12 Best British Crime Dramas

A gruff, brilliant Northumberland detective who solves cases as much through instinct as evidence.

A war veteran assigned to protect a politician whose politics he privately despises.

A cold-case unit reopens decades-old murders and unravels the lives everyone involved has built since.

A detective returning to the force after a breakdown investigates a case eerily similar to one from her past.

One of the first major dramas to put a woman at the centre of a murder investigation, decades ahead of its time.

Anya Taylor-Joy's television work showed real range within an already stacked ensemble.

A detective hunts a serial killer whose identity the audience already knows from the first episode.

Benedict Cumberbatch's television role redefined the detective for a new generation of fans.

Directed by Guy Ritchie · 2h 09m · Rated PG-13

A police sergeant in West Yorkshire confronts the man responsible for her daughter's death.

An anti-corruption police unit investigates officers who may be dirtier than the criminals.

A child's murder tears apart a small coastal town over one devastating series.

A brilliant, morally grey detective who bends every rule to catch London's worst killers.

1h 00m