20 TV detectives who always solve the case

Is there any TV detective more equipped to solve a mystery than Sherlock Holmes? He’s the standard, and for good reason. He’s got a sidekick in Dr. Watson to help, only making him more impactful. 

The Good Wife’s resident star Kalinda Sharma is always sleuthing, finding information that others seem to miss, ultimately aiding in the firm’s case. There’s nothing a client can do that can stay hidden from Kalinda. 

Some of Jake Peralta’s methods for solving a case are unconventional, but they’re effective. He’s also always having fun doing his job, and his love for detective work is infectious. 

It may take some time and be frowned upon by the police, but you can count on Mabel, Oliver, and Charles to solve the case … just as long as the case involves murder and the murder took place inside their apartment building. 

Sure, the crimes plaguing Crystal Cove are a little juvenile, and the perpetrators are often a very obvious suspect in a bad disguise, but that doesn’t make Mystery Inc.’s work any less important. What other group of teenagers and a dog would you want solving mysteries? 

Not everything that Fox Mulder and Dana Scully investigate is real, but in a way that makes them better detectives. If a detective team can solve a case rooted in fantasy, there’s nothing they can’t figure out. 

Lennie Briscoe was good at solving crimes, and he was entertaining while doing it. Law & Order could’ve revolved around just him, and the show would’ve been just as compelling. 

Aside from missing many signs that his best friend was a cannibal, Will Graham is a great detective. As long as you’re not in his inner circle, he’ll do a great job of sniffing you out. 

Part of the reason Frank Pembelton was so good at his job is that he was based on a real-life detective. It would’ve been really fun to put Pembelton’s inspiration in an episode of Homicide: Life on the Street a la Murderville to see if he could solve fake crimes, too. 

Sonny and Rico are fantastic at solving cases, and, more importantly, they look super fly doing it. If being well-dressed is an important quality to you in a detective, there’s no team you’d rather have working for you than Miami Vice’s Sonny and Rico. 

Is there anything more soothing than seeing Angela Lansbury holding a flashlight? Jessica Fletcher might be the best TV detective of all time, making everyone around her look almost as if they’re completely useless at their job. An icon if there ever were one. 

Some of Luther’s choices are questionable, but he’s always compelling to watch. Sometimes, he’s more compelling when he’s making questionable choices. It doesn’t hurt that he’s played by the icon that is Idris Elba. 

Shawn and Gus are a very unique duo. Independently, they probably wouldn’t get much done, but together, they’re unstoppable. 

People tuned in for years to watch Tom Selleck solve crimes in Hawaii. Thomas Magnum’s work as a private investigator was thrilling to watch, and it was made even more exciting by its tropical backdrop. 

Some might question just how effective a little neuroticism is in a detective, but those people haven’t watched Adrian Monk get to work. Though plagued by some legitimate issues, he uses them to his advantage.

There’s something oddly compelling about a teen detective, and Veronica Mars is one of the few shows where, in retrospect, the work still holds up. Veronica may have been young, but she knew exactly what she was doing. 

Dale Cooper is the definition of trusting the process. He’s always ending up in some strange place, but he lets it happen, knowing everything’s going to end up just fine. He’s a man you want on the case. 

Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler are one of the most iconic duos of all time. They worked well together for decades, proving that justice can be served when the greatest minds collaborate. 

Speaking of iconic duos, Christine Cagney and Beth Lacey were two of the best in the game. They were skilled detectives who also proved that women are just as capable of solving crimes as men. 

A relatively new TV detective with very unconventional methods, Charlie Cale uses her greatest talent — being a human lie detector — to her advantage. She can’t shut off her lie-detecting skills, so she puts them to good use by solving the crimes she stumbles into all over the country.