Best Crime Dramas Ever — Yourlist

Best Crime Dramas Ever

a Yourlist ranking · the crowd decides the order

From mob epics to prestige TV crime sagas, which crime drama reigns supreme? Vote up your picks and see how the community ranks them.

What counts: Ranked by cultural impact, critical acclaim, and lasting influence on the genre; considers IMDb ratings, awards, and years on air. Figures like ratings and episode counts are approximate.

A sprawling, novelistic dissection of crime and institutions in Baltimore widely called the greatest TV drama ever made.
Years Aired/Released: Format: IMDb Rating: 9.3/10
added by IJRin 7 rankings
0
A chemistry teacher's descent into drug kingpin territory delivered one of TV's most gripping crime arcs.
Years Aired/Released: Format: IMDb Rating: 9.5/10
added by IJRin 5 rankings
0
The Sopranos
The mob drama that redefined prestige television through Tony Soprano's therapy sessions and violence.
Years Aired/Released: Format: IMDb Rating: 9.2/10
added by IJRin 6 rankings The Sopranos
0
The Breaking Bad prequel that became its own acclaimed slow-burn crime tragedy.
Years Aired/Released: Format: IMDb Rating: 8.9/10
added by IJRin 4 rankings
0
Scorsese's kinetic, voiceover-driven portrait of mob life from the inside made it an instant classic.
Years Aired/Released: 1990Format: IMDb Rating: 8.7/10
added by IJRin 4 rankings
0
The definitive crime saga, a cinematic masterpiece about the Corleone family's rise and moral decay.
Years Aired/Released: 1972Format: IMDb Rating: 9.2/10
added by IJRin 6 rankings
0
A relentlessly grim serial-killer thriller with one of cinema's most shocking endings.
Years Aired/Released: 1995Format: IMDb Rating: 8.6/10
added by IJRin 5 rankings
0
Fincher's meticulous, obsessive procedural about the hunt for a real serial killer.
Years Aired/Released: 2007Format: IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
added by IJR
0
Mindhunter
FBI agents pioneer criminal profiling by interviewing serial killers in this chilling procedural.
Years Aired/Released: Format: IMDb Rating: 8.6/10
added by IJRin 6 rankings Mindhunter
0
The rise and fall of Pablo Escobar told with docudrama intensity and Colombian scope.
Years Aired/Released: Format: IMDb Rating: 8.8/10
added by IJRin 4 rankings
0
A money launderer's family gets pulled deeper into cartel crime in the Missouri Ozarks.
Years Aired/Released: Format: IMDb Rating: 8.4/10
added by IJRin 3 rankings
0
Scorsese's Boston crime thriller of dueling moles won Best Picture and crackles with tension.
Years Aired/Released: 2006Format: IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
added by IJRin 5 rankings
0
A neo-noir web of corruption, murder, and Hollywood scandal in 1950s Los Angeles.
Years Aired/Released: 1997Format: IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
added by IJR
0
A stylish Birmingham gangster family clashes with rivals and the law in post-WWI England.
Years Aired/Released: Format: IMDb Rating: 8.8/10
added by IJRin 4 rankings
0
Season one's Rust and Marty investigation redefined atmospheric anthology crime storytelling.
Years Aired/Released: Format: IMDb Rating: 8.9/10
added by IJRin 5 rankings
0
A rare sequel that surpasses its predecessor, weaving dual timelines of power and corruption.
Years Aired/Released: 1974Format: IMDb Rating: 9/10
added by IJRin 7 rankings
0
Pulp Fiction
Tarantino's nonlinear crime anthology reshaped indie filmmaking and pop culture dialogue.
Years Aired/Released: 1994Format: IMDb Rating: 8.9/10
added by IJRin 6 rankings pulp fiction
0
The Coen brothers' dark comic crime tale spawned an equally acclaimed anthology series.
Years Aired/Released: Format: IMDb Rating: 8.7/10
added by IJRin 8 rankings
0
Mann's operatic cat-and-mouse between cop and thief, famous for the De Niro-Pacino diner scene.
Years Aired/Released: 1995Format: IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
added by IJRin 2 rankings
0
The true story of Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas and the detective determined to bring him down.
Years Aired/Released: 2007Format: IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
added by IJR
0