The 10 best TV detectives of all time
Amidst the vast amount of entertainment available, the realm of TV detectives has a unique ability to unite audiences. From classic 1970s shows such as Kojak to more recent efforts like Mare of Easttown, viewers have been blessed with a plethora of iconic detectives over the years. The shows not only serve to whisk us away from whatever tribulations real life might bring but also offer fascinating mysteries that leave us desperate to uncover.
It must be noted that many believe the TV detective to be an all-encompassing term that accounts for every character from amateur sleuths like Agatha Christie’s prying biddy Miss Marple to more cerebral personalities such as True Detective‘s Rustin Cohle. However, that is not what has transpired as the genre progressed. Without getting too pernickety; for the purpose of this article, a distinction must be made between characters that are actually police officers and those that are either amateur sleuths, personal investigators, or Sherlock Holmes’ “consulting” detectives.
As television has delivered an array of iconic detectives, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to list the ten best seen on the box. Ranging from the exceptionally written to more comedic characters, the ones we’ve included are more than deserving of their pace in history. Whilst it will undoubtedly make some hardcore fans of mysteries angry, it also serves as a reminder of just how varied the whole gamut of TV detectives is. Expect to be surprised.
Find our list of the ten best TV detectives below.
The 10 best TV detectives:
10. John Luther – Luther
Whilst many criticisms can be directed at BBC’s Luther for how ridiculous it can be at times, no one can doubt that the character of DCI John Luther, played by Idris Elba, isn’t one of the best seen on TV. Sharp, brooding, and unafraid of using violence, this blend of features sees him go toe-to-toe with a host of killers, including the terrifying psychopath Alice Morgan.
An inversion of the trope of the utterly heroic detective, Luther pushes the classic character form to its limits, with him increasingly blurring the line between hero and villain. Duly, this comes with more testing moments, such as the death of his partner and protégé Justin Ripley in season three, but who said everything should be so straightforward? Despite all the destruction he causes, John Luther deserves his place on the list.
9. Tom Barnaby – Midsomer Murders
Scoff all you want, but Tom Barnaby is one of the greatest detectives ever seen on TV and has solved more crimes than most of the others on this list combined. Played by the eminent John Nettles, Barnaby was the saviour of the fictional English county of Midsomer long before his talented but more ironic cousin John took the reins in 2011.
A Detective Chief Inspector in the fictional Midsomer Constabulary, Tom Barnaby is an old-school detective. From the first season to the 13th, he solves a wide array of crimes that take him all over the countyhe. Supported by famous sidekicks such as Gavin and Ben, no murderer gets past this legendary detective. I speak for all of us when I say that I hope Nettles returns to the screen one day for one last flourish as Tom Barnaby.
8. Marianne ‘Mare’ Sheehan – Mare of Easttown
HBO’s Mare of Easttown was one of the best detective shows/mysteries we’ve seen this side of the new millennium. Kate Winslet’s performance as troubled protagonist Marianne ‘Mare’ Sheehan received such critical acclaim that she even took home the Emmy Award for ‘Outstanding Lead Actress’. A local hero in the titular suburb of Philadelphia because of her high-school basketball exploits, the Mare viewers find struggles to console her personal life with her career, with many doubting her aptitude as a detective due to an unsolved case running in the background.
Investigating the recent murder of a teenage mother whilst dealing with much background noise, Mare brings a heavy dose of reality to the role of the TV detective, even if some of her problems are somewhat over the top. However, in the end, she proves her detractors wrong by getting to the bottom of the crime, which proves heartbreaking.
7. Sarah Lund – The Killing
Sofie Gråbøl’s inspector Sarah Lund from the original Danish version of The Killing is not only a stellar TV detective but a majorly overlooked one too. At the start of season one, we find her at a surprise farewell party that her Danish colleagues throw for her before she emigrates to Sweden with her boyfriend. However, the murder of Nanna Birk Larsen changes the course of her life.
An obsessive character who will stop at nothing to get to the bottom of the murder, from the explosive first season to the third and final effort, Lund’s determination wreaks havoc for all trapped in her orbit, including herself. From uncovering conspiracies to getting violent, there’s nothing Lund is afraid of, and it is for this malleability that she finds herself on the list.
6. James ‘Jimmy’ McNulty – The Wire
I assume that some were sweating that James ‘Jimmy’ McNulty wouldn’t be included, but of course, he would. The main protagonist of one of the finest TV series in history, HBO’s The Wire, the Baltimore Police Detective, is also one of the most weighty characters on this list. An Irish-American, McNulty is vain and hubristic, believing himself to be more intelligent than his peers, which even sees him flaunt the chain of command to fulfil his objectives.
Famously, this sees his professional and personal lives encounter troubles that include alcoholism and infidelity. However, he’s still a fine detective, and his moral code and doggedness often see him reap success. From solving cases to toeing the line between good and evil, McNulty plays the game set out for him in The Wire right until the end, and for this reason, he’ll be remembered for a very long time.
5. Gene Hunt – Life on Mars / Ashes to Ashes
To clarify, we’re discussing the British version here, not the American one played by Harvey Keitel. Appearing in the BBC’s science-fiction/police procedural blends of Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, the Detective Chief Inspector is played by Philip Glenister in what is undoubtedly his definitive role.
A politically incorrect, violent and often corrupt figure in a “noble cause” sort of way, Gene Hunt gets away with it because, beneath all the tough-guy bravado, he’s a good man. An extremely stubborn individual, he has love-hate relationships with his partners Sam Tyler in Life on Mars and Alex Drake in Ashes to Ashes. Respected by his colleagues, and hated by the villains who enter his orbit, when he replaces his Ford Cortina from Life on Mars with the slick, red Audi Quattro in Ashes to Ashes, Hunt ramps up the heat.
4. David Starsky and Kenneth ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson – Starsky and Hutch
We may be pushing the criteria here, but Starsky could not be on the list without Hutch, and vice-versa. Separate sides of the same coin, this pair of California detectives go everywhere together and are undoubtedly the greatest pair of TV detectives ever seen. Starsky, played by Paul Michael Glaser, is a dark-haired Brooklyn native, a US Army veteran, who is street-wise, intense and prone to mood swings. As for David Soul’s Hutch, he’s a blonde divorcee from Duluth, Minnesota, who tends to approach cases in a more reserved and intellectual way.
Using their iconic radio call sign ‘Zebra Three’, between 1975 and 1979, the pair were seen riding through the streets of the fictional Bay City in their equally as iconic red Ford Gran Torino, with flash white vector stripes on each side. With their opposite looks and personalities, Starsky and Hutch solved various crimes, giving fans some of the most memorable moments in 1970s television. It’s high time the contemporary era got its own pair of TV detectives.
3. Endeavour Morse – Inspector Morse / Endeavour
Undoubtedly the most substantial TV detective Blighty has ever seen, Endeavour Morse is excellent in both his guises. These come in the form of the older version played by John Thaw in Inspector Morse (1987-2000) and Shaun Evans’ younger iteration in the prequel series Endeavour (2012-2023). Both performances bring authentic panache to the TV detective, with Thaw’s arguably one of the greatest television characters, period.
The older Morse is a senior Criminal Investigation Department officer with the Thames Valley police in Oxford, and the younger one is a tenacious younger Detective Constable making his name in the Oxford City Police. Never compromising his morals, Morse is an exemplary Detective and man. With his resourcefulness and intelligence, he got the better of many villains in his time. He was too much of a force of nature for all those unfortunate to cross him.
2. Lieutenant Columbo – Columbo
It had to be the bumbling, raincoat-wearing Lieutenant Columbo in second place, and I imagine that many will be screaming in rage that he is not at the top spot. Played by Peter Falk, Columbo is an iconic character who solves a multitude of different cases, working as a Homicide Detective for the Los Angeles Police Department.
Many characteristics make Columbo one of the most beloved TV detectives of all time. Aside from his razor-sharp wit, his trademarks include his thick Bronx accent and unassuming demeanour, beige raincoat, cigar, old Peugeot 403, love of chili con carne and somewhat comically, his unseen wife, whom he mentions regularly. Augmenting this eminence, his catchphrase is timeless; “just one more thing”. He employs this before asking a vital question for solving the case.
To clarify, he’s named Lieutenant Columbo here, as his first name was never officially confirmed.
1. Rustin ‘Rust’ Cohle – True Detective
No one else was even close to coming in the top spot than the brooding driving force of True Detective season one. Played by Matthew McConaughey, Rustin ‘Rust’ Cohle is a deeply troubled character and a self-defined pessimist. There are two time periods displayed in the show. In the first one, from 1995-2002, Cohle works as a Homicide Detective for the Louisiana State Police (LSP) alongside his equally flawed but capable partner, Martin ‘Marty’ Hart, portrayed by Woody Harrelson.
However, due to the messed up events in their personal lives, in the second period, set in 2012, Cohle has now quit the force and is a reclusive alcoholic. Despite this, the Texan uses his sharp intellect and tenacity to work with Marty once again to uncover the serial killer’s identity and close the case for good. A multifaceted character with a deep philosophical grounding, television will struggle ever to surpass the heights of Nic Pizzolatto’s character, which was brought to life by McConaughey’s ultimate performance.
Look no further than the following line: “We are things that labour under the illusion of having a self; an accretion of sensory, experience and feeling, programmed with total assurance that we are each somebody, when in fact everybody is nobody.”
