb and Jeffrey D. Sams as two rookie FBI agents assigned to the bureau's Richmond, Virginia branch, where their story parallels that of a local mob boss, Jonah Malloy. When a fellow agent is murdered in a shootout with the gangsters, the head of the FBI branch declares an all-out war on the criminal underworld. The following episodes weaved intricately between Bibb and Sams' federal agency and Paymer's gang, though the two storylines rarely met head-on, except when occasionally focusing on an undercover agent. The show was canceled after just 11 episodes in June 2004, though 13 episodes in all were produced. Mob boss Jonah Malloy's signature line was "That's that with that." The Parents Television Council took a clip from the series for their TV's Worst Clips from years 2001 to 2004. The clip used depicted graphic sexuality.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 312
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, suspenseful, detective
Similar in 79%
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 77%
Graceland (2013)
Plot Summary:
Somewhere in Southern California, in a drug raid run by the US government, a beachfront property was seized and turned into a residence for undercover cops. They are all top agents of the DEA, FBI, and Customs and they are living in this house unofficially known as "Graceland". "Graceland" is a place full of secrets, and bad, good, and blurred moments too. The only idyllic thing is its outside look, but the lives of its residents are nothing like it. The lies which are in the base of their undercover work, are formed a web of lies that pervades everything. Coming of a new graduating at the top of his class, FBI rookie, Mike Warren, could make the life of a legendary FBI agent Paul Briggs and the others, more complicated or it could reveal the truth. It is based upon actual events.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspenseful, tense, captivating, interesting
Similar in 90%
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 88%
Gang Related (2014)
Plot Summary:
Every villain has a noble cause, and every hero has a dark side. Detective Ryan Lopez is a rising star in Los Angeles' elite Gang Task Force. What the world doesn't know is that long before Ryan became a cop, he pledged allegiance to a different band of brothers – a powerful Latino gang called Los Angelicos. When Ryan's best friend and police partner is senselessly killed by a notorious gang member, Ryan teams up with longtime Task Force member Cassius Green who has been at the forefront of the city's war on organized crime. In this war between law enforcement and gangs, the series explores how only people who really know the streets can win the battle on the streets.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 46 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, exciting, realistic, suspenseful, crime drama, detective
Similar in 90%
Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior (2011)
Plot Summary:
Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior was a short-lived American police procedural drama that aired on CBS. The show debuted in 2011 as a spin-off from the successful Criminal Minds, which had premiered in 2005. This edition's profiling team also worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico, Virginia. In an April 2010 episode of Criminal Minds, during the show's fifth season, the original team met the new team and worked with them to find a San Francisco serial killer. This episode served as the new series' backdoor pilot. Just like the parent series, CBS owned the underlying North American rights, while ABC owned the international rights. The series premiered on February 16, 2011, and filled the Wednesday 10 pm time slot, airing immediately after the original Criminal Minds. CBS cancelled the series on May 17, 2011. The series ends with a cliffhanger. On September 6, 2011 CBS DVD released the complete series as a 4 disc-set. It is packaged as "The DVD Edition". There are numerous special features and two episode commentaries with the cast and crew. The set includes the backdoor pilot from season five of the original show.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, suspenseful, rough, realistic, detective, psychological thriller, psycho film
Similar in 79%
Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders (2016)
Plot Summary:
Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders is a drama about the specialized International Division of the FBI tasked with solving crimes and coming to the rescue of Americans who find themselves in danger while abroad.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: exciting, realistic, suspenseful, serious, captivating, suspense, psychological, intellectual, detective, psychological thriller
Similar in 82%
CSI: Cyber (2015)
Plot Summary:
The FBI's team of Cyber Crime Investigators, headed by Special Agent Avery Ryan, works to solve cases involving the dark-net. Avery, a Special Agent in Charge and esteemed Cyber-Psychologist heads up a team, including Senior Special Agent Elijah Mundo, tasked with solving murders, cyber-theft, hacking, sex offences, and blackmail.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 44 min
Plot tags: exciting, realistic, serious, suspenseful, detective, tense, captivating, entertaining, action adventure, interesting