Crime showscan often be a pitfall for their casts. Some actors try to play tough by acting erratically, while others give performances that are way too understated to make sense within the show’s landscape. This can result in a show with cringe-worthy performances or feel like the plot is too heavy for its protagonists; finding a golden middle is much harder than expected within the genre.
Of course, some crime shows are just briliant, andthe actors in them know it and enjoy it. These are often shows that don’t go unnoticed, but rather stand out from the sea of criminal attempts (pun intended), and their casts become appreciated for their contributions. These are the 10 best crime shows with great acting, and acting that doesn’t make us feel like we’re watching an attempt, but a feat.
10’This City Is Ours' (2025–)
It may be unusual to include a very new show in this, butThis City Is Oursis one of the best new crime shows with fun twists and stunning performances. ThoughSean Beanis arguably the most famous name on the roster,James Nelson-Joyce, a familiar face, leads the series in a standout acting performance, showing he’s got brilliant leading man chops. His Scouse accent may be the least interesting thing about him inThis City Is Ours, though it’s fascinating to hear his Liverpudlian roots in his low voice.
This City Is Oursis set in Liverpool and follows the crime boss Ronnie Phelan (Bean), who’s looking to retire. This triggers a domination tug-of-war between Ronnie’s son Jamie (Jack McMullen) and his right hand man, Michael (Nelson-Joyce). Michael, however,has a girlfriend who sparks his motivation to leave the life of crime, and he’s torn between deciding what to do in business and how to balance it with this romance. Nelson-Joyce and Bean have great and very natural rapport and chemistry—which may be an unexpected dynamic to praise since Nelson-Joyce’s character does have a romantic interest. The performances are brilliant andelevate a somewhat typical crime dramaplot.
9’Dark Winds’ (2022–)
Dark Windsis a highly underrated series, and it features a predominantly Native American cast.Zahn McClarnonleads this adaptation ofTony Hillerman’sLeaphorn and Cheenovels, and though the feelings on the adaptation part are mixed,the show was generallypraised for its great storytellingand performances.Dark Windsis set in the 1960s and 70s in the American Southwest, following the cases and investigations of police officers in the Navajo Division of Public Safety.
Everyone in the show is good, butMcClarnon successfully manages to carry the series on his talented shoulders.He is boosted by his castmates, out of whichJessica Mattenstands outas Bernadette Manuelito, a self-sufficient and keen investigator;Kiowa Gordontakes some time to warm up as Jim Chee, but later embodies the character confidently and with some rebellious charm.Dark Windsincludes a lot of Navajo culture and customs, and the Navajo Tribal Police members often do things in lieu of their tradition. It’s a fun crime show that borders with psychological thrillers at times, and there have been three seasons so far.
8’Broadchurch' (2013–2017)
David TennantandOlivia Colmanare two of the biggest acting powerhouses in the UK, have been for a long time and still are. Tennant is mostly known for hisDoctor Whorun outside Britain, while Colman became more globally prominent after winning the Best Actress Oscar in 2018 forThe Favourite. Both actors have had long and fruitful careers, andBroadchurchis among their most famous and powerful works. This intense crime drama is one of the best you’ll ever see, and not just for Tennant and Colman; everyone in the show is brilliant, and the writing is tight.
Broadchurchfollows detectives Hardy and Miller (Tennant and Colman, respectively), who go to a small coastal town of Broadchurch to solve a gruesome crime.A child is found dead, and the entire community is shaken up; the show depicts the townfolk, especially the child’s parents, unraveling amid the tragedy. While the mystery is tough to handle for both the viewers and the detectives solving it, the acting in the show makes all the heaviness feel worthwhile somehow.Broadchurchis an incredible piece of television, brilliantly acted, and incredibly powerful.
7’Fargo' (2014–2024)
WhenNoah Hawleycreated and wroteFargo, people were skeptical of his television adaptation of aCoen Brotherscult classic; but,the show became a huge success, drawing inspiration from the movie and adding more layers and iconic characters to it.The show went on for five seasons and functioned as an anthology, meaning each season is a self-contained story.Fargo’s growing success and iconic status helped it gather a talented cast in each season, but its writing and script helped those actorsget the most out of their roles.
FargoSeason 1 is set in the same universe as the movie, following Minnesotan insurance salesman Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman); Season 2 is set in the 1970s and follows the Gerhardt crime family; Season 3 follows twin brothers Ray and Emmit Stussy (both played byEwan McGregor); Season 4 follows the conflict between the Black and Irish mafia in the 1950s Kansas City; and Season 5 circles back to the movie with the kidnapping of a Minnesotan housewife, Dorothy Lyon (Juno Temple).The standout performance in each season is different, though everyone does a great job. Still,Billy Bob Thornton(S1),Kirsten Dunst(S2), McGregor (S3),Jessie Buckley(S4), and Temple (S5) are the heroes of their seasons and deliver amazing performances.
6’Boardwalk Empire' (2010–2014)
Boardwalk Empireis a brilliant ensemble series that is based on real-life personalities who were prominent inAmerica during the 1920sand 30s Prohibition Era.Portraying people who were once alive and breathing is probably pretty stressful, as there’s less leeway to give them their own background stories and hidden motives; still, the cast, led bySteve Buscemi, manages well with the material that was exceptionally written for all of them.
Buscemi plays Enoch Thompson, based on Enoch Johnson, a political figure prominent in Atlantic City who moonlighted as a bootlegger during Prohibition.He interacts with various figures in the political and criminal landscape, including Arnold Rothstein (Michael Stuhlbarg), Lucky Luciano (Vincent Piazza), and Al Capone (Stephen Graham). Their relationships, dynamics, and businesses are all uncovered over the course of the series, following historical events and their biographies. Theshow intertwines real eventswith fiction and fictional characters, who are all intense and beautiful in their own way. Keeping up with everyone will, by the end of the series, feel like you’ve just been a part of the bootlegging business yourself, which is the greatest testament toBoardwalk Empire’s actors and writing.
5’Oz' (1997–2003)
The firstHBOone-hour drama that pulled all the stops and decided to be bold, brash, loud, violent, and extreme wasOz. This risk,calculated but massive at the time, paid off for HBO andOzbecame a cult classic show that inspired many prison-based dramas later. A show that takes place in one setting,and a prison at that, may not be able to captivate an audience for long, butOzdoes so throughout its entire run, and specifically because of the performances.
Though it has a male-dominated cast,Ozis some of its actors' best work, especially forChristopher MeloniandJ.K. Simmons. This was alsoHarold Perrineau’s breakout television role, and his character, Augustus Hill, serves as the show’s narrator and moral compass.Ozis set in an experimental unit in Oswald State Correctional Facility, aka Oz, where the warden tries to rehabilitate the prisoners rather than use punitive methods. In the unit,the prisoners are divided into groups, and the show portrays their dynamicsand relationships. The performances are haunting and mesmerizing, andOzis a tough watch, but a great one if you’re able to handle it.
4’Homicide: Life On the Street' (1993–1999)
Another underrated classic isHomicide: Life On the Street, which was based onDavid Simon’s investigative journalism book,Homicide: A Year On the Killing Streets. The show was a springboard for numerous actors, most notablyAndre Braugher, who won an Emmy for his portrayal of Detective Frank Pembleton. The show is worth watching for Braugher’s powerful, nuanced, and anchoring performance, although the concept, writing, directing, and every other performance are incredible.
Homicideis a gripping and often difficult series, which requires its cast to deliver hard and complex roles. One of the more nuanced performances comes fromKyle Secoras Detective Bayliss, who carries intense trauma;all the detectives in the show were based on real-life detectives Simon wrote aboutin his book, and Bayliss' real-life counterpart wasn’t too happy with his depiction. Overall,Homicideis a gripping police procedural with monumental weight and significance, and it would be a shame not to have seen it at least once.
ThoughBryan Cranstonis oftenpraised for his outstanding performanceas Walter White inBreaking Bad, the rest of the ensemble is pretty great, too.Aaron Paulhits all the marks as the tormented drug addict, Jesse, whileAnna Gunndelivers a powerful, often hated, role of Skyler White, Walter White’s patient, intelligent, and unraveling wife.Breaking Badhassome of the most groundbreaking characters and acting performances of its time, and it completely lives up to the hype everyone puts it through.
Breaking Badis about a high school chemistry teacher, Walter White, who learns he has cancer. He plans to make more money on the side to leave to his wife and kids after death, and ingeniously plans to make crystal meth with his former student, Jesse Pinkman.White pretty unknowingly creates a powerful drug empireand becomes one of the most revered criminal bosses of New Mexico; this transformation is signaled throughout Cranston’s portrayal, from the very first episode to the gloomy finale.Breaking Badis one of the showsyou should watch at least once, a staple of modern television and an incredible feat of filmmaking.
2’The Sopranos' (1999–2007)
Of course, another crime show list would be incomplete withoutThe Sopranos, but was there really any doubt it’d find its place here?The Sopranosis simplyone of the greatest shows ever made: a staple, a must-watch, and a defining moment in historythat many people justifiably stand behind as the G.O.A.T. series. While the writing, the context of the entire premise, and the storytelling are what makesThe Sopranosstand out, its performances are perhaps not talked about enough (they are, but still).
The Sopranosis another ensemble series, but it focuses heavily on Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), the boss of the Soprano crime family. He juggles work, family, and his own mental health—for which he sees a psychiatrist—trying to be all things for all people. However,even if Gandolfini plays the protagonist,the rest of the castdelivers incredible stuff, too.Drea Di Matteoespecially shines in her breakthrough role as Adriana, whose troubles manifest through her behavior and physical condition; there is alsoEdie Falcoas Tony’s wife, Carmela, who constantly has to suppress and swallow her dissatisfaction with Tony’s choices and infidelity. Overall, the ensemble makes a powerfulstatement in every episode, delivering some of the mostamazing moments in TV history.
1’The Wire' (2002–2008)
Thegreatest ensemble series of all timeis undoubtedlyThe Wire, which is another work penned by David Simon. However, this time, Simon wrote the series himself, cooperating with Ed Burns, whom he met while shadowing Baltimore PD detectives for his book. Burns' partner was the inspiration for Frank Pembleton; Burns himself influenced Simon’s writing forThe Wire, andthey ensured there was enough realism in it to make it interesting and powerful. This, however, also makes it overwhelming sometimes.The Wirecan get too real too fast sometimes, and the ensemble cast that leads it delivers on that promise flawlessly.
Whether it’sIdris Elba, Dominic West, or the biggest standouts of the series,Andre RojoandMichael Kenneth Williams, everyone inThe Wirehas an important role.Each character is integral to understanding the ecosystem of crime and law,and even non-actor cameos turn out to be important.The Wiredepicts crime-busting organizations like the police, prosecutors, and judges, but it also uncovers the dynamics of organized crime. The ensemble has incredible chemistry and the actors feel like they know themselves well enough to give the show standout performances.
