What To Watch
These 18 Crime Drama Shows Are Prime Suspects for Your Next Must-Watch
They’re arrestingly good.
By Allison Picurro
May 14, 2026
These 18 Crime Dramas Are Your Next Must-Watch - Netflix Tudum
We’re all guilty (get it?) of getting sucked into a good crime drama. There’s just something so riveting about coming up with your own theories as you watch the detective race to uncover the truth — without actually having to get involved in the investigation yourself.
If you’re in the mood to dig into a fascinating crime plot, there are many different takes on the genre to choose from. Whether you’re looking to probe around inside the twisted psyche of a killer or eager to hold your breath while a team of professionals executes the perfect heist, we’ve laid out all the clues for what you should watch next.
Popular Now
The Åre Murders
Newly single and on leave from work, police officer Hanna (Carla Sehn) heads to her sister’s vacation home in a small skiing town. Restless, she joins a search party for a missing local girl and takes a temporary position at the understaffed police department to help with the case. Her new partner, Daniel (Kardo Razzazi), is skeptical — they have opposing ideas about how to run the investigation — but as the case gets even darker, they must work together to catch the killer.
Black Rabbit
This intense, fast-paced thriller centers on two siblings in New York City’s high-pressure nightlife scene: Vince (Jason Bateman), a debt-ridden gambler, and Jake (Jude Law), an up-and-coming restaurateur. Just as one brother is about to launch his new hotspot, the other opens the door to old traumas and new dangers that threaten to bring down everything they’ve built. Black Rabbit is a propulsive thrill ride and character examination about the way an unbreakable bond between two brothers can shatter their world and everything in its orbit.
Bodyguard
Richard Madden won a Golden Globe Award for his performance as a veteran named David Budd who thwarts a suicide bomber on a train. The act of valor gets him a prestigious security assignment — protecting controversial politician Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes), who was a major proponent of the war in which he served. Throughout the series, the two clash ideologically while sharing close quarters, and the former fighter must do his job while discreetly dealing with his own PTSD.
Breaking Bad
Vince Gilligan’s propulsive drama introduces one of TV’s most notorious antiheroes: Walter White (Bryan Cranston), a high school chemistry teacher who unlocks his capacity for brutality when he starts making and distributing meth. He partners with a former student, the lovable burnout Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), and the two descend into the dangers and horrors of the drug trade. Extend your stay in the Breaking Bad universe with the prequel series Better Call Saul, which tracks the transformation of scrappy attorney Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) into the flashy criminal lawyer Saul Goodman.
The Brothers Sun
You don’t say no to Mama, especially when she’s Michelle Yeoh. Created by Byron Wu and Brad Falchuk, this action-packed series kicks off when the head of a powerful Taiwanese triad is shot by a mysterious assassin. As Taipei’s deadliest societies and a new rising faction go head-to-head for dominance, the surviving family (played by Yeoh, Justin Chien, and Sam Song Li) must heal the wounds caused by their separation — and figure out what brotherhood and family truly mean before one of their countless enemies kills them all.
Collateral
In London, a worker is shot and killed while delivering a pizza to the ex-wife of a member of Parliament. Assigned to investigate the case is Detective Inspector Kip Glaspie (Carey Mulligan), who quickly realizes the murder plot is part of a knotty web that involves disparate factions of the British establishment, from the military to the church. This four-episode drama takes the time to flesh out the characters on both sides, while lining its mystery with suspenseful twists and a prescient commentary on Europe’s refugee crisis.
Dept. Q
Matthew Goode stars in this British crime drama series as Carl Morck, a crabby English detective chief inspector who works in Edinburgh, Scotland. He’s a curmudgeon for a reason: After an on-duty shooting leaves his partner paralyzed and another police officer dead, he’s reassigned to Dept. Q, where he investigates cold cases alongside a motley crew of misfits. An adaptation of the novels by Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen, the already renewed series hails from Scott Frank, the creator of The Queen’s Gambit and Godless.
Griselda
Sofia Vergara stars in this Emmy-nominated limited series inspired by the life of Griselda Blanco, who went from fleeing Medellín to keep her children safe to becoming the ruthless queenpin known as the Godmother of Cocaine. What makes Griselda so interesting is the unglamorous way it portrays its central figure’s rise, showing how easily people can be warped by greed and the temptation of power. The drama is anchored by Vergara’s committed performance, alongside scene-stealing turns from Martín Rodríguez as Blanco’s hit man and Alberto Guerra as her husband.
MINDHUNTER
David Fincher directed several episodes of this crime drama, which spotlights the inception of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit during the early days of criminal profiling in the late ’70s and early ’80s. Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany star as FBI agents who explore the minds and motives of serial killers by interviewing them, and Anna Torv plays the psychology professor who joins their team. The drama draws parallels between the interviewers and their subjects, which makes for chilling and compelling television.
Missing You
This twisty drama, based on the novel by Harlan Coben, follows Kat Donovan (Rosalind Eleazar), a detective whose entire world is turned upside down after she discovers her ex-fiancé on a dating app — over a decade after he vanished from her life without a trace. His reappearance is actually one piece of a much larger conspiracy, prompting Kat to reopen the case of her father’s unsolved murder and leading her down a dangerous path of long-concealed secrets. If you’re a fan of this gripping thriller, these other Coben adaptations will have you hooked.
Money Heist
In this deliciously fast-paced international sensation, an enigmatic figure known only as “Professor” recruits a highly skilled group of people to carry out a pair of intricate bank robberies. A snappy blend of action and emotional drama (not to mention the built-in Halloween costume factor, courtesy of those red jumpsuits) turned Money Heist into a fan favorite. Keep the heists going with the spin-offs Money Heist: Korea and Berlin, the latter of which focuses on a jewel thief played by Pedro Alonso.
Nemesis
It’s time to choose a side. This high-stakes crime series tells the story of an expert criminal and a brilliant police detective — adversaries on different sides of the law, but also reflections of each other: two men trying to provide for their families the only way they know how. The series is a subversion of the heist genre, amped by thrilling life-or-death stakes, family dynamics, and explosive action. Matthew Law and Y’lan Noel lead the drama from Power franchise creator Courtney A. Kemp.
Narcos
In this gritty and violent series, Wagner Moura portrays Pablo Escobar, one of the most famous drug kingpins in modern history. The engrossing cat-and-mouse thriller tracks Escobar’s journey as he becomes the world’s most prolific cocaine distributor, while two DEA agents (Pedro Pascal and Boyd Holbrook) urgently search for him. Similarly, its spin-off series, Narcos: Mexico, stars Diego Luna as the ruthless Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, and explores the creation of the Mexican drug trade and the Guadalajara Cartel.
Ozark
Meet Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman), a financial adviser knee-deep in a money-laundering scheme with a drug cartel. After a job goes sideways and his partner is killed, Marty moves his wife (Laura Linney) and kids to Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks region to save their lives — but mostly to launch an even bigger operation that eventually involves the whole family. A tense thriller, Ozark is about the insatiable hunger for money and power — and the dark things people will do to maintain their status.
Peaky Blinders
Cillian Murphy stars as Thomas Shelby, the steely and ambitious boss of a crime family in 19th-century Birmingham’s criminal underworld. The six-season series traces Tommy’s rise, even as new foes threaten to disrupt the family’s ascension from street gangsters to legitimate political players. With an anachronistic rock ’n’ roll soundtrack, glamorous costumes, and a host of layered performances from Murphy and the ever-expanding supporting cast, this slick period piece is worthy of its passionate fan base. Make it a marathon with the feature Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.
The Sinner
Each season, Detective Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman) investigates the unlikely culprits of various crimes. Season 1, for example, centers on Cora Tannetti (Jessica Biel), a mild-mannered mother who stabbed a man to death in an apparently random act of violence, while Season 2 sends Ambrose to his upstate New York hometown, where a young boy claims to have poisoned his parents. Ambrose’s own deep-seated trauma helps him deduce his culprits’ true motives, making for a mystery that’s less of a whodunit and more of a whydunit.
Top Boy
This kinetic British series focuses on two friends (Ashley Walters and Kane Robinson) who deal drugs in East London. Together they navigate their way to the top of the local crime hierarchy — until it becomes painfully clear that only one can rule over this cruel world. The cast of this series and that of its predecessor, Top Boy: Summerhouse, comprise a who’s who of British and Irish actors — including Barry Keoghan, Letitia Wright, and Benedict Wong. Both shows cleverly illustrate that sitting on a bloody throne has immeasurable consequences.
Unbelievable
This brutally gripping series is based on real-life reporting on a series of rapes in Colorado and Washington, and uniquely explores the survivors’ perspectives and the injustices they continue to experience in the aftermath at the hands of the American judicial system. Toni Collette and Merritt Wever star as the two detectives who set out to uncover the truth, alongside Kaitlyn Dever as the teenage girl whose initial report was picked apart and dismissed by the cops.
Find Your Next Netflix Obsession on TudumWhatever you love to stream, we’ve got tips on the latest releases, true crime, book adaptations, stand-up comedy, award-winning films and more.
Shop
Discover More What To Watch
What To WatchThe Stranger Things actor joins NBA and WNBA champs to voice the sports comedy.By Ingrid Ostby4:55 pm
What To WatchFrom Nemesis to The Rip.By Anne Cohen1:00 pm
What To WatchNothing satisfies like karma.By Ananda DillonYesterday 3:00 pm
What To WatchThey’re out of this world.By Allison PicurroMay 12
What To WatchJoin the inner circle of supreme streamers.By Ananda DillonMay 12
What To WatchHear directly from the biggest names in sports, fashion, movies, and more.By Ashley LeeMay 12
What To WatchThere’s first-degree murder, and then there’s zero-degree murder.By Ananda DillonMay 11
What To WatchPerfect for when you want a stand-alone story, are short on time, or both.By Allison PicurroMay 11
Discover More Drama
ExplainerThe new series from co-creators Courtney A. Kemp and Tani Marole is a cat-and-mouse thriller with heart.By John DiLillo6:18 pm
NewsWatch the new drama starring Matthew Law and Y’lan Noel now.By John DiLillo3:00 pm
ExplainerThe new series follows a cat-and-mouse game between cops and robbers.By John DiLillo1:00 pm
Who’s WhoMatthew Law and Y’lan Noel lead the thrilling series from the creator of Power.By John DiLillo11:00 am
NewsThe showrunners promise the “satisfying finale Mickey Haller deserves.”By Ruth KinaneYesterday 10:20 pm
NewsLove begins anew.By Ariana RomeroYesterday 9:25 pm
NewsThe series chronicles a disturbing event that unfolded at a fertility center.By Thea GlassmanYesterday 8:01 pm
Related Videos
RecapCillian Murphy, Steven Knight, and Tom Harper on what made the series click.March 52:45
ActorAs voted for by Peaky Blinders fans.March 37:30
TrailerCillian Murphy returns as Tommy Shelby.Feb. 192:24
Skip IntroWill he make a cameo in the new adaptation of Little House on the Prairie?Sept. 2646:47
Behind the ScenesJude Law and Jason Bateman take you inside the limited series.Sept. 113:49
TrailerFrom the writer and director of The Queen’s Gambit.May 6, 20252:23
TrailerAn officer investigates gruesome in this Swedish drama based on a book series.Feb. 8, 20251:34
What To WatchReady for your next scare?Oct. 29, 20242:06
