Crime Shows That Stand Out for Breaking Genre Molds

Crime TV shows tend to be repetitive, but series like Cold Case and Psych have deviated from time-worn formulas.

Procedural crime drama shows are one of the most popular forms of television shows of all time. The consistent format paired with intriguing cases finds the perfect blend of consistency and creativity. With this perfect formula, it's no surprise that procedural shows often air on television for 5+ seasons.

These series are often guaranteed to pull in a lot of views, so the market for them is often saturated with almost identical shows. This is the danger of playing it too safe when using a successful format. However, some of the best crime shows used the successful procedural crime show format as a foundation and built something wholly unique.

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Cold Case aired on TV for seven seasons, starting in 2003 and concluding in 2010. The series follows a team of Philadelphia homicide detectives (primarily the odd but justice-driven Detective Lilly Rush) investigating 'cold cases,' crimes that have gone unsolved for several years without any leads. Having a show centered around cold cases set the series apart from its contemporaries that focused almost exclusively on recent crimes.

Cold Case did an exceptional job of bringing heart and emotion into each episode. By incorporating flashback sequences, loved ones' memories, and featuring the ghost of the victim finding peace at the end, the show tugs on viewers' heartstrings like other crime shows rarely do.

Psych deviated from other standard procedural crime shows in many different ways. The series was primarily a comedy instead of a straight drama like the majority of the genre. Psych's premise was also very farcical, which made it stand out from the crowd. The main character is Shawn Spencer, a fake psychic who helps the Santa Barbara Police Department solve various crimes.

The series added a unique detail to its episodes by regularly incorporating memories of Shawn's childhood, including his best friend and partner Gus and lessons from his detective father. The hilarious cops and consultants investigating bizarre crimes were a great recipe for an exciting television series. Psych ran on TV for eight seasons and spawned an ongoing series of movies, even after the series ended in 2014, which speaks to the lasting impact of the series.

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Law & Order is arguably the most iconic crime show franchise of all time, and it was helped in gaining that status by its longest-running series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. The series sets itself apart from others in the franchise by centering around investigating sexual-based crimes, becoming the first crime series to ever center around that type of heinous crime. The series began in 1999 and is going strong to this day.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit remains in a league of its own decades after its inception. Despite other procedural police series increasingly featuring sex crime cases, SVU displays the intricacies of these cases and never shies away from the raw nature and impact of such a devastating form of assault. It's undeniable that Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has changed the way millions of people discuss these sensitive crimes and raised awareness for survivors.

iZombie blended a procedural crime show with a campy zombie adventure. The bizarre yet charming series aired on the CW from 2015 to 2019 and was adapted, albeit loosely, from a comic book series of the same name. When a young doctor becomes a zombie, she gets a job at a morgue to satisfy her hunger for brains without harming the living. Using the insight she gains from consuming the brains of homicide victims, she poses as a psychic to help the police solve crimes.

Regarding shows with such wild premises as iZombie, they ride a fine line between entertaining and being impossible to take seriously. iZombie expertly navigated this line with a balancing act that gave viewers the ideal viewing experience.

The Rookie shifts from the usual detective-focused procedural police shows and instead follows patrol officers, namely one rookie officer named John Nolan, who becomes the oldest LAPD rookie when he joins the department searching for a fresh start. Nolan faces opposition on his journey from his superiors, who doubt his abilities and the standard hardships of learning the ropes as an LAPD officer.

The Rookie does a great job of providing a differing perspective of the routine of patrol officers compared to the standard detective-led crime procedural drama. This series finds intensity and excitement in the everyday experience of a patrol officer and provides a fresh new procedural series with all the makings of a staple for the genre.

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Criminal Minds was one of the most popular modern crime shows. The series originally ran for 15 seasons from 2005 to 2020 before gaining a currently-airing revival series titled Criminal Minds: Evolution after the series gained popularity on streaming services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The series followed a team of FBI profilers investigating the most depraved serial crimes imaginable.

The use of profiling has always been popular in the crime show genre, and there's no doubt that this series popularized the use of the investigative technique. Criminal Minds is an incredibly bold series that never shied away from displaying the gore and depravity humanity is capable of. This raw honesty about the human condition made it an enthralling series to binge-watch.

Lucifer was a supernatural drama and an urban fantasy series that was a part of the DC universe and ran from 2016 to 2021. The series explored what happened when the fallen angel-turned-Devil, Lucifer, left hell for LA and the ensuing chaos. Lucifer opens a nightclub in LA and comes into contact with the intriguing Detective Chloe Decker on a murder investigation.

Bizarrely, Lucifer decided to use his supernatural talents of having people confess their darkest desires to him to aid the detective in solving crimes. Along the way, Lucifer had to combat threats from heaven and hell that threatened his self-imposed exile on Earth. The show's odd premise captured fans' hearts, and the supernatural and criminal storylines were equally entertaining.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ran for 15 seasons from 2000 to 2015 and spawned one of the most prominent crime show franchises, including series such as CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, the short-lived CSI: Cyber, and then recently a follow-up series to the original show titled CSI: Vegas.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation was the first crime series to focus on forensics and crime scene investigators, and impacted how a whole generation perceived forensic science. CSI emphasized evidence over all else and did a great job of making such complicated science accessible to layperson viewers. The science-focused series was never dull, with a Las Vegas setting and a cast of odd characters led by the weird and awkward entomologist Dr. Gil Grissom.

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Rizzoli & Isles was a rarity in crime shows, running from 2010 to 2016. While the consultant/detective dynamic is incredibly popular in the crime show genre, having both the detective and the consultant be female made the series stand out. The series also took an odd-couple approach to the partnership, which tinged the serious show with a comedic undertone.

The vast differences in personalities between the brusque and tomboyish Detective Jane Rizzoli and the brilliant yet kooky Medical Examiner Dr. Maura Isles provide a great dynamic to watch, and both women reveal different sides of the other that make them great crime fighters.

Castle was a fan-favorite crime series that ran from 2009 to 2016. The series featured a consultant/detective relationship between the stern yet seasoned NYPD Detective Kate Beckett and childish and talented bestselling mystery novelist Richard Castle. When their paths cross on an investigation, Castle becomes enthralled and decides to pull in a favor with the mayor to follow Beckett and her team for inspiration on his next novel.

Castle incorporated all the creative details fans of mystery and thriller novels love into a police procedural series. The creativity is evident in every episode, and even the classic tropes reverberating throughout the genre get a new twist in this TV series.

Marissa 'Rissa' Krasny is a freelance TV/Movie List writer for CBR! She's a recent college graduate with degrees in Communications: Writing and English & Literary Studies. Rissa lives in New York and can often be found with their nose in a book, a pen in their hand, and a dog in their lap.