Our 25 favorite crime shows of all time

HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” began with an $18 million Martin Scorsese-directed pilot and ended five short seasons later with 57 Emmy Award nominations and 20 wins. Star Steve Buscemi shined as Nucky Thompson, the powerful and corrupt Atlantic City politician who became an increasingly ruthless gangster with each passing episode.

Many TV fans would claim that not only is Vince Gilligan’s “Breaking Bad” the best crime show ever, it’s also the best show period. The 16-time Emmy winner not only propelled sitcom regular Bryan Cranston to superstar status, but he, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Giancarlo Esposito, Bob Odenkirk, and numerous other actors crafted characters we loved, hated, and loved to hate in cliffhanger after cliffhanger for five entirely-too-short seasons. When 21st century citizens talk about binge-watching, “Breaking Bad” is often the first series mentioned.

Columbo (Peter Falk) didn’t look much like a skilled detective with his rumpled raincoat, ever-present cigar, and countless absentminded idiosyncrasies, but he always got his man thanks to a keen eye (no slight intended), dedicated approach, and extremely high intelligence. In addition to providing entertainment, “Columbo” also popularized the inverted detective story - also known as the “howcatchem” -  where the crime and perpetrator are shown at the beginning, and the remainder of the episode focuses on how they are tracked down and apprehended.

Can you believe “Criminal Minds” has been on the air for 12 seasons? Times flies when you’re having fun, I suppose. Not that police procedural crime dramas are a ball, but Thomas Gibson, Shemar Moore, Matthew Gray Gubler, A. J. Cook, and Kirsten Vangsness have sure made for an entertaining dozen years. And look out, because Season 13 will premiere on Sept. 27!

Like another later entry in this list, we chose to group all of the CSIs (the original, Miami, NY, and Cyber) into one slide. Of course, the original - which aired on CBS for 15 seasons beginning in 2000 - is the best, but all four deserve recognition for being part of the same family. They also deserve credit for single-handedly bringing the field of forensics into the mainstream.

Sure, “Dexter” got us all to empathize with a serial killer (something the Parents Television Council took exception to), but hey, his victims generally had it coming - as per the code Dexter lived by. Plus, we were mostly in it for Michael C. Hall’s excellent acting, emotionless demeanor, and deadpan delivery - and maybe a bit of sadism.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to see is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.” That, plus the familiar four-note brass and tympani theme music, is how each of the 276 episodes of the ‘50s crime drama “Dragnet” began, which was followed by Sgt. Joe Friday (played by Jack Webb, who also created the show and its previous radio version) and Officer Frank Smith (Ben Alexander) tracking down that week’s bad guy. “Dragnet” is also the origin of the phrase, “Just the facts, ma’am,” even though Sgt. Friday never actually used this exact wording.

Few critics and film buffs thought a TV adaptation of the Coen Brothers classic “Fargo” would work, but here we are, three seasons later, with a bonafide hit on our hands. Credit for that goes to big-name actors like Billy Bob Thornton, Allison Tolman, Colin Hanks, Martin Freeman, Patrick Wilson, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Ted Danson, and Ewan McGregor, as well as a whole lot of fantastic writing.

“Hill Street Blues” actually holds the record for most Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series with four, which it shares with fellow top-rated shows “Mad Men,” “L.A. Law,” and “The West Wing.” In all, “Hill Street Blues” amassed 18 wins out of 74 nominations - and that doesn’t even include the Creative Arts Emmys! Not bad for a police drama that only aired 146 episodes.

Andre Braugher, Richard Belzer, Daniel Baldwin, Melissa Leo, and Ned Beatty all starred on “Homicide: Life on the Street” at various times between 1993 and 1999, and that’s just a sample of the stellar cast. Although many younger TV fans don’t realize it, “Homicide” and its gritty, realistic style actually paved the way for countless police dramas.

James Avery, Kathy Bates, Don Cheadle, Bryan Cranston, Buddy Hackett, Lucy Liu, William H. Macy, Stephen Root, David Schwimmer, Christian Slater, Kevin Spacey, and Jeffrey Tambor all appeared on “L.A. Law” at some point. The NBC legal drama deserves a spot on this list for that fact alone. It also won 15 Emmys in eight seasons.

Dun-Dun. On September 13, 1990, the world changed forever when Dick Wolf introduced “Law & Order,” which would not only become one of the most popular cop shows in history, but it would spawn numerous successful spin-offs, including “Special Victims Unit,” “Criminal Intent,” “Trial by Jury,” “LA,” and “Animal Control.” Okay, we made that last one up, but who knows, it could be a hit if the L&O name is attached… especially if the actors are anywhere near as popular and talented as Jerry Orbach, Sam Waterston, Christopher Meloni, Mariska Hargitay, or any of the other major cast members.

It doesn’t matter how many films or TV shows Tom Selleck appears in - past or present - he’ll always be Thomas Magnum to us. Eight seasons and 163 episodes tends to have that effect, especially when Selleck is rocking that sweet, sweet ‘stache.

If we were on trial, we’d absolutely hire Ben Matlock (Andy Griffith) to defend us. Come on, in 195 episodes, the guy barely ever lost! Not that we’d ever commit a serious crime, especially one as heinous as leaving “Matlock” off this list.

T-shirts under pastel-colored suits, no socks, and rolled-up sleeves may scream ‘80s to many people, but most of that credit actually goes to “Miami Vice.” After all, the NBC drama aired for five seasons between 1984 and 1989, and is routinely ranked among the best TV shows of the 20th century. We’re sure stars Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas would concur.

Adrian Monk’s OCD and ridiculous phobias cost him his job as a homicide detective, but he sure made a good consultant for eight seasons and 125 episodes on USA Network’s “Monk.” In fact, until the record was broken by “The Walking Dead,” the series finale of “Monk” held the record for the most-watched scripted drama episode on cable television from 2009 through 2012.

There are two types of people in this world: people who watch “NCIS,” and people whose parents watch “NCIS.” Believe it or not, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service series has already notched 14 seasons and 380 episodes, with Season 15 set to air on Sept. 26. (It also spawned two spinoffs.) As long as Mark Harmon and Pauley Perrette are still part of the picture, “NCIS” could easily go on for another 15 years.

Oddly, only one character appeared as a regular on “NYPD Blue” for all 12 seasons - but that character was Andy Sipowicz, arguably the best cop in the history of TV. Not only did he put a countless number of perps in prison, but he knew how to rock a short-sleeve shirt and tie better than anyone else. And if you don’t think he looked good in that combo, at least it was better than seeing his bare rear in the 1994 episode “The Final Adjustment.”

British shows don’t often have a lot of success at the Emmys, but that hasn’t stopped BBC’s “Sherlock” from racking up 39 nominations in just four seasons - including four pending nods at this year’s ceremony. So far it has nine wins, including one each for A-list stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.

For the short amount of time NBC’s “The Blacklist” has been on the air (four seasons and counting), it’s shocking how many people are crazy for the show. James Spader stars as Raymond Reddington, a former criminal mastermind who was granted immunity from prosecution under the stipulation that he turns over a lengthy list of the world’s most dangerous criminals. If you need something to binge, start with these 89 episodes - but act fast, the new season starts on Sept. 27, 2017.

FX’s “The Shield” won two Golden Globes and an Emmy in its seven-season, 88-episode run, and if anything, that’s actually surprisingly low. The show centering on police corruption received critical acclaim throughout its run, and much of that was thanks to A-list actors like Michael Chiklis and Glenn Close, as well as appearances by Forrest Whitaker.

You think there’s a better show about mobsters than “The Sopranos?” Fuhgeddaboudit! Decades after films like “The Godfather” popularized the mafia genre, “The Sopranos” made it cool (and disturbing) again thanks to outstanding performances by James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, Tony Sirico, and the rest of the wiseguys and wisegals. At least until they got whacked, that is.

“The X-Files” might be one of the most unique shows in the crime drama genre, mostly because no other series feature extraterrestrials, an inbred family of killers, a mysterious cigarette-smoking man, and David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in the lead roles - among other notable aspects. Raise your hand if you were excited about the show’s return last year. (Note: We have our hands raised.)

If someone ever tells you that “Breaking Bad” isn’t the best TV show in history, it’s probably because they’re holding a candle for “The Wire.” The Baltimore-based HBO series aired for five short seasons between 2002 and 2008, and received little-to-no love from award shows during that time. Despite being almost universally acclaimed by critics and fans alike, “The Wire” won no Emmys and no Golden Globes during its run, and only amassed average Nielsen ratings.

“Twin Peaks” might be one the most unconventional show in this list. Sure, it revolved around a murder mystery, but the show was also quirky, supernatural, melodramatic, and even campy - all at the same time. Although “Twin Peaks” only aired for three seasons, it managed to amass 18 Primetime Emmy nominations (with two wins) and four Golden Globes nods (with three wins). The series was recently revived, with Mark Frost and David Lynch once again handling the writing, and Kyle MacLachlan once again appearing in the lead role. Grab some coffee and cherry pie with us as we see how it all unfolds...