Best tv shows like The Shield
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
The story of an inner-city Los Angeles police precinct where some of the cops aren't above breaking the rules or working against their associates to both keep the streets safe and their self-interests intact.
IMDB Rating: 8.7
IMDB Votes: 86000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 47 min
Plot tags: exciting, tense, rough, suspenseful, realistic, cynical, dramatic, detective, crime drama, serious
Best tv shows and movies like The Shield (2002):
Similar in 75%
Q & A (1990)
Plot Summary:
A young district attorney seeking to prove a case against a corrupt police detective encounters a former lover and her new protector, a crime boss who refuse to help him.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 132 min
Plot tags: talky, intense, neo noir, rough, suspenseful, tense, serious, realistic, detective, retro
Similar in 84%
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 76%
Braquo (2009)
Plot Summary:
A group of police officers in Paris use violence and intimidation to solve crimes.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Crime, Thriller
Country: France
Duration: 52 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, bleak, suspenseful, detective, crime drama, captivating, psychological thriller, exciting, thrilling
Similar in 82%
Blue Bloods (2010)
Plot Summary:
A drama about a multi-generational family of cops dedicated to New York City law enforcement. Frank Reagan is the New York Police Commissioner and heads both the police force and the Reagan brood. He runs his department as diplomatically as he runs his family, even when dealing with the politics that plagued his unapologetically bold father, Henry, during his stint as Chief.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 46000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: captivating, serious, suspenseful, exciting, detective, realistic, idiotic
Similar in 86%
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 75%
Thief (2006)
Plot Summary:
Andre Braugher stars as Nick Atwater, the leader of a robbery crew balancing his personal life with the planning of a major heist. The crew is being targeted by a relentless cop and the Chinese mafia every step of the way, while Atwater struggles at home with his teenage stepdaughter (Mae Whitman).
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, crime drama, cliffhanger, exciting
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 79%
Homicide: Life on the Street (1993)
Plot Summary:
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de facto series finale. The series was originally based on David Simon's book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets. Many of the characters and stories used throughout the show were based on events depicted in the book, which was also part of the basis for Simon's own series, The Wire on HBO. Although Homicide featured an ensemble cast, Andre Braugher emerged as the series' breakout star through his portrayal of Frank Pembleton. The show won Television Critics Association Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Drama in 1996, 1997, and 1998. It also became the first drama ever to win three Peabody Awards for best drama in 1993, 1995, and 1997. In 1997, the episode "Prison Riot" was ranked No. 32 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time. In 2007, it was listed as one of Time magazine's "Best TV Shows of All-TIME." In 1996 TV Guide named the series 'The Best Show You're Not Watching'. The show placed #46 on Entertainment Weekly's "New TV Classics" list.
IMDB Rating: 8.7
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: tense, realistic, detective, rough, serious, talky, neo noir, crime drama, thrilling, psychological
Similar in 83%
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 78%
City on a Hill (2019)
Plot Summary:
In early 90s Boston, an African-American District Attorney comes in from Brooklyn advocating change and forms an unlikely alliance with a corrupt yet venerated FBI veteran invested in maintaining the status quo. Together they take on a family of armored car robbers from Charlestown in a case that grows to encompass and eventually upend Boston’s city-wide criminal justice system.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, captivating, bleak, exciting, detective, anime, crime drama
Similar in 80%
Low Winter Sun (2013)
Plot Summary:
Low Winter Sun is an American television drama series developed by Chris Mundy, starring Mark Strong and Lennie James. The series premiered on August 11, 2013, on AMC, with the first season consisting of ten episodes. It is based upon the 2006 British two-part miniseries of the same name.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, suspenseful, detective, spooky, realistic, independent film
Similar in 75%
Line of Duty (2012)
Plot Summary:
Steve Arnott is a young officer who’s fallen foul of his superiors for refusing to help in the cover-up of an operation that ended in the shooting of an innocent father. He seems ideal to join AC-12, an anti-corruption police unit, just as it starts to investigate Detective Chief Inspector Tony Gates, the regional force’s Officer of the Year.
IMDB Rating: 8.7
IMDB Votes: 68000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: realistic, tense, suspenseful, serious, detective, crime drama, atmospheric, dark, sitcom, deep
Similar in 84%
Southland (2009)
Plot Summary:
Since premiering in 2009, Southland has redefined the police drama with its raw, authentic look at the lives and work of Los Angeles detectives and beat cops. The show centers on four main characters: Officer John Cooper (Cudlitz), a seasoned cop who will have to prove himself again after recovering from surgery; Officer Ben Sherman (McKenzie), who still has much to learn after recently completing his training rotation; Detective Lydia Adams (King), whose unending caseload hits closer to home; and Sammy Bryant (Hatosy), a former detective who decided to go back to being a uniform cop after the traumatic death of his partner.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 29000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: detective, captivating, serious, rough, realistic, suspenseful, exciting, epic, anime, thrilling
Similar in 77%
Chicago P.D. (2014)
Plot Summary:
A riveting police drama about the men and women of the Chicago Police Department's District 21 who put it all on the line to serve and protect their community. District 21 is made up of two distinctly different groups: the uniformed cops who patrol the beat and go head-to-head with the city's street crimes and the Intelligence Unit that combats the city's major offenses - organized crime, drug trafficking, high profile murders and beyond.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 43000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: exciting, tense, serious, suspenseful, detective, realistic, crime drama
Similar in 88%
Law & Order (1990)
Plot Summary:
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It originally aired on NBC and, in syndication, on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24, 2010. At the time of its cancellation, Law & Order was the longest-running crime drama on American primetime television. After The Simpsons, both Law & Order and Gunsmoke tied for the second longest-running scripted American primetime series with ongoing characters.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 43000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: detective, tense, realistic, rough, clever, serious, suspenseful, crime drama, dramatic, thrilling
Similar in 86%
Without a Trace (2002)
Plot Summary:
Without a Trace was an American police procedural television drama series that originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series follows the ventures of a Missing Persons Unit of the FBI in New York City.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, serious, suspenseful, captivating, realistic, detective, bleak, rough, crime drama, thrilling
Similar in 77%
The Shadow Line (2011)
Plot Summary:
A noir thriller with diverse individuals whose worlds become interwoven after the murder of drug baron Harvey Wratten. From the cop with a bullet in his brain, whose amnesia leaves him doubtful of his own moral compass; to the drug-lord driven by a profound personal tragedy, risking it all on one last deal; to the brilliantly lethal puppet-master who gradually emerges from the shadows to bring the story to its shocking climax The Shadow Line explores the morality of these characters as they negotiate the repercussions of Wratten's death and attempt to navigate the fine line between right and wrong. As the thread around Wratten's operation begins to unravel, the web of intrigue becomes more complex and the question of which side of the line they stand on becomes increasingly blurred. An intelligent and gripping conspiracy thriller that delves to the heart of human morality, The Shadow Line will have audiences enthralled over six taut and thrilling episodes. Faced with similar dilemmas, on which side of the line would you stand?.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, atmospheric, detective, rough, suspenseful, stylized, tense, captivating, realistic, crime drama
Similar in 76%
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 80%
Justified (2010)
Plot Summary:
A character drama based on the 2001 Elmore Leonard short story "Fire in the Hole." Leonard's tale centers around U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens of Kentucky, a quiet but strong-willed official of the law. The tale covers his high-stakes job, as well as his strained relationships with his ex-wife and father.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 116000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 3400 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, realistic, neo noir, dramatic, detective, southern gothic, crime drama, neo western, exciting
Similar in 84%
Training Day (2001)
Plot Summary:
On his first day on the job as a narcotics officer, a rookie cop works with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 463000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: neo noir, tense, realistic, harsh, suspense, hood, detective, crime thriller, psychological, clever
Similar in 84%
Luther (2010)
Plot Summary:
A dark psychological crime drama starring Idris Elba as Luther, a man struggling with his own terrible demons, who might be as dangerous as the depraved murderers he hunts.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 152000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, psychological thriller, tense, detective, rough, serious, crime drama, exciting, dramatic, suspenseful
Similar in 76%
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000)
Plot Summary:
The series follows Las Vegas criminalists working for the Las Vegas Police Department as they use physical evidence to solve grisly murders in this unusually graphic drama, which has inspired a host of other cop-show "procedurals". The series mixes deduction, gritty subject matter and character-driven drama. The network later added spin-offs CSI: Miami and CSI: NY, which have both been cancelled after ten and nine seasons respectively.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 88000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, detective, psychological, suspenseful, rough, realistic, suspense, dramatic, exciting, funny
Similar in 81%
Banshee (2013)
Plot Summary:
Banshee is an American drama television series set in a small town in Pennsylvania Amish country and features an enigmatic ex-con posing as a murdered sheriff who imposes his own brand of justice while also cooking up plans that serve his own interests.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 120000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: exciting, sexy, serious, suspenseful, rough, stylized, realistic, erotic, inspirational, brutal
Similar in 89%
Fargo (2014)
Plot Summary:
A close-knit anthology series dealing with stories involving malice, violence and murder based in and around Minnesota.
IMDB Rating: 8.9
IMDB Votes: 398000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 53 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, neo noir, dark comedy, captivating, clever, detective, anthology, witty, offbeat, suspenseful
Similar in 86%
The Wire (2002)
Plot Summary:
Told from the points of view of both the Baltimore homicide and narcotics detectives and their targets, the series captures a universe in which the national war on drugs has become a permanent, self-sustaining bureaucracy, and distinctions between good and evil are routinely obliterated.
IMDB Rating: 9.3
IMDB Votes: 367000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 59 min
Plot tags: clever, tense, cynical, detective, serious, rough, captivating, dramatic, suspenseful, exciting
Similar in 80%
Sons of Anarchy (2008)
Plot Summary:
An adrenalized drama with darkly comedic undertones that explores a notorious outlaw motorcycle club’s (MC) desire to protect its livelihood while ensuring that their simple, sheltered town of Charming, California remains exactly that, charming. The MC must confront threats from drug dealers, corporate developers, and overzealous law officers. Behind the MC’s familial lifestyle and legally thriving automotive shop is a ruthless and illegal arms business driven by the seduction of money, power, and blood.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 317000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: tense, exciting, serious, suspenseful, rough, dramatic, epic, erotic, christian film, atmospheric
Similar in 82%
End of Watch (2012)
Plot Summary:
Two young officers are marked for death after confiscating a small cache of money and firearms from the members of a notorious cartel during a routine traffic stop.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 264000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: emotional, tense, suspense, independent film, realistic, harsh, brutal, hood, captivating, heroic
Similar in 77%
Criminal Minds (2005)
Plot Summary:
An elite team of FBI profilers analyze the country's most twisted criminal minds, anticipating their next moves before they strike again. The Behavioral Analysis Unit's most experienced agent is David Rossi, a founding member of the BAU who returns to help the team solve new cases.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 214000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: psychological, exciting, serious, rough, detective, intellectual, thrilling, psychological thriller, bloody, dramatic
Similar in 79%
Dexter (2006)
Plot Summary:
Dexter is an American television drama series. The series centers on Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter pattern analyst for 'Miami Metro Police Department' who also leads a secret life as a serial killer, hunting down criminals who have slipped through the cracks of justice.
IMDB Rating: 8.7
IMDB Votes: 753000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 5076 min
Plot tags: captivating, clever, serious, stylized, tense, atmospheric, disturbing, bloody, suspenseful, offbeat
Similar in 77%
Peaky Blinders (2013)
Plot Summary:
A gangster family epic set in 1919 Birmingham, England and centered on a gang who sew razor blades in the peaks of their caps, and their fierce boss Tommy Shelby, who means to move up in the world.
IMDB Rating: 8.8
IMDB Votes: 621000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 2109 min
Plot tags: serious, atmospheric, tense, stylized, captivating, clever, suspenseful, rough, historical drama, realistic