Police procedurals have been an integral part of the primetime TV line-up for decades. Fans young and old love sitting back and watching the formulaic nature of each episode. They usually involve an investigation of some kind, perhaps a few twists, turns, and dangerous moments, followed by a resolution. The genre is satisfying because fans know exactly what to expect. But every show offers its own unique twist.
Even in the latest decade, new and continuing police procedurals that either debuted in 2020 or thereafter or started shortly before and continue to air new episodes, are just as enticing. The best ones draw viewers into the plots, compelling characters, and interesting angles.
10 ‘FBI’ (2018-)
Created by Dick Wolf, Craig Turk
Image via Bennett Raglin/CBS
Commencing just prior to the new decade but still going strong with six seasons and counting, renewed through at least 2027, FBI stars an ensemble cast as characters who all work within the criminal division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in New York, working to keep the city safe and free of criminals. The stories follow different cases each week along with the personal lives of the key characters.
Spawning two spin-offs, FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International, FBI also features characters crossing over from both along with other shows, like Chicago P.D. Filled with adrenaline, action, and familiarity with other Dick Wolf works (he’s the same man behind the Law & Order and Chicago franchises), fans of those shows will love this one, too, that adds its own spin, new characters, and a new setting and angle.
FBI
Release Date September 25, 2018
Cast Missy Peregrym , Zeeko Zaki , Jeremy Sisto , Alana de la Garza
Main Genre Drama
Seasons 6
9 ‘Found’ (2023-)
Created by Nkechi Okoro Carroll
Image via NBC
Gaby Mosely (Shanola Hampton) in Found is a talented recovery specialist who dedicates her life to finding missing people that are otherwise overlooked by the system. She, along with her team of dedicated employees, each with unique talents, work tirelessly, often putting themselves in harm’s way, to bring people home. Gaby chose this line of work for a reason: she was kidnapped as a teenager and held captive for almost a year. But she also has a secret: she located her kidnapper and has been keeping him locked in her basement, using his warped mind to help her solve cases.
Found is a unique entry into the police procedural genre, with every episode tackling a different case. The nail-biting tension rises with each one as well as the walls close in on Gaby. Her secret cat could be out of the bag at any moment, ruining everything for which she has worked so hard. The show is formulaic, as viewers would expect from a procedural, with the team even partaking in a post-case ritual at the end of each successful win. Found has been renewed for a second season, and fans can’t wait to find out what happens next after the first season’s cliffhanger ending.
Found (2023)
Release Date October 3, 2023
Cast Shanola Hampton , Mark-Paul Gosselaar
Main Genre Drama
Seasons 2
Creator Nkechi Okoro Carroll
Network NBC
Showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll
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Watch on Peacock
8 ‘The Rookie’ (2018-)
Created by Alexi Hawley
Image via Disney/Raymond Liu
Nathan Fillion found a new home after the end of Castle on this police procedural about John, a man in his forties who decide to start life anew and begin working as a police officer. At his age, however, he’s the oldest rookie present at the LAPD, which presents challenges beyond just the job.
What makes The Rookie so interesting is that it was actually inspired by a true story, eventually revealed to be that of an old college friend of one of the producers. The man behind the show, Bill Norcross, still works with the LAPD and serves as an executive producer on the show, adding a level of authenticity.
The Rookie
Release Date October 16, 2018
Main Genre Drama
Seasons 6
7 ‘Will Trent’ (2023-)
Created by Karin Slaughter, Liz Heldens, Daniel T. Thomsen
Image via ABC
Fans have fallen in love with Will Trent, saring Ramon Rodriguez as the title character, a special agent for the GBI in Atlanta who has a particular knack for solving cases. He often empathizes with the victims due to his own troubled upbringing in foster care, along with his struggles with dyslexia. The cases are sometimes downright unbelievable, but every episode is intriguing. The show is just as much about Will’s personal life and drama as it is about his work.
With a fabulous supporting cast, interesting cases, plenty of action, and side characters to get behind as well, Will Trent is poised to be remembered along with the other greats. The series, which has aired two seasons to date, has already been renewed for a third.
Will Trent
Release Date January 3, 2023
Main Genre Crime
Seasons 2
Creator Liz Heldens, Daniel T. Thomsen
Network ABC
Streaming Service(s) Hulu
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6 ‘Criminal Minds’ (2005-2020, 2022-)
Created by Jeff Davis
Image via Paramount+
Technically airing since 2005 and ranking as one of the best police procedurals from that decade, too, Criminal Minds actually ended in 2020, but it was so popular that it was revived in 2022, making it one of the best procedurals of this decade as well. The police procedural crime drama examines the criminal profiling aspect of police work, centered around a team from the FBI who work in the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU).
Featuring some big-name actors throughout its run, including Mandy Patinkin, Shemar Moore, Paget Brewster, and Jennifer Love Hewitt, the latest version stars Adam Rodriguez, Aisha Tyler, and Zach Gilford. It’s one of those comforting shows viewers can put on at night, no matter the season or episode, and get fully immersed in the story without missing a beat.
Criminal Minds
Release Date September 22, 2005
Cast shemar moore , Joe Mantegna , Kirsten Vangsness , Paget Brewster , Thomas Gibson , Matthew Gray Gubler , A.J. Cook , Mandy Patinkin , Lola Glaudini , Rachel Nichols , Jennifer Love Hewitt , Aisha Tyler
Main Genre Crime
Seasons 17
Network CBS
Streaming Service(s) Paramount+
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5 ‘Chicago P.D.’ (2014-)
Created by Dick Wolf, Matt Olmstead
Image via NBC
Beginning as a spin-off to Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D. centers around the patrol officers working in the Intelligence Unit of the Chicago Police Department, and doing their work to clean up the streets of the city. It began in 2014 but the police procedural action drama is still going strong, renewed for a twelfth season.
Featuring tons of crossovers with other police procedurals like Law & Order,Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and FBI, Chicago P.D. has become a central part of the prime-time procedural line-up. Led by Jason Beghe as Sergeant Henry “Hank” Voight, Chicago P.D. is one of those shows’ fans anxiously await new episodes and talk about the stories after, often involving the personal lives of the patrol officers just as much as their jobs.
Chicago P.D.
Release Date January 8, 2014
Cast Jason Beghe , Marina Squerciati , Patrick John Flueger , LaRoyce Hawkins , Amy Morton , Jesse Lee Soffer , Tracy Spiridakos , Jon Seda
Main Genre Crime
Seasons 12
Creator(s) Michael Brandt , Derek Haas , Matt Olmstead
Writers Dick Wolf
Network NBC
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4 ‘NCIS’ (2003-)
Created by Donald P. Bellisario, Don McGill
Image via CBS
It’s tough to remember a time when NCISwasn’t on the air. The military police procedural, one of the best police procedurals on TV, is the first series in what has since become a franchise, including other shows like NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans. Running now for more than two decades, NCIS is ranked as the third-longest-running scripted live-action U.S. primetime TV series, behind only Law & Orderand Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
The show follows special agents who work within the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) and the work they do, as well as their personal lives. Combining both serious and dramatic moments with comedy as well, NCIS has struck a chord with audiences. It’s a procedural the grandparents or parents likely watch at home nightly, or whenever there’s “nothing else on,” and the older kids don’t mind watching with them.
NCIS
Release Date September 23, 2003
Main Genre Crime
Seasons 22
3 ‘Lucifer’ (2016-2021)
Created by Tom Kapinos
Image via Fox
Tom Ellis is brilliant as Lucifer Morningstar, the devil who decides he’s tired of his boring job and moves to Los Angeles. There, he runs a nightclub and indulges in every sin possible. But when his path crosses with a beautiful detective who seems to be the only human immune to his powers, he becomes drawn to her. Chloe (Lauren German), meanwhile, isn’t too fond of Lucifer, but is puzzled by his uncanny ability to help solve cases and his mysterious persona.
Lucifer was so popular that when Fox canceled the series after three seasons, Netflix swept in and picked up the show, producing three more seasons through the 2020s, many of which account for some of the best episodes of the show. From the banter between Lucifer and the other characters on the show to the plotlines and characters inspired by real biblical stories and figures, Lucifer is filled with action, romance, and plenty of comedy.
Lucifer
Release Date January 25, 2016
Main Genre Drama
Seasons 6
Studio Fox
2 ‘Blue Bloods’ (2010-)
Created by Robin Green, Mitchell Burgess
Image via CBS/Paramount
Donnie Wahlberg hung up his boy band dance moves and traded them in for a starring role in Blue Bloods, a police procedural about the fictional Irish Catholic Reagan family that has a long history of working in law enforcement. Wahlberg is Detective Danny Reagan, son of the NYPD Police Commissioner Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck) and Bridget Moynihan is Erin, his daughter who works as a district attorney. Each episode follows the police work of all the family members, from investigating crimes and capturing criminals to the legal proceedings. It’s largely a family affair, with the Reagans heavily involved in every aspect.
With the power of Selleck behind the show, a revered film actor, along with the talents of Wahlberg, Moynihan, and others like Will Estes, Jennifer Esposito, and Amy Carlson, Blue Bloods has been a part of many a nightly TV schedule for almost 15 years. The series will end with its fourteenth season, with the final episodes airing in December 2024.
Blue Bloods
Release Date September 24, 2010
Main Genre Crime
Seasons 13
1 ‘Law & Order: SVU’ (1999-)
Created by Dick Wolf
Image via NBC
With the distinction of being the longest-running primetime live-action series, surpassing even the original Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU has become a fan favorite. The series deals with more sensitive cases, following those who work with the Special Victims Unit (SVU) of the NYPD that deals with sexually based crimes.
What makes Law & Order: SVU so compelling, alongside the wonderful chemistry between its original leads Mariska Hargitayand Christopher Meloni as Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler, is the fact that many of the stories told are ripped right from the headlines. Gut-wrenching, emotional, and heartbreaking, the episodes take viewers on a journey through sometimes difficult to watch material. But each one is compelling, earning Law & Order: SVU numerous Emmy Awards along the way. Gearing up for its 26th season, Law & Order: SVU shows no signs of slowing down.
Law & Order: SVU
Genre Crime Drama
Number of Seasons 25
Debut Date September 20, 1999
Studio NBC, Wolf Entertainment
Watch on Hulu
KEEP READING: The 10 Best Police Procedural Shows, Ranked According to IMDb