The Best Crime Dramas To Watch Now

Gangs of London, Series 1

When it dropped last autumn, Gangs of London became Sky’s most successful launch since Chernobyl. The series opens with the death of Finn Wallace (Colm Meaney), patriarch of the family that appears to run London’s criminal underworld. Having found a lucrative way to transform ill-gotten gains into respectable investments, the Wallaces are also players in the Square Mile. Finn’s killing by a no-mark traveller creates a major power vacuum. Flying in the face of friendly advice about maintaining business as usual, Finn’s son Sean (Peaky Blinders’ Joe Cole) puts the criminal network on lockdown until he can find out who ordered his father’s killing and avenge it. And there’s no shortage of suspects: Sean’s going to have to point the finger at – and thus further antagonise – Chinese, Kurdish, Pakistani and Albanian gangs. A stylish drama – with an ending that suggests a second series in on its way.

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ZeroZeroZero, Series 1

ZeroZeroZero is based on a book by Roberto Saviano, who has been living with police protection for 15 years since he published Gomorrah, a real-life mafia exposé that became an excellent and underseen TV series of the same name. In this newer series, three families conspire to move five tonnes of cocaine across the Atlantic. In Mexico, the Leyra brothers are well set up to handle such a large order. They’ve got a factory of women to hide the drug in cans of chillis and a dodgy special forces unit to help get the shipment to a port. In the US, the Leywood shipping family appears less at ease in a criminal environment but needs must – they’ve got a whopping New Orleans townhouse to maintain. And in the deep south of Italy, the La Piana clan is getting over some recent mafia wars. To bring everyone back together, ageing leader Don Minu has decided to buy some drugs. A gripping show that fans of Narcos will love.

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Bloodlands, Series 1

A car is pulled from Strangford Lough, the owner kidnapped. DCI Tom Brannick (James Nesbitt) recognises the calling card of a legendary assassin known as Goliath. The legend goes he was a serving police officer who vanished without trace 20 years ago and among his original victims was Tom’s wife. Against opposition from old friend DCS Jackie Twomey, Brannick and his partner, DS Niamh McGovern, break open the Goliath case in the hope that it will help them solve the kidnapping. As they dig deeper, they find gaps in the original investigation: someone tried to suppress the truth. When a vital clue leads them out to an island on Strangford Lough, a discovery is made that changes everything.

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Dark, Series 1-3

This German drama is one of Netflix’s finest. When two children go missing in a small German town, its sinful past is exposed along with the double lives and fractured relationships that exist among four families as they search for the youngsters. The mystery-drama series introduces an intricate puzzle filled with twists that includes a web of curious characters, all of whom have a connection to the town's troubled history – whether they know it or not. The story includes supernatural elements that tie back to the same town in 1986.

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Informer, Series 1

Paddy Considine (Peaky Blinders, Tyrannosaur), Bel Powley (The Diary of a Teenage Girl) and newcomer Nabhaan Rizwan star in this BBC1 drama about a young second-generation Pakistani man who goes undercover in London's Counter Terrorism Special Unit. After a night out with his girlfriend goes badly wrong, Raza Shar is arrested and identified as a potential informant. Detective Sergeant Gabe Waters is partnered with new recruit DC Holly Morten and introduces her to the world of informants. Ambitious and uninhibited, Holly pushes boundaries to get Raza on board – with devastating consequences.

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Giri/Haji, Series 1

Set in both Tokyo and London, Giri/Haji is a thriller about a Tokyo detective named Kenzo Mori, who scours the London underworld to find his allegedly deceased brother, Yuto. Yuto was accused of brutally murdering the nephew of a yakuza member, which could lead to the onset of a gang war. Kenzo's investigation into the disappearance lures him into dangerous elements of the corrupt underworld of London's criminal circuit. Stars Line of Duty’s Kelly McDonald.

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Mindhunter, Series 1-2

Catching a criminal often requires the authorities to get inside the villain's mind to figure out how he thinks. That's the job of FBI agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench as they attempt to understand and catch serial killers by studying their damaged psyches. Along the way, the agents pioneer the development of modern serial-killer profiling. Directed by David Fincher (Gone Girl, Fight Club), this is a slow-burning 70s thriller – based on a true story – that will have you hooked. An excellent soundtrack only adds to its watchability. 

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Unforgotten, Series 1-4

This ongoing British drama centres around historical crimes, each unravelling secrets left buried for years. The programme follows two London – detectives DCI Cassie Stuart (the ever-brilliant Nicola Walker) and DI Sunny Khan (Sanjaav Bhaskar) – as they work to solve cases involving disappearances and murders. Series four has just finished on ITV, so it’s the ideal time to start from the beginning.

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Criminal, Series 1-2

Within the walls of an interrogation room, investigators across four different countries go up against the clock to charge 12 suspects, each one accused of a grievous crime. Created by George Kay (Killing Eve) and Jim Field Smith (The Wrong Mans), Criminal is split into four mini-series set across UK, France, Spain and Germany, each filmed in the location’s native language. These tense episodes are all set in an interrogation suite centred around a sparse room where detectives stare down suspects and spar with legal counsels. From time to time there’s a glimpse behind the vast two-way mirror that looms large in the interrogation suite; or into the police station corridor, where we see detectives grabbing coffee and saying what they can’t say when the interview tape is recording. Starring the likes of Kit Harrington, Hayley Atwell, Sharon Horgan and David Tennant, this is a nail-biting drama.

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Bloodline, Series 1-3

From the creators of Damages, Emmy award-winning Bloodline is a dramatic thriller that explores the demons lurking beneath the surface of a contemporary American family. The Rayburns are hard-working pillars of their Florida Keys community, but their past contains dark secrets that they hope remain buried. Paranoia and mistrust build as lies pile up, alliances are shattered, and an unthinkable crime takes place. The tight-knit family's formerly harmonious relationship deteriorates, and good people are forced to consider doing very bad things. Absolutely gripping.

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Lupin, Series 1

This French drama was an absolute hit when it landed on Netflix last December – and following a real cliff-hanger ending, fans are eagerly awaiting the arrival of part two this summer. As a teenager, Assane Diop's life was turned upside down when his father died after being accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Twenty-five years later, Assane (played by Omar Sy) uses the book Arsène Lupin, Gentleman Burglar as his inspiration to avenge his father. 

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Ozark, Series 1-3

Ozark stars Jason Bateman as Marty Byrde, a financial planner who relocates his family from Chicago to a summer resort community in the Ozarks. With wife Wendy and their two kids in tow, Marty is on the move after a money-laundering scheme goes wrong, forcing him to pay off a substantial debt to a Mexican drug lord in order to keep his family safe. While the Byrdes' fate hangs in the balance, the dire circumstances force the fractured family to reconnect. Dark and gripping, this is Bateman as you’ve never seen him before. 

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The Cry, Series 1

Joanna and Alistair travel from Scotland to Australia with their baby son Noah to see Alistair's mother and to fight for custody of his 14-year-old daughter from his previous marriage. Joanna is struggling with life as a new mum, and the flight to Melbourne is a huge additional strain on her. Exhausted and emotional from the journey, the couple finally arrive in Australia, where unforeseen events – and the white light of public scrutiny – change their lives forever. 

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The People Vs OJ Simpson, Series 1

June 1994. LAPD detectives quickly link a brutal double homicide with famed sports star OJ Simpson – but his celebrity status makes them unsure how to handle matters. Marcia Clark in the district attorney's office advises a swift arrest, but flamboyant Hollywood lawyer Robert Shapiro gets involved and events start to spiral out of control. This epic, behind-the-scenes drama – from the same team as American Horror Story and The Assassination of Gianni Versace – reveals new insights into the controversial murder investigation and trial that became a media sensation.

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