Police shows are some of the most common on TV. People are endlessly fascinated by watching fictional cops, detectives, or law enforcement agents solve cases. It’s why the true crime genre is so popular. People want to see if they can figure out a case before the people in a movie, on a show, or on a podcast can. It’s also one of the reasons why series like Only Murders in the Building are successful, as that series focuses on three amateur sleuths solving crimes.
Some of the longest-running series on TV are police shows, with NCIS and Law & Order coming to mind. These shows carry weight and have legacies of their own. They also have upwards of 20 seasons under their belts. If you don’t have time to invest in a series with that much of a time commitment and want to watch something similar in style, there are plenty of options for you to choose from.
Here are 10 great police shows that only lasted for a season or two.
‘Boomtown’ (2002 – 2003)
Prior to the biggest role of his career on Blue Bloods, Donnie Wahlberg was the star of Boomtown on NBC in 2002 and 2003. The series was created by Graham Yost and focused on a crime each week, and all of the people that it affected. This included cops working for the LAPD, lawyers for the LA District Attorney’s office, as well as paramedics, reporters, and even the criminals themselves. Boomtown, being a nickname for the city, was wrapped up in the Los Angeles crime scene, and the police procedural earned a lot of respect from critics.
‘Detroit 1-8-7’ (2010 – 2011)
Michael Imperioli’s career after The Sopranos featured him playing detectives or police officers in multiple series and movies. He was cast in Life on Mars, Law & Order, The Lovely Bones, and Detroit 1-8-7 in the years shortly after the iconic series ended. The latter series was a promising one that featured his character, Louis Fitch, as a homicide detective in Detroit. He had come from New York and transferred to Detroit to avoid the mafia, who he had been investigating in his previous role.
The police procedural focused on the city of Detroit and what made it unique. It costars Aisha Hinds, Natalie Martinez, Jon Michael Hill, Shaun Majumder, D.J. Cotrona, James McDaniel, and Erin Cummings. Imperioli’s Fitch is a mysterious character who only reveals bits and pieces about his previous life to his coworkers, leading to them struggling to connect with him on things other than cases. The series was cancelled after one season.
‘Life’ (2007 – 2009)
Shortly before his breakout role in Homeland, Damian Lewis was Charlie Crews on Life, a crime drama on NBC. Life is about Crews being released from prison after a 12-year stint for a crime he didn’t commit. After being released from prison, he rejoins the LAPD and partners with Sarah Shahi’s character. Detective Crews brings a unique perspective to the cases and can see things others can’t, mostly because of the way his mind has obsessed over the murders he was framed for.
‘Prime Suspect’ (2011 – 2012)
It was always going to be hard to try and duplicate the award-winning British series, but Prime Suspect attempted to do so. It cast Maria Bello in the lead role, aiming to replicate the success Helen Mirren had in the original role. The series features Bello as an NYPD homicide detective who transfers into the unit and does things her own way. Her crass behavior rubs her colleagues the wrong way, but she is effective and highly skilled, leading to a solid success rate on her cases.
The series also features Kirk Acevedo, Brian F. O’Bryne, Peter Gerety, Tim Griffin, Aidan Quinn, and Damon Gupton. The series was created by Lydia La Plante and ran on NBC for one season. It was cancelled after a reshuffling of the lineup by NBC, which saw its ratings dip.
‘The Player’ (2015)
A bit of a different offering in premise than other police procedurals, but still an exciting crime drama, is The Player. It features Philip Winchester as a Las Vegas security expert whose ex-wife is murdered by unknown killers. In an effort to track down who killed her, he unknowingly enters into a deadly game as “the player” which is run by Wesley Snipes’ “the pit boss” and Charity Wakefield’s “the dealer.”
‘Standoff’ (2006 – 2007)
Created by Craig Silverstein, Standoff aired on FOX for one season. The series features Ron Livingston as Matt Flannery, a senior negotiator for the FBI in its LA office. The series focuses on Livingston being a hostage negotiator and his relationship with his colleague, played by Rosemarie DeWitt. Gina Torres plays their supervisor, and Michael Cudlitz, Raquel Alessi, and Jose Pablo Cantillo also star.
Looking at the FBI Crisis Negotiating Unit was a unique pull for the series, as DeWitt and Livingston both featured good chemistry on the show. The two received top billing, and almost each storyline was intertwined between their work and their personal lives.
‘Blind Justice’ (2005)
A quirky premise is what drove Blind Justice. Steven Bochco, the creator of NYPD Blue, created the series in 2005, which stars Ron Eldard as Detective Jim Dunbar, a blind NYPD detective. Blind Justice slotted into the vacated spot of NYPD Blue, which had just finished its 12-season run on ABC. The series tells the story of how Dunbar and his partner were ambushed by a criminal, and a gunshot caused him to go blind. He sues the NYPD but is allowed to keep working, despite his injury.
‘Women’s Murder Club’ (2007 – 2008)
Based on the popular James Patterson novels, Women’s Murder Club aired on ABC from 2007 to 2008. It focuses on a group of four women, a homicide detective, an assistant district attorney, a newspaper reporter, and a medical examiner, who work cases together and use their respective skills to solve murders. The series takes place in San Francisco and features Angie Harmon as Inspector Lindsay Boxer, Laura Harris as Deputy District Attorney Jill Bernhardt, Paula Newsome as Dr. Claire Washburn, and Aubrey Dollar as Cindy Thomas.
Linda Park, Rob Estes, and Tyrees Allen also star in the series. The women all go about their daily lives at their respective jobs, but feel a sense of camaraderie anytime they are able to work together. It highlights female friendship in a unique way. Unfortunately, it was cancelled after one season due to low ratings.
‘Killer Women’ (2014)
Killer Women aired on ABC in 2014 and was executive produced by Sofia Vergara. The series focuses on Molly Parker (Tricia Helfer), who rises through the ranks to achieve the role of Texas Ranger. She was a former beauty queen and daughter of a sheriff who recently left her abusive husband, a State Senator. The series follows Parker as she tries to solve a new case in Texas each week.
‘The Evidence’ (2006)
Letting the evidence do the talking is what sets The Evidence apart from other shows. It gives a real taste to fans of true crime before the genre was really highlighted in podcasts and miniseries. Orlando Jones stars as a San Francisco Police Department inspector who aims to solve a new case each week. The series presents a voiceover narration of all the evidence for the case, helping audiences get into sleuth mode. Jones’ character is grief-stricken after the loss of his wife and wants to stop at nothing to catch the killers who murdered her.
The audience sees the evidence before the characters, with each episode having them discover a little more and try to piece it all together. Martin Landau stars as the medical examiner who helps Jones and his partner (Rob Estes). The show had a lot of promise and featured an intriguing hook and design. However, it was cancelled by ABC after one season
