Best tv shows like The Streets of San Francisco
Last updated March 2024
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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
Best tv shows and movies like The Streets of San Francisco (1972):
Similar in 85%
The Rockford Files (1974)
Plot Summary:
The Rockford Files is an American television drama series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974 and January 10, 1980, and has remained in syndication to the present day. Garner portrays Los Angeles-based private investigator Jim Rockford with Noah Beery, Jr. in the supporting role of his father, a retired truck driver nicknamed "Rocky." The show was created by Roy Huggins and Stephen J. Cannell. Huggins created the television show Maverick, which starred Garner, and he wanted to recapture that magic in a "modern day" detective setting. He teamed with Cannell, who had written for Jack Webb productions such as Adam-12 and Chase, to create The Rockford Files. The show was credited as "A Public Arts/Roy Huggins Production" along with Universal Studios and in association with Cherokee Productions. Cherokee was owned by Garner, with partners Meta Rosenberg and Juanita Bartlett, who doubled as story editor during most of The Rockford Files' run. The series theme by composers Mike Post and Pete Carpenter was released as a single and went to #10 on the Billboard Hot 100, remaining on the chart for 16 weeks. and won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement for 1975.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: detective, retro, neo noir, sincere, serious, captivating, realistic, witty, vintage
Similar in 82%
Cannon (1971)
Plot Summary:
Cannon is a CBS detective television series produced by Quinn Martin which aired from March 26, 1971 to March 3, 1976. The primary protagonist is the title character, private detective Frank Cannon, played by William Conrad. He also appeared on two episodes of Barnaby Jones. Cannon is the first Quinn Martin-produced series to be aired on a network other than ABC. A "revival" television film, The Return of Frank Cannon, was aired on November 1, 1980. In total, there were 124 episodes.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, surprise ending
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Similar in 88%
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
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Similar in 78%
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 88%
Starsky & Hutch (1975)
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
Similar in 82%
McMillan & Wife (1971)
Plot Summary:
McMillan & Wife is a lighthearted American police procedural that aired on NBC from September 17, 1971 to April 24, 1977. Starring Rock Hudson and Susan Saint James in the title roles, the series premiered in 90-minute episodes as part of the wheel series NBC Mystery Movie, in rotation with Columbo and McCloud. Initially airing on Wednesday night, the original line-up was shifted to Sundays in the second season, where it aired for the rest of its run. This was the first element to be created specially for the Mystery Movie strand.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: detective, serious, realistic, suspenseful
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Similar in 76%
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
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Similar in 86%
McCloud (1970)
Plot Summary:
McCloud is an American television police drama that aired on NBC from 1970 to 1977. The title role is played by Dennis Weaver as Marshal Sam McCloud, a law officer from Taos, New Mexico, on semi-permanent "special assignment" with the New York City Police Department.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, suspenseful, realistic, detective, neo western, psychological, mind bending
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Similar in 89%
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
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Similar in 81%
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
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Similar in 79%
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
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Similar in 87%
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
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Similar in 84%
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%
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
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Similar in 77%
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
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Similar in 89%
Banacek (1972)
Plot Summary:
Banacek is an American detective TV series starring George Peppard that aired on the NBC network from 1972 to 1974. The series was part of the rotating NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie anthology. It alternated in its time slot with several other shows but was the only one to last beyond its first season.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: detective, serious, realistic, suspenseful
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Similar in 75%
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
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Similar in 88%
Ironside (1967)
Plot Summary:
Ironside is a Universal television series that ran on NBC from September 14, 1967 to January 16, 1975. The show starred Raymond Burr as a paraplegic Chief of Detectives, Robert T. Ironside. The character debuted on March 28, 1967 in a TV movie. When broadcast in the United Kingdom the show was initially titled A Man Called Ironside. The show earned Burr six Emmy and two Golden Globe nominations. A new television series having the same name, Ironside is currently under development and is scheduled to debut on October 2, 2013.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, tense, clever, serious, realistic, suspenseful, talky, vintage
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Similar in 78%
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%
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 85%
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 82%
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
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Similar in 75%
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 83%
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
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Similar in 84%
Detroit 1-8-7 (2010)
Plot Summary:
Detroit 1-8-7 is an American police procedural series about Detroit's leading homicide unit, created by Jason Richman for ABC. It features an ensemble cast of actors including Michael Imperioli and James McDaniel. The series originally ran on ABC from September 21, 2010 to March 20, 2011. The show's executive producer, David Zabel stated, "This is a crime show but we will explore various nooks and crannies in the communities and within that context there's a lot of opportunity to see what's positive in the city and see what's heroic about the people fighting for what’s best for the city of Detroit." The 1-8-7 of the title is a specific reference to the California Penal Code designation for homicide, which has become a slang term for murder. The Michigan Penal Code designations for the various forms of homicide begin at 750. On May 13, 2011, Detroit 1-8-7 was canceled by ABC. With the cancellation, series creator Jason Richman has said he is pursuing options for the series to continue on cable television, also stating that chances for the move are "slim". The DVD set for the series was released on August 30, 2011.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: realistic, rough, serious, suspenseful, detective, crime drama, heroic
Similar in 78%
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 77%
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
Similar in 81%
Unforgettable (2011)
Plot Summary:
Former Syracuse, New York, police detective Carrie Wells has hyperthymesia, a rare medical condition that gives her the ability to visually remember everything. She reluctantly joins the New York City Police Department's Queens homicide unit after her former boyfriend and partner asks for help with solving a case. The move allows her to try to find out the one thing she has been unable to remember, which is what happened the day her sister was murdered.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, detective, thrilling, tense, realistic, exciting