Entertainment
The Best Crime Shows From Every Year of the 2000s
Launching off the platform of prestige television drama set in the latter part of the 1990s, small-screen entertainment in the 2000s is arguably the best it has ever been. This notion is well-supported by the litany of incredible crime series the decade has to offer, with everything from decades-spanning cop shows to serialized dramas revolving around organized crime debuting throughout the era.
Each year of the 2000s flaunts its own array of incredible crime drama, be it in the form of medium-defining classics that continue to be revered among the greatest TV shows of all time to this very day or criminally underrated gems of small-screen suspense that never got the credit and fanfare they so thoroughly deserve. Regardless of their standing in pop culture, all of these series were instrumental in making the 2000s such a golden period of television and have gone a long way to defining crime excellence in the format.
10
‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’ (2000–2015)
2025 marked the first year of the 21st century that no new episodes of any CSI series were released. It represented a sad end to what had become an iconic staple of modern crime television, one that spanned well over 20 years and included five separate series. 2000’s CSI: Crime Scene Investigation was the one that started it all, running as a sharp and scientific police procedural following forensic investigators in Las Vegas as they use advanced technology to analyze evidence and solve heinous crimes.
An award-winning hit, a critical darling, and one of the greatest ratings successes in CBS’ history, the series ran for a whopping 16 seasons and was frequently praised for its gritty and graphic realism, bold storytelling prowess, and its gripping sense of urgency that made every episode an engrossing viewing experience. Also bolstered by its assembly of unforgettable characters and its process-driven procedural structure, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is a true landmark of modern crime television.
9
‘Messiah’ (2001–2008)
An underrated gem of British crime television, Messiah ran for five seasons through the 2000s but produced just 10 episodes in total, opting for concise narrative suspense and atmospheric thrills over elongated, meandering drama. It stars Ken Stott as DCI Metcalfe, a veteran homicide detective who investigates some of the nation’s most horrific and disturbing murders. As the cases unfold, Metcalfe often finds himself having to brave nightmarish evils in order to find the truth and ensure that justice is carried out.
The first season particularly finds incredible dramatic weight and depth in its implementation of religious factors, with the serial killer at large targeting people with some link to the twelve apostles. While Season 1 is the series’ strongest, ensuing seasons feature similarly resonant thematic ideas, be it the miscarriage of justice or the circles of Hell depicted in Dante’s Inferno. Messiah’s focus, visceral might, and consistent sense of suspense make it not only a great police drama, but an obvious precursor to hit series like Luther that came in the following years.
8
‘The Wire’ (2002–2008)
It is incredibly easy to mount a case that The Wire stands not only as the best crime series to debut in 2002, but as the finest feat the genre has seen in the history of television as well. Strengthened by a visceral sense of realism—courtesy of the writing of Baltimore crime reporter David Simon and police veteran Ed Burns—the masterful HBO series serves as both an exploration of the hierarchy of Baltimore’s drug trade and a scathing examination of the inefficiency of the police force, the corruption of politics, and the tragic ineffectiveness of integral social institutions.
Each of The Wire‘s five seasons broadens its scope magnificently, allowing what begins as an ambitious though contained narrative of police probing and organized crime to spiral into a city-spanning epic of systemic failure and violence that is undercut by the moral complexity of every single one of its major characters. 2026 marks 24 years since the classic crime series debuted on television, and yet its central message of broken social systems failing the people that depend on them the most remains bitterly poignant and painfully real.
7
‘NCIS’ (2003–Present)
There is perhaps no greater testament to the enduring appeal and cultural impact of NCIS than the fact that it now stands as the longest-running series of any genre that debuted in the 21st century. A police procedural with an enrapturing spin, it follows an elite squad in the Naval Criminal Investigative Service as they employ their expertise and experience to investigate crimes connected to Navy and Marine Corps personnel.
It strikes a perfect balance for 21st-century audiences, juggling the thrills of mystery drama with the fascinating scientific allure of modern police procedurals while still wielding a powerful and resonant family dynamic between the core characters. It is exciting and snappy, and often prepared to venture to dark places, but it is also comforting and cozy. Its long-standing success is evidenced not only by the original NCIS series’ 23-season run (with more on the way), but also by the growing franchise of the show through spin-offs like NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: Sydney.
6
‘Veronica Mars’ (2004–2007; 2019)
Wonderfully clever in how it blends teen schoolyard drama with neo-noir mystery intrigue, Veronica Mars is a cherished cult gem of crime television that thrives on the back of Kristen Bell’s lead performance. She stars as the eponymous Veronica Mars, the daughter of a detective who leans on her father’s tutelage as she moonlights as a private detective. The first two seasons see Veronica tackle a multitude of cases while investigating overarching mysteries, while Season 3 embraces a more episodic approach.
In addition to featuring arresting characters and a faultless balance of episodic and serialized cases, Veronica Mars also soars with its sharp social commentary, with its setting in the fictional Californian town of Neptune having a stark contrast between the wealthy and the working class. The series was abruptly axed following its third season, but its fan following remained and even grew, with the enduring popularity of the series inspiring a 2014 film and even a revival series in 2019.
5
‘Criminal Minds’ (2005–Present)
Another long-running gem of American television that has become a defining backbone of crime drama, Criminal Minds has continuously enthralled viewers with its emphasis on psychological profiling and the inviting dynamic of its central characters. It follows a team of investigators in the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit as they delve into the minds of the most evil and sadistic criminals in order to identify their trigger points, reveal their identities, and apprehend them before they can strike again.
It finds a somewhat counter-intuitive yet absorbing balance between the formulaic comfort of police procedural drama and the confronting, realistic details of the cases the team investigates. Its endeavor to pry beyond the simple “how” of the crimes they work and delve into what compels a human being to carry out such heinous acts is a defining point of difference that makes Criminal Minds more enticing than the average cop show. With 19 seasons thus far, and more on the way, the hit CBS series is one of the biggest crime series of all time.
4
‘Psych’ (2006–2014)
The marriage of traditional crime elements and fun, inviting comedy has become something of a trend in 21st-century television, from early series like Monk to modern sensations like Only Murders in the Building. A pioneering triumph of this niche is USA Network’s irreverent hit series Psych, which follows a police consultant with such acute observational instincts that he is viewed by many to be psychic as he works for the Santa Barbara Police Department alongside his reluctant partner and childhood friend.
Remarkably accessible, the handling of its crime mystery elements is joyfully light-hearted, with its warm tone of good-natured fun beautifully complementing its focus on the bromance dynamic between Shawn Spencer (James Roday) and Burton “Gus” Guster (Dulé Hill). Referential, absurd, and laced with delightful celebrity cameos, Psych’s magnetic eight-season run is the pinnacle of buddy cop exuberance, making it a beloved cult hit of 2000s television that not only ran well into the 2010s but spawned three follow-up films as well.
3
‘The Killing’ (2007–2012)
Throughout the 2010s in particular, the international subgenre of “Nodic noir” television grew from being a relatively niche category of bleak mystery suspense to one of the defining trends in cop drama on the small screen. The first season of The Killing was instrumental in developing this wave of interest. It follows Detective Inspector Sarah Lund (Sofie Gråbøl) as she, on the cusp of relocating to a small town with her young family, finds herself growing obsessed with a case with political connections revolving around the discovery of a teenage girl’s body in the trunk of a car.
Both of the subsequent seasons also follow Lund as she investigates murder cases with ties to governmental figures while making excellent use of Nordic noir’s trademark air of cold hostility and grim brutality to conjure an atmosphere of captivating drama. Its slow-burn approach also proved to be ahead of its time, with its structure—seeing an investigation unfold over the course of a season—allowing for more methodical and measured pacing at a time when mystery drama television was largely defined by episodic procedural series.
2
‘Breaking Bad’ (2008–2013)
Throughout the 2000s and into the 2010s, television saw the rise of the anti-hero protagonist, complex and morally flawed leads whose high-stakes lifestyles led them down a path of corruption and compromise. Breaking Bad is one of the greatest examples of this, any form of storytelling that has ever been seen, following high school teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston) as he starts cooking methamphetamine to accrue money for his family after being diagnosed with inoperable cancer. As he becomes more embroiled in the drug trade, however, his admirable motives give way to a ruthless lust for power and moral decay.
The series evolves magnificently throughout its five-season run, starting as a compelling and deeply relatable character drama laced with dark comedy before gradually turning into one of the most relentlessly suspenseful and confronting series television has ever seen. Complemented by its note-perfect series finale, Breaking Bad is one of the most rewarding and engrossing TV shows of all time, a defining masterpiece of crime drama that continues to stand as one of the most revered stories of the 21st century thus far.
1
‘Southland’ (2009–2013)
While it was perhaps too derivative of series like The Shield to truly thrive at the time, Southland can still be considered one of the most underrated and sorely forgotten crime series of its time. Starting off strong and only getting better throughout its five-season run, it follows the work and lives of cops in the LAPD, exploring their career aspirations and obstacles in their personal lives while delivering an unflinching look at the nature of policing.
Even as it steered away from the serialized format of its first season in Season 2 and beyond, the series stayed true to its realistic and raw approach to its story, striving to show how the exhausting tension and morally challenging nature of law enforcement have a serious impact on cops. It is humane and sympathetic, but it never shies away from depicting its integral characters as deeply flawed people who change drastically over time. It was sadly canceled after its fifth season, but it remains a hidden gem of crime television that thrives with its air of authenticity and litany of brilliant performances.
Southland
- Release Date
-
2009 – 2013-00-00
- Directors
-
Christopher Chulack, Nelson McCormick, Félix Enríquez Alcalá, Allison Anders
- Writers
-
Ann Biderman, Dee Johnson, Mitchell Burgess, Robin Green, Diana Son, Angela Amato Velez
You must be logged in to post a comment Login