There are many genres that television continues to explore in various ways, but there are also strong staples that have been around since the start. One of the more reliable genres of television are police procedurals. They allow for an endless amount of episodic content, or opportunities to engage in a serialized story with larger character stakes.
There’s a certain formula that adheres to police procedurals, but television has been around long enough to use the genre’s subject matter to provoke compelling conversations. There are lots of older police procedurals that play even better in a modern light. With that, comes shows where the luster has worn off, and they now look a lot sloppier.
10 Aren’t As Good: Even The Cast Of Castle Begin To Resent Each Other
Castle lasted for eight seasons, and leans into an opposites-attract style of premise that was popular during the 1980s. Mystery novelist, Rick Castle, teams up with NYPD detective, Kate Beckett, and their unconventional chemistry yields success. There's so much life to Castle's earliest seasons and much of Castle's success is due to the chemistry between Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic.
However, this turns into Castle's greatest weakness. The increasingly unbelievable hoops that are jumped through regarding Castle's two main characters does the series a major disservice. Castle is a chore during its later seasons.
9 Still Holds Up: The Shield Lives In Tense Shades Of Grey With Volatile Heroes
The 2000s and the boom of prestige television resulted in a number of aggressive anti-heroes at the center of cable dramas. Few are as ruthless as Michael Chiklis' Vic Mackey in The Shield. The Shield ran for seven seasons as one of the FX Network's biggest programs and featured stellar performances by guest stars like Glenn Close and Forest Whittaker.
The cops in The Shield target Los Angeles' most violent crimes and gang activity, but there's enough corruption on the other side of the law. The slippery slope that Mackey heads down is a never-ending anxiety ride.
8 Aren’t As Good: Walker, Texas Ranger Lacks Originality And Wears Out Its Welcome
Walker, Texas Ranger has a devoted fanbase, but it's a series that's towed the line between legitimacy and parody for the entirety of its 200-episode run. Walker, Texas Ranger follows the former Marine as he applies his classic code to ranger work as he keeps the peace.
Walker, Texas Ranger falls quickly into a repetitive pattern that keeps the show from achieving any substance. The fact that the CW has found some level of success with their modern Walker reboot proves the idea isn't inherently broken, but that Walker, Texas Ranger is highly outdated and a product of its time.
7 Still Holds Up: True Detective’s Later Seasons Deserve Reappraisal
The first season of HBO’s True Detective is still regarded as one of the best things to ever air on the cable channel. True Detective created impossibly high stakes for the anthology series’ subsequent seasons. True Detective’s second and third seasons are very different from the first, and turn to new directors rather than the singular creative vision that Cari Fukunaga created. There’s a lot to appreciate in these later seasons. Approaching these seasons with an open mind, and none of the baggage of the first season, is the best approach to view them.
6 Aren’t As Good: Criminal Minds Devolves Into Paint-By-Numbers Misery
Criminal Minds has evolved into its own institution with a legacy that's lasted decades, multiple spin-offs, and a main series that lasted for 324 episodes. Criminal Minds follows FBI behavioral profilers, looking at the most deranged and psychotic criminals. This premise gets progressively exhausting.
Any show that lasts for this long is going to hit diminishing returns, but Criminal Minds often feels callous towards victims and prioritizes the sensationalism that surrounds extreme violence. Criminal Minds also experiences many cast changes over its lengthy run, most of which only further dilute the program.
5 Still Holds Up: Hill Street Blues Set The New Standard For Cop Dramas
Hill Street Blues hit NBC in the early 1980s and immediately revolutionized the police procedural drama. Hill Street Blues produced nearly 150 episodes across seven seasons. Hill Street Blues marked a push towards a grittier and more aggressive cop show that's not afraid to highlight the horrors of the world.
Steven Bochco's Hill Street Blues would become the new blueprint for cop shows and it’s influenced countless modern series. Hill Street Blues’ crime stories remain fulfilling and have barely aged, but it’s also staggering to see how so many of the same problems are still going on.
4 Aren’t As Good: Fargo’s Weakest Seasons Tie Down Its Best Material
It’s always a tricky prospect to extend a series beyond its natural shelf life. Noah Hawley has done incredible work with how he’s adapted the Coen Brothers’ classic, Fargo, into a crime-based anthology series. Fargo’s first two seasons are its strongest, but the fourth season is a larger misfire. Fargo’s creative approach to anthology storytelling and how it makes subtle connections to previous seasons is satisfying for dedicated fans. Fargo has grown clumsier each season and has less to say.
3 Still Holds Up: Justified Ends On Its Own Terms And Never Sacrifices Story
Developed by Graham Yost, Justified is excellent police procedural storytelling. Justified builds a rich world through the residents and criminal enterprises within Harlan County, which are endlessly compelling.
Timothy Olyphant and his rugged bravado are perfect casting as U.S. Marshal, Raylan Givens. Justified switches between episodic stories and larger pieces of serialization, but it never stretches out what it has to say. Justified makes sure that it ends before the quality gets a chance to decline.
2 Aren’t As Good: Sherlock Becomes A Clunky Parody Of Itself
British television series often have the luxury of shorter seasons that allow for tighter storytelling, but it's not always without its flaws. Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss' reimagining of Sir Arthur Conan Coyle's Sherlock Holmes was a huge hit upon its release, and helped to make Benedict Cumberbatch a star.
Sherlock begins as a strong take on the iconic detective, but its third and fourth seasons are especially sloppy and never reclaim the original seasons' magic. Sherlock could have remained a classic if it let less be more, but it had to keep tempting fate.
1 Still Holds Up: Homicide: Life On The Street Exposes Rampant Crime In Baltimore
David Simon has become a prolific name in television with series like The Wire, Treme, and The Deuce. Simon's big start was on Homicide: Life On The Street, which pulls from his own novel that meticulously depicts crime in Baltimore. Homicide ran for seven seasons, plus a move, and it's very much the progenitor to The Wire. Homicide digs into deep character drama with layered figures and devastating stories that felt genuinely groundbreaking. Homicide is still a masterpiece of television.