Thrilling Detective Shows to Watch if You Loved ‘Cross’
“Cross” might be over, but that doesn’t mean you have to move on from gritty cop procedurals. TheWrap has eight titles for you to watch if you loved Prime Video’s thrilling drama.
If not for the groundbreaking police drama pioneer “Dragnet,” where would the genre be? “Cross” is the latest addition to the category, serving viewers with just as much action, drama, villainy and twisty mystery. Whether its a detective, a forensic scientist or an everyday cop on the job, there’s something exciting about the life of an officer that TV watchers just can’t get enough of.
Here are eight shows that will feed your crime thriller taste buds until “Cross” returns for Season 2.
‘Bosch’
Amazon kicked off its trend of successful detective shows with “Bosch,” an adaptation of the Michael Connelly book series that got the moniker “Dad TV.” But you’ll find that “Bosch” is more than just a stubborn detective solving cases. Titus Welliver’s titular LAPD detective wrestles with crossing the line as the show touches on policing and corruption in Los Angeles. But yes, it’s also a mystery-filled series with season-long storylines that twist and turn as Harry Bosch works to crack the case. — Adam Chitwood
Where to watch: Prime Video
“Luther”
Like Aldis Hodge’s Alex Cross, Idris Elba’s Luther is a compassionate and highly intelligent detective who sometimes is ruled by his emotions. As Luther works to crack murder cases, he struggles to navigate and accept how dark humanity can truly be. Nevertheless, he takes on his targets, often finding himself in a psychological battle with some of the most demented yet brilliant minds, and that’s all while juggling his personal life. — Raquel Harris
Where to watch: Pluto TV, Hulu, The Roku Channel, YouTube, Fandango at Home, Britbox, Disney+, Prime Video and Apple TV
“Reacher”
James Patterson has Alex Cross and Lee Child has Jack Reacher. “Reacher” is the second adaptation of Child’s books – Tom Cruise starred in two movie adaptations – and it stars Alan Ritchson as the hulking former U.S. military major who lives as a drifter, moving from town to town and answering the call when people need him. This show’s more action-oriented than “Cross,” but still has crackling mysteries and season-long arcs that hit the sweet spot. — Adam Chitwood
Where to watch: Prime Video
“True Detective”
While “Cross” is mainly focused on one detective, “True Detective,” follows a group of detectives as they pursue criminals in sometimes unorthodox ways. A plus is that it’s an anthology series, so viewers are introduced to an entirely new set of characters and fresh storylines every season. — Raquel Harris
Where to watch: Max
“Jack Ryan”
Yet another adaptation of a popular book series hero, John Krasinski’s “Jack Ryan” is a global espionage thriller show that follows in the footsteps of prior portrayals from the likes of Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck. Each episode of “Jack Ryan” is something of a mini-movie and the show is more of a spy series than a detective story as it follows Krasinski’s CIA analyst constantly out of his depth. And there’s a movie on the way! — Adam Chitwood
Where to watch: Prime Video
“Criminal Minds”
“Criminal Minds” is one of the longest running cop procedurals and it’s gone on to have two spinoffs, “Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior” and “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.” Like Alex Cross, each member of the “mind hunter” team is fully equipped with investigative and psychology-based skills that help them dig into the minds of the most tactical criminals, while bringing their own unique qualities to the group. — Raquel Harris
Where to watch: Paramount+, Hulu
“Mindhunter”
If the serial killer aspect of “Cross” piqued your interest, “Mindhunter” should be high-up on your watchlist. The Netflix series from “Seven” and “Zodiac” filmmaker David Fincher chronicles the earliest days of the FBI’s criminal profiling unit, following the team that assembled in the 1970s to start using psychology to catch serial killers. Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany play the two central figures who travel the country to interview captured killers like Charlie Manson and Ed Kemper to get a better sense of what makes these killers tick. The show only lasted two seasons, but all 19 episodes make for a meaty, thrilling and truly terrifying binge-watch. — Adam Chitwood
Where to watch: Netflix
“The Blacklist”
Watch “The Blacklist,” because one, its lead is James Spader, and two because you’ll get a little bit of “Cross” while watching because Ryan Eggold — who played Ed Ramsey in “Cross” —is one of the show’s stars. “The Blacklist” centers on a government agent named Raymond “Red” Reddington, who’s one of the world’s most wanted fugitives. However, he teams up with the FBI to help the organization crack down a “blacklist” of the globe’s biggest threats. His only request is that he’s able to work with a profiler named Liz, who he helps learn the mind of a criminal. — Raquel Harris
Where to watch: Netflix
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