The 151 Best, Smartest, Most Binge-Watch Worthy TV Dramas Available Online [not your usual suspects]
Seek these shows out online. Add them to your watch list. Most are streaming on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu or those quasi-legal sites that shall remain nameless. Heavy emphasis on police/crime procedurals and European productions.
Did I miss something? Let me know in the comments.
Did I miss something? Let me know in the comments.
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152 titles
- StarsArtur BarcisOlgierd LukaszewiczOlaf LubaszenkoTen television drama films, each one based on one of the Ten Commandments.
- CreatorVince GilliganStarsBryan CranstonAaron PaulAnna GunnA chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer turns to manufacturing and selling methamphetamine with a former student in order to secure his family's future.
- CreatorDavid BenioffD.B. WeissStarsEmilia ClarkePeter DinklageKit HaringtonNine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for millennia.
- CreatorMåns MårlindHans RosenfeldtBjörn SteinStarsSofia HelinRafael PetterssonSarah BobergWhen a body is found on the bridge between Denmark and Sweden, right on the border, Danish inspector Martin Rohde and Swedish Saga Norén have to share jurisdiction and work together to find the killer.
- StarsMark CousinsJuan Diego BottoAleksandr SokurovA comprehensive history of the medium and art of motion pictures.
- CreatorSøren SveistrupStarsSofie GråbølMorten SuurballeLars MikkelsenPolice detective Sarah Lund investigates difficult cases with personal and political consequences.
- CreatorAdam PriceStarsSidse Babett KnudsenBirgitte Hjort SørensenSøren MallingA political drama about a prime minister's rise to power, and how power changes a prime minister.
- CreatorDavid ChaseStarsJames GandolfiniLorraine BraccoEdie FalcoNew Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano deals with personal and professional issues in his home and business life that affect his mental state, leading him to seek professional psychiatric counseling.
- CreatorChris ChibnallStarsDavid TennantOlivia ColmanJodie WhittakerThe murder of a young boy in a small coastal town brings a media frenzy, which threatens to tear the community apart.
- StarsJohn SimmDavid MorrisseyKelly MacdonaldJournalists uncover a government conspiracy when a young politician's assistant and mistress is killed.
- CreatorMatthew WeinerStarsJon HammElisabeth MossVincent KartheiserA drama about one of New York's most prestigious ad agencies at the beginning of the 1960s, focusing on one of the firm's most mysterious but extremely talented ad executives, Donald Draper.
- CreatorCharlie BrookerStarsWunmi MosakuMonica DolanDaniel LapaineFeaturing stand-alone dramas -- sharp, suspenseful, satirical tales that explore techno-paranoia -- "Black Mirror" is a contemporary reworking of "The Twilight Zone" with stories that tap into the collective unease about the modern world.
- CreatorGraham YostStarsTimothy OlyphantNick SearcyJoelle CarterEnforcing his own brand of justice, U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, a strong-willed, quiet law-man haunted by his past, returns to his native town to see that justice is served to those in need.
- CreatorDavid SimonStarsDominic WestLance ReddickSonja SohnThe Baltimore drug scene, as seen through the eyes of drug dealers and law enforcement.
- CreatorAnn BidermanStarsMichael CudlitzShawn HatosyRegina KingThe lives of Police Officers working for the Los Angeles Police Department.
- StarsKenneth BranaghRichard McCabeJeany SparkUnable to unsee the dark crimes he's tasked to investigate, Wallander's job comes at a cost to his family and relationships.
- StarsJason IsaacsAmanda AbbingtonZawe AshtonFormer soldier and policeman Jackson Brodie becomes a private investigator.
- StarsJens AlbinusMarina BourasSteen Stig LommerAs more crimes and criminals cross borders, the Danish police creates an international criminal investigation team. The half Icelandic "Ørnen" leads the diverse team of 6. The latest technology (2004-6) is used.
- CreatorHenning MankellStarsKrister HenrikssonFredrik GunnarssonMats BergmanA Swedish cop in a small town by the Baltic coast.
- StarsBill PatersonLindsay DuncanFritz Müller-ScherzThe Hamburg police arrest an international businessman, charging him with smuggling heroin from Pakistan. While he's on trial, his trophy wife, a former Olympic swimmer, discovers steely ruthlessness within herself.
- CreatorLouis C.K.StarsLouis C.K.Hadley DelanyUrsula ParkerThe life of Louie C.K., a divorced comedian living in New York with two kids.
- StarsVolker BruchTom SchillingKatharina SchüttlerFive friends go out to war and promise each other to be back for Christmas.
- CreatorAlexandra ClertGuy-Patrick SainderichinStarsCaroline ProustAudrey FleurotThierry GodardFollows criminal investigations in Paris from all the different points of view of those involved.
- CreatorMatthew GrahamTony JordanAshley PharoahStarsJohn SimmPhilip GlenisterLiz WhiteAfter a near-fatal car accident, smart, savvy, sharp-suited detective Sam is mysteriously transported back to 1973. Confused by his new surroundings, Sam tries to return to the present, but the police force of long ago needs his help.
- CreatorJimmy McGovernStarsRobbie ColtraneGeraldine SomervilleKieran O'BrienDr Edward "Fitz" Fitzgerald is a criminal psychologist. He is rather anti-social and obnoxious but he has a gift for solving crimes. Thus he is employed as a consultant by the Manchester Police.
- CreatorJimmy McGovernStarsMichael MaloneyChord MelodicAndrew ReadmanCreated by Jimmy McGovern, each episode of this series examines a person who is accused of a crime and what led them to end up in the Dock.
- CreatorPaul AttanasioStarsRichard BelzerClark JohnsonYaphet KottoAn American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Unit.
- CreatorRod SerlingStarsRod SerlingRobert McCordJay OverholtsOrdinary people find themselves in extraordinarily astounding situations, which they each try to solve in a remarkable manner.
- CreatorRand RavichStarsDamian LewisSarah ShahiAdam ArkinDetective Charlie Crews was framed, convicted and cleared for a crime he didn't commit. Twelve years of hard time have given him a unique philosophy on life and criminal investigation. Now he's readjusting to a world that's moved on.
- StarsBob PeckJoe Don BakerCharles KayWhen his daughter Emma is murdered, cop Craven discovers that she was in a GAIA group of activists occupied with exposing Northmoor nuclear waste storage facility for illegal activities.
- StarsDavid McCulloughSam WaterstonJulie HarrisA comprehensive survey of the American Civil War.
- StarsAlec GuinnessMichael JaystonAnthony BateIn the bleak days of the Cold War, espionage veteran George Smiley is forced out of semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet agent within MI6's echelons.
- CreatorLynda La PlanteStarsDavid HaymanDorian LoughVictoria SmurfitThe team of Det. Supt. Michael Walker, DI North, and DCI Connor follows each case from crime committed, through the pursuit of justice, to the law courts where the efforts of the force will be tested--sometimes to the breaking point.
- CreatorTed GriffinStarsDonal LogueMichael Raymond-JamesLaura AllenEx-cop and recovering alcoholic Hank Dolworth partners with his best friend, former criminal Britt Pollack, in an unlicensed private investigation business.
- StarsChiwetel EjioforChristopher EcclestonKierston WareingChristopher Eccleston and Chiwetel Ejiofor star in this intricate conspiracy thriller set in a world of blurred morality, inhabited by conflicted characters on both sides of the law.
- CreatorThomas HeinesenBirgit OlsenOle Christian MadsenStarsJakob CedergrenStine StengadeLars MikkelsenA reporter is drawn into the dark side of post-war Copenhagen as he attempts to uncover a crime syndicate on an unprecedented level.
- CreatorAnthony HorowitzStarsDouglas HenshallDean Lennox KellyLucy GriffithsThe story of a major road accident and a group of people who have never met, but who all share one single defining moment that will change their lives.
- CreatorLynda La PlanteStarsKelly ReillyCiarán HindsShaun DingwallA team of dedicated detectives investigate gruesome murders across London.
- CreatorAlan BallStarsPeter KrauseMichael C. HallFrances ConroyA chronicle of the lives of a dysfunctional family who run an independent funeral home in Los Angeles.
- StarsVyacheslav TikhonovYefim KopelyanLeonid BronevoyDuring World War II, a Soviet undercover spy manages to infiltrate the Nazi elite.
- StarsIan RichardsonSusannah HarkerMiles AndersonThe schemes of a ruthlessly ambitious British politician who will stop at nothing to get to the top.
- StarsSuranne JonesLee MasseyDavid OyelowoA five-part mini-series that revolves around the disappearance of a young mother in a quiet British suburb and the circumstances that leave her children abandoned far from home.
- StarsPaul GiamattiLaura LinneyJohn DossettThe life of one of the USA's Founding Fathers, its second President, and his role in the nation's first 50 years.
- StarsKai LehtinenOiva LohtanderPekka HuotariA police official is assassinated by a sniper through a glass window, this action and its sub sequential investigation introduces us a slew of interesting characters and gets the whole story rolling.
- StarsBenedict CumberbatchAnamaria MarincaMax BeesleyBritain has been transformed into a security state. A mathematical genius's search for the truth about his brother's death catapults him into a conspiracy and a love affair.
- CreatorAnthony HorowitzStarsJames PurefoyCharlie Creed-MilesSasha BeharA defense barrister is faced with the proposition: what can you do when you have defended the indefensible?
- StarsAdam CurtisRobert ReichAnn BernaysA documentary about the rise of psychoanalysis as a powerful means of persuasion for both governments and corporations.
- CreatorJed MercurioStarsMartin CompstonVicky McClureAdrian DunbarDrama series following the investigations of AC-12, a controversial police anti-corruption unit.
- StarsJason IsaacsBen DanielsEva BirthistleAfter a plane explodes over Washington D.C. panic begins to envelop the British embassy, and its ambassador to the U.S. Mark Brydon finds himself caught up in a potentially damaging diplomatic incident.
- StarsDerek JacobiJohn HurtSiân PhillipsThe personal and governmental affairs of the Julio-Claudian dynasty at the beginning of the Roman Empire, as recalled by one of its rulers.
- CreatorBruno HellerWilliam J. MacDonaldJohn MiliusStarsKevin McKiddRay StevensonPolly WalkerA down-to-earth account of the lives of both illustrious and ordinary Romans set in the last days of the Roman Republic.
- StarsScott GrimesDamian LewisRon LivingstonThe story of Easy Company of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division and their mission in World War II Europe, from Operation Overlord to V-J Day.
- CreatorGraham YostStarsDonnie WahlbergNeal McDonoughMykelti WilliamsonEach episode of this series, set in present day Los Angeles, examines one crime from many different viewpoints - uniformed cops, detectives, witnesses, the media, the fire department and rescue squad, even the criminals themselves.
- CreatorBeau WillimonStarsKevin SpaceyMichel GillRobin WrightA Congressman works with his equally conniving wife to exact revenge on the people who betrayed him.
- StarsSigourney WeaverDavid AttenboroughNikolay DrozdovA documentary series on the wildlife found on Earth. Each episode covers a different habitat: deserts, mountains, deep oceans, shallow seas, forests, caves, polar regions, fresh water, plains and jungles. Narrated by David Attenborough.
- StarsJürgen ProchnowHerbert GrönemeyerKlaus WennemannA World War II German U-Boat crew have a terrifying patrol mission in the early days of the war.
- StarsLaura BachJakob CedergrenLars MikkelsenAbout the hunt for a type of violent criminal who has yet to strike in Denmark, and who is surrounded by fear and mystique - the serial killer.
- StarsCharlotte FichMads MikkelsenLars BrygmannA mobile task force is dispatched across Denmark to help local police solve tough cases.
- DirectorChristian SchwochowStarsJan Josef LiefersSebastian UrzendowskyClaudia MichelsenA look at Communist East Germany in its final decade. The story unfolds in 1982, when the cracks in the repressive police state's facade are beginning to surface. Despite the restrictions, the educated few still enjoy some advantages under the system. The Hoffmans gather often with family and friends for warm dinner parties rich with derisive political banter, live classical music, and spirited discussions, holding out for a better future. But even as Richard has high hopes and strict demands for studious Christian, he hides a passionate double life and shocking secrets that come back to haunt him. Against this tense climate of fear and mistrust, with the secret police lurking ominously in the background, choices are made and actions taken that have devastating repercussions.
- StarsChristina RignérJesse BirdsallAnn-Charlotte StålhammarIsle of Wight deck chair attendant meets Swedish exchange student and follows her back to Sweden.
- CreatorAnthony HorowitzStarsTim HealyJackie FieldingKeeley HawesEach episode of this anthology drama has a murderous theme with twist being that the action is followed from the point of view of the killer.
- DirectorMartin AsphaugStarsAngela KovacsReuben SallmanderMikaela KnappOn a beach in Gothenburg, a woman find parts of a dismembered man's body. The only clue is a torso, tattoo. Irene Huss find a similar previous cases that will take her to Copenhagen, where she is forced to look for a friend's daughter who disappeared. The corpse will be the prelude to more nasty murders that lead Irene in Copenhagen underworld.
- CreatorRichard LevinsonWilliam LinkStarsPeter FalkMike LallyJohn FinneganLos Angeles homicide detective Lieutenant Columbo uses his humble ways and ingenuous demeanor to winkle out even the most well-concealed of crimes.
- StarsMalin Mases ArvidssonIrene LindhClaes LjungmarkThree Swedish financiers are murdered over three consecutive nights. Evidence suggests that the killings will continue and the world of finance is panicked. The police quickly set up a special unit under the leadership of Detective Jenny Hultin. She hand picks six police officers from across the country and they form the so-called A-group. Under enormous pressure they attempt to solve the case before more finance officers are murdered.
- StarsCaroline CraigPaul TassoneDieter BrummerEach season of this multi-award-winning television series takes you through a 13-episode run in the rise and fall of real-life Australian underworld figures as told from both sides of the law.
- DirectorJulian JarroldStarsAndrew GarfieldDavid MorrisseyJohn HenshawRookie journalist Eddie Dunford is determined to find the truth in an increasingly complex maze of lies and deceit surrounding the police investigation into a series of child abductions.
- DirectorJames MarshStarsWarren ClarkePaddy ConsidineJames FoxThe Home Office bring in senior Manchester detective Peter Hunter to conduct a secret review of the Ripper investigation to date.
- DirectorAnand TuckerStarsDavid MorrisseyLisa HowardChris WalkerWhen another child goes missing, washed-up solicitor John Piggott unwittingly provides a catalyst for Detective Chief Superindent Maurice Jobson to start to right some wrongs.
- CreatorChris CarterStarsLance HenriksenMegan GallagherTerry O'QuinnA former FBI profiler with the ability to look inside the mind of a killer begins working for the mysterious Millennium Group which investigates serial killers, conspiracies, the occult, and those obsessed with the end of the millennium.
- CreatorJohann ZollitschStarsMikael PersbrandtHelena Af SandebergSofia Papadimitriou LedarpMarkus Haglund (Mikael Persbrandt) is a criminal law professor fond of liquors, promiscuous relationships, and disobeying superiors. At Uppsala University near Stockholm, he establishes a class of four law students: Anna Sjöstedt (Helena af Sandeberg), Fia Jönsson (Sofia Ledarp), Belal Al-Mukhtar (Francisco Sobrado), and Roger Andersson (Leonard Terfelt), called Oskyldigt dömd (Innocently Convicted), dealing with cases where persons are already sentenced and imprisoned, assisting the convicted in fighting for their innocence and freedom.
- CreatorRay McKinnonStarsAden YoungAbigail SpencerJ. Smith-CameronDaniel Holden must put his life back together after serving 19 years on Georgia's Death Row before DNA evidence calls his conviction into question.
- CreatorJoss WhedonStarsNathan FillionGina TorresAlan TudykFive hundred years in the future, a renegade crew aboard a small spacecraft tries to survive as they travel the unknown parts of the galaxy and evade warring factions as well as authority agents out to get them.
- CreatorJane CampionGerard LeeStarsElisabeth MossDavid WenhamPeter MullanObsessed with the disappearance of a 12-year-old pregnant girl near a freezing lake in New Zealand, a brave detective will find herself up against small-town secrets and a side of herself that was meticulously kept at bay.
- CreatorMark GatissSteven MoffatStarsBenedict CumberbatchMartin FreemanUna StubbsThe quirky spin on Conan Doyle's iconic sleuth pitches him as a "high-functioning sociopath" in modern-day London. Assisting him in his investigations: Afghanistan War vet John Watson, who's introduced to Holmes by a mutual acquaintance.
- CreatorShawn RyanStarsMichael ChiklisCatherine DentWalton GogginsDrama series following the lives and cases of dirty cop Vic Mackey and the corrupt LAPD unit under his command.
- CreatorMichael HjorthHans RosenfeldtStarsRolf LassgårdTomas LaustiolaMoa SilénIn two new Nordic Noir thrillers, Rolf Laasgaard, one of Scandinavia's most popular actors (Wallander, False Trail), assumes a powerful new role as Police profiler Sebastian Bergman.
- StarsRufus SewellCaterina MurinoStanley TownsendDetective Aurelio Zen brings justice to modern-day Italy.
- StarsEmilia FoxDavid CavesWilliam GaminaraA team of exceptional forensic pathologists and scientists investigate heinous crimes and use their skills to catch the people responsible.
- StarsKathryn WalkerAdrienne CluneJustin CluneModern families time-travel to 1883 Montana for homesteading, learning hard work, community, and sacrifices. Back in 21st century, they reflect on past and present values.
- StarsAlan DaviesCaroline QuentinStuart MilliganJonathan Creek, a magician with a natural ability for solving puzzles, works from his home in a converted windmill. He uses his abilities to solve impossible crimes and mysterious murders.
- CreatorStuart CarolanStarsTom Vaughan-LawlorKillian ScottAoibhinn McGinnityThe story of the organized crime scene of Dublin is revealed, centered on Darren, who wants to stay out of trouble but ends up returning to his old habits and his old gang.
- CreatorBarbara MachinStarsTrevor EveSue JohnstonWil JohnsonDrama series following a team of detectives who investigate unsolved murders using modern technology.
- CreatorBen CourtCaroline IpStarsRupert Penry-JonesPhil DavisSteve PembertonA fast-tracked inspector, a hardened detective sergeant, and an expert in historical homicides investigate modern crimes with connections to the past in the Whitechapel district of London.
- CreatorLaurie Finstad-KnizhnikJanis LundmanAdrienne MitchellStarsHugh DillonHelene JoyLaurence LeboeufAn extraordinary series with an electric, oppressive atmosphere. A spiral of violence, unhealthy manipulations and tortured characters, Durham County excels in the detective series genre.
- StarsSara GregoryTrinity BardenGeorgia TennantDI Tom Thorne's only key to catching a serial killer is a survivor unable to move or communicate.
- StarsErnst-Hugo JäregårdKirsten RolffesGhita NørbyDoctors at an ultramodern hospital in Denmark become convinced, by way of weird, inexplicable happenings, that the place is haunted.
- StarsSteven MackintoshWarren BrownNicola WalkerThe story of three employees of a security depot who plan and execute a multi-million pound cash heist.
- StarsBen WhishawMaxine PeakeBill PatersonDrama series following people accused of crimes and their journey through the British Criminal Justice System.
- StarsTom HollanderToby StephensRupert Penry-JonesThe true story of a group of Cambridge University Students who are recruited to spy for the Soviet Union in the early 1930s.
- CreatorReginald HillStarsWarren ClarkeColin BuchananDavid RoyleSuperintendent Dalziel and partner DI Pascoe investigate murder, and find a bond forming between them despite their blatantly different personalities.
- CreatorRonan BennettStarsAshley WaltersKanoJasmine JobsonTwo London drug dealers ply their lucrative trade at a public housing estate in East London.
- StarsHelen MirrenJohn BenfieldTom BellA female police detective investigates a series of serial murders while dealing with sexist hostility from her male comrades.
- CreatorOlivier MarchalStarsJean-Hugues AngladeJoseph MalerbaKarole RocherA dark realistic cop series follows a squad of Paris cops who exist in the blurred boundaries at the very edge of the law, often using violence and intimidation to get the job done.
- StarsChris O'DonnellAlfred MolinaMichael KeatonReal-life figures from the Cold War-era mix with a fictional story based on a group of C.I.A. operatives and their counterparts in the K.G.B., MI6, and the Mossad.
- StarsGabriel ByrneRalph InesonCharles DanceSecret State explores the relationship between a democratically elected government, big business and the banks.
- StarsAlec GuinnessEileen AtkinsBill PatersonThe murder of a Soviet defector forces his old handler, British spymaster George Smiley, out of retirement. His investigation leads to an old nemesis, the Soviet spymaster known only as "Karla". This will be their final dance.
- StarsRay McAnallyMarjorie YatesGeoffrey BeeversDisaster befalls the UK under a seemingly corrupt Conservative government. The Labour Party is elected - but committed to radical change, under a firmly left-wing leader. That's not supposed to happen. Who will save the traditional rulers?
- StarsJulio ChávezCecilia RothVillanueva CosseA series of homicides reunite detectives Renzo Marquez and Marina Segal and leads them on a quest to stop a killer whose modus operandi is to replicate previous slayings as if they were works of art.