Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, formerly Atlanta police officer and CIA-trained interrogator, is given the opportunity to run her own division of elite officers of the Los Angeles Police Department. Her unusual procedure for obtaining confessions, blatant disregard for politics, and southern accent make her a marked woman. However, with all the bluster and bravado, she still maintains her title, The Closer.

American television police procedural TV series

The British detective drama revolves around Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby's efforts to solve numerous murders that take place in the fictional English county of Midsomer. The current lead character is Detective Chief Inspector John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon), who is the younger cousin of former lead character Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby (John Nettles). The Barnabys have worked with several different Sergeants throughout the run of the show, including Sergeant Gavin Troy (Daniel Casey), Sergeant Dan Scott (John Hopkins), Detective Sergeant Ben Jones (Jason Hughes), Detective Sergeant Charlie Nelson (Gwilym Lee), and Sergeant Jamie Winter (Nick Hendrix).

British television detective drama series, aired on ITV since 1997, based on books by Caroline Graham

Brilliant LAPD detective Charlie Crews has survived the extreme abuse befalling an innocent cop in prison, and was exonerated for the murders and released after 12 years of hell in jail. He could retire on his settlement, but chooses to resume police work. Nevertheless, the grim experience has made him more philosophical and tempted to put justice - especially for the innocent - above chasing the presumably guilty and legally by-the-book, as his new partner Dani Reese must experience and learn to cope with.

Michael Westen, a seasoned U.S. spy, is suddenly "burned", i.e. discredited, without any form of procedure. He survives by doing impossible jobs for desperate people in Miami, where his mother lives. Michael is usually aided by his ex-girlfriend Fiona and trusted former FBI informer Sam.

CBS's successful CSI franchise gets transplanted to the Big Apple. Cases involving sewer rats as witnesses, a victim whose head was slammed in a pizzeria oven, and murders of commodities traders, and--of course--a Red Sox fan. CSI: NY is a bleaker, grimmer version of its Las Vegas and Miami cousins. The team is made up of a pleasantly New Yawk but indistinct cast of characters. The teams leader Detective Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise), is a former Marine from Chicago. Mac is a veteran of the NYPD who lost his wife on 9/11, and as such must work to rebuild his personal life while supervising his team. He is organized, efficient, dedicated, and very proper in his management style. His second in command for the first 6 seasons is Detective Stella Bonasera (Melina Kanakaredes), Stella is half-Greek, half-Italian, and entirely New York City. She helped Mac through the impact of his wife's death and has been by his side ever since. She is a savvy investigator, yet she often speaks before she thinks. Stella leaves New York to head a crime lab in New Orleans and is replaced by Detective Jo Danville (Sela Ward). Jo is a former FBI criminalist and an experienced psychological profiler. She and Mac quickly form a strong friendship and an even stronger working rapport. Jo is still haunted by her ousting from the FBI after blowing the whistle on improper lab procedure, so she works to regain her professional reputation. Joining them is younger CSIs Danny Messer (Carmine Giovinazzo), Aiden Burn (Vanessa Ferlito, who has since left the show), Aiden's replacement Lindsay Monroe (Anna Belknap) and medical examiner turned CSI Sheldon Hawkes (Hill Harper). Rounding out the cast is the teams legal muscle Homicide Detective Don Flack (Eddie Cahill), Medical Examiner Sid Hammerback, M.D. (Robert Joy) and lab tech Adam Ross (A. J. Buckley).

Horatio Caine (David Caruso), a former homicide detective, heads a group of investigators who work crimes amid the steamy, tropical surroundings and cultural crossroads of Miami. His team includes Calleigh Duquesne (Emily Procter), a bilingual Southern beauty with a specialty in ballistics; Tim Speedle (Rory Cochrane), a cocky yet disarming investigator who is well connected on the street, and Eric Delko (Adam Rodriguez), an underwater recovery expert who knows all the twists and turns of the Florida waterways. Rounding out the team is Alexx Woods (Khandi Alexander), the no-nonsense, know-it-all coroner. And, after Speedle is killed in action, former Patrolman Ryan Wolfe (Jonathan Togo) joins the team. Together, these investigators collect and analyze the evidence to solve the crimes and to vindicate those who often cannot speak for themselves - the victims.

American police procedural television series (2002-2012)

This show follows the nights of the detectives working at the Las Vegas Police Department Crime Scene Investigations bureau. Being the second busiest crime lab in America, CSI officers use the best scientific and technical methods to solve puzzles and catch criminals.

American crime fiction television series (2000–2015)

Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs is the leader of a team of special agents belonging to the NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) Major Case Response Team. Gibbs, a former Marine, is a tough investigator and a highly skilled interrogator who relies on his gut instinct as much as evidence. Gibbs' second in command is Senior Field Agent Tony DiNozzo, a womanizing, movie-quoting former Baltimore Homicide Detective, who despite being the class clown always gets the job done. The team also consists of probationary field agent Eleanor Bishop, a former NSA agent, as well as Junior Field Agent Timothy McGee, a computer-savvy agent often mocked by DiNozzo. Assisting them are Abby Sciuto, the energetic-but-Goth lab tech who is like a daughter to Gibbs, and Dr. Donald Mallard, nicknamed Ducky, the eccentric medical examiner full of unusual stories. This team of elite agents, based in Washington, D.C., solve criminal cases involving Marine and Navy personnel and their families, sometimes traveling the United States - or the world - to do it.

American military drama/police procedural fictional television series

A former Chicago cop moves to a small Florida town and joins the state police.

When you first saw him, Lieutenant Columbo looked like a bum that just came off the street. He had a bumbling demeanor, was overly polite and seemed to chomp on the same short cigar on a daily basis. However, beneath all that comical exterior was probably the most dogged investigator in the Los Angeles Police Department. Columbo was often called on to investigate high profile murders that involved the rich and famous. The culprits were often amused by him, and just as they thought they were going to get away with murder, Columbo would find a way to trap them or find enough evidence to make them confess.

American detective television film series (1968-1978, 1989-2003)

This "Closer" spinoff follows cases handled by the Major Crimes division of the LA Police Department. The 7-member team is headed by Capt. Sharon Raydor, whose intellectual smarts combined with a calm, even temperament help a team of experts solve high-profile murder cases. In addition to running the show, Raydor helps guide and protect her teenage charge, a witness in a horrific crime, who finds a safe refuge among members of the major-case squad.

Best Crime Shows

More lists by Mike Kimmings-Field

Best Sci-Fi Shows

Books I've read... and would recommend!