10 Best Detective Shows to Watch on Amazon Prime Right Now
Fall is a great time to sit back and watch a good detective series. We are thrown into the world of criminals and detective work as they try to solve crimes despite the challenges they face. These shows are thrilling, dark, and entertaining.
Here are the 10 best detective shows to watch on Amazon Prime Video right now.
The Fall
- Genre: Crime drama, psychological thriller
- Stars: Gillian Anderson, Jamie Dornan, John Lynch
- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 17
- Runtime: 60–90 minutes per episode
- Creator: Allan Cubitt
- Release date: 2013
Prepare for a gritty and dark TV series set in Northern Ireland. The Fall stars Fifty Shades of Grey star Jamie Dornan, who plays the chaotic serial killer Paul Spector. He thinks he is getting away with killing women across the city of Belfast, but his days of committing crimes are soon cut short when Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson) is on his trail. This is a heart-pounding and gripping show consisting of three seasons.
Bosch
- Genre: Crime drama, police procedural
- Stars: Titus Welliver, Jamie Hector, Amy Aquino, Lance Reddick
- Seasons: 7
- Episodes: 68
- Runtime: 39–80 minutes
- Creators: Michael Connelly; developed for television by Eric Overmyer
- Release date: 2014
Bosch is an easily bingeable series that sees investigations hooking you to your seat. Spanning from 2014 to 2021, each season takes a look at new cases, with Harry Bosch taking the lead. He is an old-school LAPD homicide detective who doesn’t let cases go. We get to see his development across multiple seasons.
Reacher
- Genre: Action, crime, detective, thriller, drama
- Stars: Alan Ritchson, Malcolm Goodwin, Willa Fitzgerald, Maria Sten
- Seasons: 4
- Episodes: 32
- Runtime: 42–56 minutes
- Creator: Nick Santora
- Release date: 2022
This TV series is full of action and crime and is based on the Jack Reacher novel series by Lee Child. In Reacher, we follow a former US Army military police officer, Jack Reacher, who comes across dangerous criminals during his travels and deals with them. The show stars Alan Ritchson as the title character.
Vera
- Genre: Crime drama, mystery
- Stars: Brenda Blethyn, David Leon, Kenny Doughty, Jon Morrison
- Seasons: 14
- Episodes: 56
- Runtime: 90–120 minutes per episode
- Creator: Ann Cleeves
- Release date: 2011
Vera is a popular British detective series that has been airing on screens since 2011. If you love slow-burn, traditional British detective mysteries, this one is for you. It is helmed by Brenda Blethyn, who plays DCI Vera Stanhope as she investigates murders across Northumberland.
Shetland
- Genre: Crime drama, mystery
- Stars: Douglas Henshall, Alison O’Donnell, Ashley Jensen, Steven Robertson
- Seasons: 11
- Episodes: 56
- Runtime: 57 minutes
- Creator: Ann Cleeves
- Release date: 2013
Shetland is a fan-favourite crime drama set in the Scottish islands. The series stars Douglas Henshall as DI Jimmy Pérez, with Ashley Jensen later taking over the lead role as DI Ruth Calder. The show follows the detectives as they investigate a range of complicated murders and crimes across Shetland.
Luther
- Genre: Crime drama, police procedural, psychological thriller
- Stars: Idris Elba, Ruth Wilson, Dermot Crowley, Warren Brown
- Seasons: 5
- Episodes: 20
- Runtime: 51–63 minutes
- Creator: Neil Cross
- Release date: 2010
Idris Elba is probably best known for starring as John Luther in this British show. He plays a clever but psychologically troubled detective. Luther is dedicated to his work, but his obsession is often his downfall. The story is interesting not only because of the storyline, but also because of his character.
Poirot
- Genre: Crime drama, mystery, detective
- Stars: David Suchet, Hugh Fraser, Pauline Moran, Philip Jackson
- Seasons: 13
- Episodes: 70
- Runtime: 50–102 minutes per episode
- Creator: Agatha Christie (based on her Hercule Poirot stories)
- Release date: 1989
Agatha Christie’s Poirot is such a classic detective series. It’s an oldie but a goodie, spanning from the 1980s to the 2000s and revolving around the fictional private investigator Hercule Poirot. David Suchet stars as the title character. It consists of 13 seasons and 70 episodes.
Midsomer Murders
- Genre: Crime drama, mystery, detective
- Stars: Neil Dudgeon, John Nettles, Nick Hendrix, Jane Wymark, Fiona Dolman
- Seasons: 25
- Episodes: 144
- Runtime: 90–102 minutes per episode
- Creators: Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson, based on Caroline Graham’s novels
- Release date: 1997
Midsomer Murders is a classic British detective series created by author Anthony Horowitz. It follows senior police detectives as they investigate a series of murders across the fictional English county of Midsomer. The show is a mix of traditional mysteries, dark humour, and less intense moments.
Cross
- Genre: Crime thriller, mystery, drama
- Stars: Aldis Hodge, Isaiah Mustafa, Juanita Jennings, Alona Tal
- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 16
- Runtime: 50–62 minutes per episode
- Creator: Ben Watkins
- Release date: 2024
Cross follows Alex Cross, a brilliant Washington, D.C. homicide detective and forensic psychologist who uses his understanding of criminal psychology to hunt dangerous killers while trying to protect his family from threats connected to his work and past.
Silent Witness
- Genre: Crime drama, forensic mystery, police procedural
- Stars: Emilia Fox, David Caves, William Gaminara, Tom Ward, Amanda Burton
- Seasons: 29
- Episodes: 300+
- Runtime: 60 minutes per episode
- Creator: Nigel McCrery
- Release date: 1996
Silent Witness is a show that looks into crimes once they have been committed, focusing on the forensic investigation that follows. In this series, we watch as exceptional forensic pathologists investigate cases and uncover the truth behind them. Set in Nottingham, this programme has aired for 29 seasons over the years.
