7 Detective Shows Where Every Episode Is a Masterpiece

The detective show is a TV staple. Each episode shows the main character – whether they be a detective, a private investigator, or a police consultant – using their unique skills to solve a crime. Intense detective dramas see their main crime-solving teams investigating murders and other major crimes, while lighter detective shows lean into the comedy of what it means to try to solve complex cases each week.

There are so many excellent detective shows out there, but it’s especially impressive when detective shows make every episode count. The best detective shows have compelling weekly mysteries, while also taking the time to explore their characters and their respective arcs over the course of the series. These are detective shows where every single episode is a masterpiece.

‘Mare of Easttown’ (2021)

Image via HBO

Mare of Easttown is a limited series that follows a small-town detective sergeant named Mare Sheehan (Kate Winslet). Mare has been struggling with debilitating grief since the death of her son, but she’s been trying her best to continue to do her job to the best of her ability. This is especially difficult in the wake of a string of disappearances of young women and girls, which Mare has been unable to solve for a long time.

When a local teenage girl named Erin McMenamin (Cailee Spaeny) is brutally murdered, Mare is at the forefront of the investigation with the help of her new partner, Detective Colin Zabel (Evan Peters). Soon, Mare realizes that there are people in her town with horrifying secrets who will do pretty much anything to keep them covered. Mare of Easttown is riveting from start to finish, and each episode leaves a lasting emotional impact.

‘Wild Cards’ (2024–Present)

Image via CBC Television

Wild Cards is a funny and entertaining procedural that follows the unlikely partnership between a disgraced detective and the con artist who’s been assigned to be his consultant and partner. Cole Ellis (Giacomo Gianniotti) has been stuck working as a water cop since an investigation ended in him being framed for a crime that he did not commit. When his department arrests con artist Max Mitchell (Vanessa Morgan), Max shares her thoughts with Ellis on an unrelated crime.

Quickly, it becomes apparent that Ellis and Max work very well together, and they’re assigned to work as partners on a trial basis. Ellis is very rigid and by-the-book, while Max is carefree and willing to bend the rules to solve crimes. Through working together, they develop a lovely and unlikely partnership and friendship, and she even helps him look into a seemingly impossible-to-solve cold case: the murder of his brother. Wild Cards has the perfect balance of comedy and suspense, and each of its weekly cases is entertaining in its own way.

‘Hannibal’ (2013–2015)

Image via NBC

Hannibal is an intense and captivating thriller series that follows Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), a brilliant criminal profiler who consults for the FBI. Will’s unique skill is his ability to put himself in the shoes of the most horrific killers, and in doing so, he’s able to solve cases that even the most seasoned investigators cannot. All the while, Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) becomes a constant in Will’s life after helping out on several cases, and not even Will knows that Hannibal is secretly a cannibalistic serial killer.

Hannibal‘s main overarching storyline is captivating and very well-written, but each individual episode is also fantastic. Every case has a horrifying twist and a shocking reveal, and it is impossible to look away once Will starts putting the pieces together. Hannibal is one of the more suspenseful and gripping detective shows, and each of its cases feels very high-stakes and urgent.

‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ (2013–2021)

Image via FOX

Amongst the crime procedurals and gritty dramas lies Brooklyn Nine-Nine, a rare detective sitcom. The series follows Detective Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg), a naturally skilled detective who lacks impulse control and doesn’t care for the rules. When a strict new captain, Captain Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher), takes over at Jake’s precinct, the two initially butt heads. Soon, though, Jake grows to trust Holt’s guidance, and they both start to learn from each other.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine is laugh-out-out funny, and it takes full advantage of its long seasons. It has some of the most memorable and hilarious episodes of any detective show ever, with its annual Halloween heists, recurring cameos from beloved side characters, and clever concept episodes. The series is excellent from start to finish, and it also has some very clever plot twists and killer reveals.

‘Ultraviolet’ (1998)

Image via Channel 4

Ultraviolet is a stunning, dark crime drama with a supernatural twist. The six-episode miniseries follows Michael Colefield (Jack Davenport), a detective sergeant who’s committed to following the rules. The night before the wedding of Michael’s best friend and partner, Jack (Stephen Moyer), a police informant (Ronnie Letham) tries to urgently get in touch with Jack, and is then shot and killed. Michael soon learns that Jack has become a vampire (although the word is never used in the show), and he’s working with a larger group of vampires to try to take over the world.

After this life-changing event, Michael is recruited to work for a secret government organization called Section 5. The organization is made up of a Gulf War veteran (Idris Elba), a doctor and scientist (Susannah Harker), and a priest (Philip Quast). Section 5’s sole purpose is to hunt down and kill all vampires, and each episode, they solve a different vampire-related crime. Each episode of Ultraviolet is an absolute masterpiece, and the series expertly maintains its crime-solving structure while also leaning into its horror side.

‘Psych’ (2006–2014)

Image via USA Network

Psych is a crime comedy procedural that follows Shawn Spencer (James Roday Rodriguez), a hyper-observant man with a photographic memory. What Shawn lacks in ambition, he makes up for in natural talent. He uses his detective skills to call in tips to the police, but when he’s accused of a crime, he pretends to be a psychic to explain his prior knowledge. From there, Shawn opens a whole business around this lie, and he regularly consults for the police alongside his best friend, Gus (Dulé Hill).

Every episode of Psych is brilliantly crafted and absolutely hilarious. Each episode, Shawn solves the weekly crime (usually a murder), and then he has to go back and pretend that the answers are coming to him in real time. Psych‘s individual cases in each episode are clever and have excellent twists. Best of all, it’s absolutely hilarious to see the lengths that Shawn goes to in order to pretend that he has psychic powers.

‘Pushing Daisies’ (2007–2009)

Another phenomenal Bryan Fuller detective series is Pushing Daisies, a fairytale-procedural hybrid that follows Ned (Lee Pace), a piemaker who can wake the dead with a single touch. Ned’s power and their its rules have only caused problems for him in the past, so he keeps them hidden and generally isolates himself. Still, he uses his power to help Private Investigator Emerson Cod (Chi McBride) solve murder cases by briefly waking the dead and asking them who killed them. When Emerson’s latest case is the investigation into the murder of Ned’s estranged childhood sweetheart, Chuck (Anna Friel), Ned finds himself unable to bring himself to send her back to being dead.

Every single episode of Pushing Daisies is an absolute masterpiece. In each one, Emerson, Ned, and Chuck solve an outlandish and over-the-top murder. The cases are always very strange and funny, and they ultimately culminate in surprising twists. Alongside the weekly cases, though, are beautiful moments of development for the characters. Ned and Chuck quickly fall back in love, even though they can never touch, or she will die again. Ned is also keeping a major secret from her that could ruin everything if she ever found out.