Best US TV Detective Teams (pre-2000)
by MiketheWhistle | created - 24 Aug 2019 | updated - 10 Sep 2019 | PublicWho's the Best US TV Detective Team that started before 2000?
For consideration they must have been in a TV series that lasted at least two seasons solving crime starting before 2000. Also titles need to be rated 6.5 or above and have at least 2000 votes.
After voting, please discuss here.
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1. Starsky and Hutch (1975–1979)
TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Two streetwise cops bust criminals in their red-and-white Ford Gran Torino, with the help of police snitch, Huggy Bear.
Stars: David Soul, Paul Michael Glaser, Antonio Fargas, Bernie Hamilton
Votes: 10,653
2. Cagney & Lacey (1981–1988)
TV-PG | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two female police detectives cooperate with each other both in their professions and in their personal lives.
Stars: Tyne Daly, Sharon Gless, Al Waxman, Martin Kove
Votes: 5,054
3. Miami Vice (1984–1989)
TV-14 | 48 min | Action, Crime, Drama
-Resplendent with authentic 1980s music, fashion, and vibe, "Miami Vice" follows two undercover detectives and their extended team through the mean streets of Miami, Florida.
Stars: Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas, Saundra Santiago, Olivia Brown
Votes: 30,229
4. Charlie's Angels (1976–1981)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
A wealthy mystery man named Charlie runs a detective agency via a speakerphone and his personal assistant, John Bosley. His detectives are three beautiful women, who end up in a variety of difficult situations.
Stars: Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith, David Doyle
Votes: 14,397
5. Hunter (I) (1984–1991)
TV-14 | 48 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Rick Hunter is a renegade cop who bends the rules and takes justice into his own hands. Partnered with the equally stunning and rebellious Sgt. McCall, he sets out to crack down on L.A.'s slimiest criminals.
Stars: Fred Dryer, Stepfanie Kramer, Charles Hallahan, Perry Cook
Votes: 5,653
6. Hart to Hart (1979–1984)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
The globe-trotting adventures of amateur detectives Jonathan and Jennifer Hart.
Stars: Robert Wagner, Stefanie Powers, Lionel Stander, Lee Wilkof
Votes: 8,801
7. Moonlighting (1985–1989)
TV-PG | 3,073 min | Comedy, Drama, Mystery
The quirky cases of a former model and a smart aleck detective who manage a private detective agency.
Stars: Cybill Shepherd, Bruce Willis, Allyce Beasley, Curtis Armstrong
Votes: 24,288
8. Simon & Simon (1981–1989)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Two brothers of disparate tastes and manners run a private detective agency.
Stars: Jameson Parker, Gerald McRaney, Mary Carver, Tim Reid
Votes: 6,111
9. Hardcastle and McCormick (1983–1986)
60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A retired judge and his last defendant follow up on cases that were dismissed due to technicalities.
Stars: Brian Keith, Daniel Hugh Kelly, Joe Santos, John Hancock
Votes: 3,187
10. Nash Bridges (1996–2001)
TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A smart alecky San Francisco, California cop and his get rich quick scheme of a partner keep tabs on crime and take down the bad guys in the Bay Area.
Stars: Don Johnson, Cheech Marin, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, Jeff Perry
Votes: 8,106
11. Remington Steele (1982–1987)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
The cases of a female private detective partnered with a former thief who assumes the role of a fictitious detective in the business.
Stars: Stephanie Zimbalist, Pierce Brosnan, Doris Roberts, James Read
Votes: 9,986
12. Hawaii Five-O (1968–1980)
TV-PG | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The investigations of Hawaii Five-0, an elite branch of the Hawaii State Police answerable only to the governor and headed by stalwart Steve McGarrett.
Stars: Jack Lord, James MacArthur, Kam Fong, Herman Wedemeyer
Votes: 8,195
13. Riptide (1984–1986)
TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
The cases of a private investigations agency run by two Vietnam War veterans and their computer geek friend from high school, armed with toughness, their own helicopter, and the third's technical ability.
Stars: Perry King, Joe Penny, Thom Bray, Jack Ging
Votes: 3,189
14. Knight Rider (1982–1986)
TV-PG | 46 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A lone crimefighter battles the forces of evil with the help of a virtually indestructible and artificially intelligent supercar.
Stars: David Hasselhoff, Edward Mulhare, Richard Basehart, Patricia McPherson
Votes: 37,619
15. Law & Order (1990– )
TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
New York's finest police detectives and prosecutors fight to make the city a safer place. With integrity as the guiding force from investigation to verdict, the teams weigh every perspective in their commitment to finding justice.
Stars: Jerry Orbach, Jesse L. Martin, Dennis Farina, Sam Waterston
Votes: 44,651
16. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999– )
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
This series follows the Special Victims Unit, a specially trained squad of detectives in the New York City Police Department that investigate sexually related crimes.
Stars: Mariska Hargitay, Christopher Meloni, Ice-T, Dann Florek
Votes: 125,156
17. Diagnosis Murder (1993–2001)
TV-PG | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Dr. Mark Sloan has a knack for getting into trouble, negotiating the twists and turns of mysteries and solving crimes with the help of his son, Steve, a homicide detective.
Stars: Dick Van Dyke, Barry Van Dyke, Victoria Rowell, Charlie Schlatter
Votes: 8,622
18. 21 Jump Street (1987–1991)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The cases of an undercover police unit composed of young-looking officers specializing in youth crime.
Stars: Johnny Depp, Dustin Nguyen, Peter DeLuise, Holly Robinson Peete
Votes: 14,095
19. In the Heat of the Night (1988–1995)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The cases and adventures of the police forces in and around Sparta, Mississippi.
Stars: Carroll O'Connor, Alan Autry, David Hart, Hugh O'Connor
Votes: 6,217
20. Profiler (1996–2000)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Dr. Sam Waters is a detective with the Violent Crimes Task Force, a federal agency which often works with the FBI, ATF, and other crime-solving agencies.
Stars: Ally Walker, Julian McMahon, A Martinez, Robert Davi
Votes: 4,484
21. Dragnet 1967 (1967–1970)
TV-14 | 30 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Police Detective Sgt. Joe Friday and his partners investigate crimes in Los Angeles.
Stars: Jack Webb, Harry Morgan, Don Ross, Marco Lopez
Votes: 3,409
22. Hill Street Blues (1981–1987)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The lives and work of the staff of an inner city police precinct.
Stars: Daniel J. Travanti, Michael Warren, Bruce Weitz, James Sikking
Votes: 10,576
23. NYPD Blue (1993–2005)
TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Detectives from NYPD's 15th Precinct investigate homicides within their precinct.
Stars: Dennis Franz, Jimmy Smits, Gordon Clapp, James McDaniel
Votes: 16,350
24. Ironside (1967–1975)
TV-PG | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Wheelchair-using, crime-fighting detective Robert T. Ironside battles the bad guys on the streets of San Francisco.
Stars: Raymond Burr, Don Galloway, Don Mitchell, Barbara Anderson
Votes: 4,100
25. The Untouchables (1959–1963)
50 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Special Agent Eliot Ness and his elite team of incorruptable agents battle organized crime in 1930s Chicago.
Stars: Robert Stack, Walter Winchell, Nicholas Georgiade, Paul Picerni
Votes: 3,080
26. Homicide: Life on the Street (1993–1999)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Unit.
Stars: Richard Belzer, Clark Johnson, Yaphet Kotto, Kyle Secor
Votes: 14,199
27. The Streets of San Francisco (1972–1977)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A veteran cop with more than twenty years of experience is teamed with a young Inspector to solve crimes in San Francisco, California.
Stars: Karl Malden, Michael Douglas, Reuben Collins, Richard Hatch
Votes: 6,907
28. Crime Story (1986–1988)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The saga of a Chicago police detective's efforts to stop a young hood's ruthless rise in the ranks of organized crime.
Stars: Dennis Farina, Bill Smitrovich, Tony Denison, Steve Ryan
Votes: 3,365
29. Martial Law (1998–2000)
45 min | Comedy, Crime, Action
A Shanghai cop who is a master of martial arts fights crime in the Los Angeles Police Department.
Stars: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Kelly Hu, Arsenio Hall, Tom Wright
Votes: 3,141
30. Due South (1994–1999)
TV-PG | 46 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime
The adventures of an impossibly upright Royal Canadian Mounted Police constable and his American colleagues in the city of Chicago.
Stars: Paul Gross, Beau Starr, Tony Craig, David Marciano
Votes: 7,574
Suggested by Ed Jones.
31. The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries (1995–2002)
TV-G | 30 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Granny, Sylvester, and Tweety travel the globe solving mysteries. Each episode follows a similar format: Granny is invited to an event, a crime is committed, Granny solves it, and Sylvester and Tweety get into trouble.
Stars: Joe Alaskey, June Foray, Frank Welker, Jeff Bennett
Votes: 5,381
Suggested by Ed Jones.
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