August 31, 2025, 3:07 pm | Read time: 14 minutes
In the early ’80s, police series became more complex and layered. Instead of the black-and-white portrayal of cops chasing gangsters, law enforcement officers were increasingly shown as characters with both light and dark sides, gradually blurring the line between good and evil.
Overview
Der Kommissar
Commissioner Herbert Keller (Erik Ode) and his assistants Robert Heines (Reinhard Glemnitz), Walter Grabert (Günther Schramm), and Harry Klein (Fritz Wepper) confront crime in Munich during the late ’60s and early ’70s…
Crimes not always committed by classic criminals but by people from various backgrounds. Ode portrays a calm commissioner who solves crimes with brains rather than brawn or a gun. He is always eager to understand the motives of the perpetrators and the milieu in which they operate. Thus, “Der Kommissar” serves as a sharply defined panorama of a West German society gradually leaving behind the horrors of World War II, a society that no longer exists today.
The intensity of many episodes was often due to guest stars. Especially in the early episodes, former UFA stars like Curd Jürgens, René Deltgen, Brigitte Horney, Maria Schell, Marianne Hoppe, Elisabeth Flickenschildt, Paul Hubschmid, or Rudolf Platte shone. Most had learned their craft from the ground up, on the boards that supposedly mean the world. No wonder, then, that “Der Kommissar” sometimes resembles excellent spoken theater.
Also read: 10 Series with Quirky Detectives
Miami Vice
James “Sonny” Crockett, alias Sonny Burnett, and Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs, alias Ricardo Cooper, are undercover detectives with Miami’s Metro-Dade Police Department. The proximity to Cuba makes this retirement paradise for U.S. seniors also a haven for drug dealers, arms smugglers, and money launderers. All ruthless gangsters for whom a human life means nothing…
“Miami Vice” was nothing short of groundbreaking. The police series by future star director Michael Mann (“The Heat”) brought the style of the then-new music videos – sharp cuts, fast sequences, bright colors – to TV in the early ’80s. It also set trends in men’s fashion. Suddenly, pastel blazers, rolled-up sleeves, loafers without socks, and Ray-Ban sunglasses were all the rage in Germany. While this might have suited the laissez-faire and Art Deco style of Miami, in Castrop-Rauxel it seemed at best quirky, if not downright ridiculous – just as an aside.
In terms of content, however, “Miami Vice” was a rather conventional crime series. “Hörzu” described it as a plot that quickly turned into a “familiar cops-and-robbers game.” The appeal lay more in the pace, the music, and the perfect color dramaturgy. At times, the series resembled a long music video, telling its story more through images and gestures than through coherent plot and sophisticated dialogue, as the TV magazine noted back then.
Law & Order
The hallmark of the series, which ran from 1990 to 2010 and resumed in 2022 (with the 25th season starting this fall), is the voiceover introduction, which also opens many spin-offs in a modified form. “The legal system has two important, independent entities that serve the public: the police, who investigate crimes, and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories.” While the first half of each episode focuses on the crime and the investigators, the second part deals with the judicial process. Here, the executive and judiciary work hand in hand.
The police series and its spin-offs like “Criminal Intent” or “Law & Order: New York” are milestones in U.S. television history. Altogether, the “Law & Order” franchise comprises ten series (with more in the works) totaling nearly 1,500 episodes. There are also crossovers not only within the franchise but with other series like “Homicide,” “In Plain Sight,” or “Chicago P.D.” Not every spin-off was successful, but “Law & Order” (24 seasons so far) and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (27 seasons so far) are among the longest-running (not just crime) series on U.S. television.
The investigator teams and the district attorneys have changed over the years. However, all teams were successful in terms of ratings, which speaks volumes about the series’ fundamentally attractive concept to the audience. “Law & Order” was/is so popular that Jerry Orbach, who played Detective Lennie Briscoe in 274 episodes, was posthumously honored in a unique way. In September 2007, a section of 53rd Street at 8th Avenue in Manhattan was named Jerry Orbach Way.
Criminal Intent – Verbrechen im Visier
Detective Robert Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio) and his partner Detective Alexandra Eames (Kathryn Erbe) are part of the Major Case Squad at the NYPD. They are called in for capital crimes, the most serious offenses against life and limb…
“In New York City’s fight against crime, the worst offenders are pursued by the detectives of the Major Case Squad. These are their stories,” a sober voiceover sets the tone. Initially, a crime is briefly and thus all the more impressively depicted, often taking on the character of a Shakespearean tragedy. The “Criminal Intent” detectives must always descend into the hell of human abysses to solve a case. The series gains a unique color through Vincent D’Onofrio’s Robert Goren. Goren, who is himself repeatedly haunted by demons, intuitively finds a way into the psyche of criminals. It’s fascinating to watch this large, heavy man, who sometimes seems a bit awkward, elegantly play cat and mouse with his adversary.
These cops are not shining victors (a second detective team is played by Julianne Nicholson and Chris Noth, known as Mr. Big from “Sex and the City”). Each episode leaves a deep, undoubtedly intended emptiness, both in the characters and the viewer. It is this sense of irreplaceable loss that makes “Criminal Intent,” especially for a series with standalone episodes, such an intense experience.
The Shield – Gesetz der Gewalt
Captain David Aceveda (Benito Martinez), head of the Farmington precinct in L.A., harbors political ambitions. However, his own personnel might thwart his plans. The Strike Team, led by Detective Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis), an anti-gang special unit, achieves success in combating gang crime. But the methods Mackey and his men use are far from legal. Bribery, abuse, embezzlement, and even murder are part of their repertoire. Yet, they manage to refute the allegations every time…
“The Shield” tells the story of cops who follow their own law, the law of violence, as the German title suggests. Many critics praised the “authentic insight into police work in Los Angeles.” Those who doubt this authenticity and believe the police couldn’t be as corrupt as depicted in the series are fundamentally mistaken. The LAPD has been rocked by scandals over the decades.
One of them, the “Rampart Scandal,” in the late ’90s, encompassed all the allegations, from racism and brutality (the Rodney King case) to corruption and abuse of authority, later dramatized in “The Shield.” LAPD officers in the Rampart district had severely mistreated gang members for years, planted drugs and weapons on them, and even dealt drugs themselves. More than 70 officers had to face court, and civil lawsuits cost the LAPD $125 million.
The Wire
“The Wire” is a police series – and somehow not. The focus is primarily on police work in the first season. Here, the plot follows the investigations of a special commission of the Baltimore police against a drug ring. However, over all five seasons, the series paints a comprehensive, sharply detailed psychogram of an American metropolis, unlike anything seen before. Each season focuses on a different aspect of society – police, unions, politics, media, education – and shows life from a different perspective.
The series’ creator is David Simon, a former journalist for the “Baltimore Sun,” which also appears in the series. Simon worked as a police reporter for the paper for 13 years. In 1988, he took a year off to accompany the BPD’s homicide unit. Simon used this experience to write his first book, “Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets,” which became the basis for the police series “Homicide” and later “The Wire.”
Critics were effusive in their praise. “Spiegel Online” called the series “a socially critical masterpiece of epic complexity,” while the “FAZ” wrote: “No novel has occupied me as much as ‘The Wire’ – it is also to be understood this way: ‘The Wire’ is a novel. One of the best.” And “Die Zeit” simply referred to “The Wire” as “the best TV series in the world.”
Braquo (from 2008)
Eddy Caplan (Jan-Hugues Anglade), Walter Morlighem (Joseph Malerba), Théo Vachewski (Nicolas Duvauchelle), and Roxane Delgado (Karole Rocher) form an elite unit of the Paris police, which comes under the scrutiny of internal investigators. Soon, they find themselves caught in the crossfire between investigators and gangsters, entangled in a web of twisted loyalty, brutal violence, and thirst for revenge…
“Braquo” (the name is derived from “braquages,” a slang term for “robbery”) is the creation of former cop Olivier Marchal. Those familiar with his police films like “36 Quai des Orfèvres” already have more than an inkling of what to expect. Marchal’s cops are usually driven, and this applies to the quartet in “Braquo” as well. For Eddy, the end justifies the (often brutal) means, and he feels beholden to no one but his partners. Théo, meanwhile, is addicted to cocaine, while Walter’s gambling addiction has landed him in debt to the criminal underworld. Only Roxanne seems untainted and completely disillusioned by the daily, Sisyphean struggle against crime.
In France, “Braquo” was more successful than the thematically similar “The Shield.” The second season even won the Emmy for Best Drama Series in 2012 – a rare feat for a foreign series in the U.S. Perhaps the greatest honor, however, came from the Swiss “Weltwoche,” which stated: “The series stands in the tradition of underworld cinema à la Jean-Pierre Melville.” Melville, the grandmaster of classic French gangster cinema (e.g., “Le Doulos”), always focused on the unwritten rules that prevail in the criminal milieu. A kind of twisted code of honor, also found in “Braquo.” Unfortunately, no streaming service currently offers the police series. However, all four seasons are available on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon, eBay, etc.
Der junge Inspector Morse
The former Oxford graduate Endeavour Morse (Shaun Evans) joins the city’s police force in the mid-’60s. He quickly proves to be unusually cultured for a cop – Morse is knowledgeable about “La Traviata” as well as the Punic Wars – which makes him an outsider. Gradually, his empathy, which allows him to understand the mindset of the perpetrators, is appreciated. But the higher Morse rises, the darker his view of the world becomes…
“Der junge Inspektor Morse,” a late prequel to the successful ’90s crime series “Inspector Morse,” depicts the sometimes grueling initiation of the cop. Evans himself aptly described (his) Morse as “a man trying to make sense of a world he doesn’t fit into.” Morse threatens to break under this insoluble dilemma. He begins to drink, becomes careless, and his few friends threaten to turn away. He repeatedly seeks salvation in love but always fails, sometimes tragically. He remains alone.
The police series is a prime example of cultivated crime entertainment ‘Made in Britain.’ Everything is in abundance. The stories are sophisticated and invite a whodunit, the characterizations and acting performances are of the highest level. Real events and social developments (such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, the first moon landing, the racial unrest of the ’60s) are cleverly woven into the 90-minute plot. Thus, a fascinating portrait of post-war England gradually emerges, breathing pure authenticity thanks to its rich production.
True Detective
The story begins in 2012. Former cops Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) and Marty Hart (Woody Harrelson) are separately questioned about a murder case from 20 years ago, which they believed they had solved. However, Cohle had first doubts a few years later during the interrogation of a prison inmate who was shortly thereafter murdered. The former partners, who had parted ways in a dispute, decide to find the real killer after all…
From the first moment, there is desolation. Even the opening credits show a Louisiana of grimy industrial plants, stagnant wastelands, and rundown white-trash dives where religious fanaticism resides. You almost feel the dull, feverish heat that seems to bury the land under a giant bell jar.
A setting that allows McConaughey and Harrelson to perform with an intensity as if their lives depended on it. McConaughey, long misjudged as a heartthrob, delivers the standout performance of his career.
All this makes the first season one of the most powerful, intense series experiences ever. The standalone narrative, which is in no way related to the following seasons, is rated a formidable 9.2 on IMDb (on a scale of 1 to 10).
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Bosch
Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch (Titus Welliver) is a detective with the LAPD’s homicide division in Hollywood. Bosch, who had an unhappy childhood spent in orphanages and foster homes – his mother was a prostitute and was murdered when Harry was just 11 years old – lives with his daughter Maddie (Madison Lintz). Because he must answer in court for a fatal shooting, he has been temporarily suspended. Nevertheless, he investigates with his partner Jerry Edgar (Jamie Hector) a long-unsolved murder case that raises many questions, including about police work…
“Bosch” is based on the successful “Harry Bosch” series by Michael Connelly, which already includes 20 novels. The title character is a carefully crafted figure, both in the novels and the series. Bosch is a cop who draws a clear line between right and wrong – not a given in the LAPD. Nevertheless, the jazz lover is a true maverick who usually goes his own way. And Bosch often takes the victims’ suffering personally, making him a particularly relentless hunter.
“Bosch” is one of those cases where a police series reveals its true charm only gradually. And precisely to the extent that the viewer slowly but surely builds a connection with the edgy, sometimes uncomfortable Bosch, which then has an unlimited half-life. “Such a sophisticated crime production is hard to find,” wrote the “FAZ” correctly, and the “Tagesspiegel” called the series “a combination of fan television and character television.” The “SZ” praised the “careful character development” and the “quiet, sustainable unfolding of the story.” Indeed, the series eschews any excitement, instead relying on – in the best sense – old-school craftsmanship. Here, everything, from the books to the dialogues to the well-developed characters and excellent performances, is of high quality.
Mare of Easttown
Mare Sheehan (Kate Winslet) works as a cop in Easttown, a suburb of Philadelphia. Here, life has long left people behind. The community is traumatized; a young girl disappeared without a trace a year ago. But Mare has also faced drama. Her son took his own life, and she subsequently separated from her husband Frank (David Denman). Now she lives with her daughter (Angourie Rice), mother (Jean Smart), and granddaughter in the same household – inevitably leading to (generational) conflicts. When Mare is tasked with solving a murder – the victim is again a teenager – her work and private life threaten to collide…
The announcement of the HBO production “Mare of Easttown” promised a formidable crime drama with depth. After all, the premium channel had consistently delivered top quality with series like “The Sopranos,” “The Wire,” “True Detective,” “Six Feet Under,” or “Game of Thrones.” And “Mare of Easttown” easily maintains this level. “Die Zeit” described the series as “one of the groundbreaking TV narratives of the year.”
That “Mare of Easttown” became such a moving portrait of a community on the brink is also due to the outstanding performances. Kate Winslet portrays Mare as a woman, daughter, and mother who struggles to find her place in life and teeters on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Equally responsible for the series’ success is the excellent script. Author Brad Ingelsby hails from a neighboring town and knows the life in the Easttowns of this world. He understands how the people, exhausted by this life, think and feel. An authenticity that cannot be “invented” but must be felt.