The 7 Most Important Crime Shows That Defined the Genre

From NBC's long-running procedural Law & Order: SVU to the gamechanging HBO series The Sopranos, these shows represent the entire crime genre.

Apr. 4, 2026 at 12:03am

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A bold, abstract composition featuring stark geometric shapes and silhouettes in high-contrast colors, conceptually representing the evolution of the crime drama genre through iconic imagery from influential shows.These groundbreaking crime dramas have redefined the genre, pushing the boundaries of what a crime story can be on television.Baltimore Today

When it comes to holding up a mirror for society, few genres do it better than the crime genre. Viewers don't watch these shows just for the "whodunnit" factor, but crime dramas are so fascinating because of the many things it explores, from the complexity of the justice system to the darkness of human society, where the thin line between the heroes (the cops and prosecutors) and the villains (the criminals) are often blurred, requiring the viewer's full attention.

Why it matters

While it may seem like television is crowded with crime procedurals, there are a few that did a lot more than just pull in sky-high ratings. The following shows shattered the conventions of the typical crime drama, and rebuilt the genre in their own image. Whether it's introducing flawed cops who push the boundaries to solve cases, or season-long slow burns that lead to a shocking conclusion, these crime dramas dared to push the envelope, and were successful at doing it.

The details

Before Hill Street Blues premiered on NBC in 1981, crime dramas followed the tried-and-true staple of "case-of-the-week," which involves a different case every week. However, Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll, the creators of Hill Street Blues, wanted to do something different with their crime procedural. Instead of focusing on a different case every week, the series, which follows the day-to-day lives of cops at a police station on Hill Street, focused more on serialized storytelling involving complex characters. One would be hard-pressed to find a more realistic cop show like NYPD Blue. While Hill Street Blues stripped away the Hollywood veneer of police work, NYPD Blue, created by Steven Bochco and David Milch, stripped the mold down to its core, showing, in graphic detail, the realistic nature of a police precinct. The series completely redefined the gritty television series, with its storylines pushing the boundaries of what audiences would accept on network television. In 1991, Anthony Hopkins made movie audiences feel uneasy thanks to his portrayal of the cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lector in the classic film Silence of the Lambs. It wouldn't be long until the character would be adapted as a TV series, and that came in 2013 with the NBC crime drama Hannibal. Created by Byran Fuller and adapted from Thomas Harris' novel Red Dragon, Hannibal is a series that wound up transcending the standard crime procedural, using tropes that often weren't seen in the genre. Anthologies are not normally associated with crime dramas, but in 2014, that changed with the premiere of HBO's True Detective. Instead of using the basic templates that most crime dramas live and die by, True Detective, created by Nic Pizzolatto, went the opposite direction, merging criminal investigations with philosophical depth, which was possible thanks to the decision to make it an anthology series.

  • Hill Street Blues premiered on NBC in 1981.
  • NYPD Blue aired from 1993 to 2005.
  • Hannibal premiered on NBC in 2013.
  • True Detective premiered on HBO in 2014.

The players

Steven Bochco

The creator of Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue, who helped redefine the crime drama genre.

Michael Kozoll

The co-creator of Hill Street Blues, who worked with Bochco to introduce serialized storytelling and complex characters to the crime drama genre.

David Milch

The co-creator of NYPD Blue, who helped push the boundaries of what was acceptable on network television with the show's gritty realism.

Byran Fuller

The creator of Hannibal, who adapted the character from the Silence of the Lambs film and transcended the standard crime procedural.

Nic Pizzolatto

The creator of True Detective, who reinvented the crime drama genre by using an anthology format and merging criminal investigations with philosophical depth.

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What they’re saying

“Before Hill Street Blues premiered on NBC in 1981, crime dramas followed the tried-and-true staple of "case-of-the-week," which involves a different case every week.”

— Steven Bochco, Co-creator of Hill Street Blues

“NYPD Blue paved the way for the "anti-hero," a trope that would be used in future crime dramas like The Shield (which is basically a spiritual successor of NYPD Blue) and Breaking Bad.”

— David Milch, Co-creator of NYPD Blue

“Hannibal is a series that wound up transcending the standard crime procedural, using tropes that often weren't seen in the genre.”

— Byran Fuller, Creator of Hannibal

“True Detective basically reinvented itself with each season, which kept the series from becoming stagnant, like most crime dramas tend to become.”

— Nic Pizzolatto, Creator of True Detective

The takeaway

These seven crime dramas represent the evolution of the genre, pushing the boundaries of what a crime drama can be. From the serialized storytelling and complex characters of Hill Street Blues, to the gritty realism and anti-hero tropes of NYPD Blue, to the philosophical depth and anthology format of True Detective, these shows have redefined the crime drama genre and paved the way for more innovative and thought-provoking crime stories on television.