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    Home/Browse/TV Shows/1980s TV Shows/1980s Crime TV Shows

    1980s Crime TV Shows

    The 40 most popular 1980s crime TV shows, ranked. Click any show for ratings, reviews, trailers, and where to watch.

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    EastEnders
    TMDB2.1

    EastEnders

    1985

    country: United Kingdom

    The everyday lives of working-class residents of Albert Square, a traditional Victorian square of terrace houses surrounding a park in the East End of London's Walford borough.

    Murder, She Wrote
    TMDB3.8

    Murder, She Wrote

    1984

    country: United States

    An unassuming mystery writer turned sleuth uses her professional insight to help solve real-life homicide cases.

    Knight Rider
    TMDB3.8

    Knight Rider

    1982

    country: United States

    Michael Long, an undercover police officer, is shot while investigating a case and left for dead by his assailants. He is rescued by Wilton Knight, a wealthy, dying millionaire and inventor who arranges life-saving surgery, including a new face and a new identity--that of Michael Knight. Michael is then given a special computerized and indestructible car called the Knight Industries Two Thousand (nicknamed KITT), and a mission: apprehend criminals who are beyond the reach of the law. The series depicts Michael's exploits as he and KITT battle the forces of evil on behalf of the Foundation for Law and Government.

    The Bill
    TMDB3.4

    The Bill

    1984

    country: United Kingdom

    The daily lives of the men and women at Sun Hill Police Station as they fight crime on the streets of London. From bomb threats to armed robbery and drug raids to the routine demands of policing this ground-breaking series focuses as much on crime as it does on the personal lives of its characters.

    MacGyver
    TMDB3.9

    MacGyver

    1985

    country: United States

    He's everyone's favorite action hero... but he's a hero with a difference. Angus MacGyver is a secret agent whose wits are his deadliest weapon. Armed with only a knapsack filled with everyday items he picks up along the way, he improvises his way out of every peril the bad guys throw at him. Making a bomb out of chewing gum? Fixing a speeding car's brakes... while he's riding in it? Using soda pop to cook up tear gas? That's all in a day's adventures for MacGyver. He's part Boy Scout, part genius. And all hero.

    Agatha Christie's Poirot
    TMDB4.1

    Agatha Christie's Poirot

    1989

    country: United Kingdom

    From England to Egypt, accompanied by his elegant and trustworthy sidekicks, the intelligent yet eccentrically-refined Belgian detective Hercule Poirot pits his wits against a collection of first class deceptions.

    Magnum, P.I.
    TMDB3.6

    Magnum, P.I.

    1980

    country: United States

    A private investigator who works when he wants, lives in a beachfront estate in Hawaii, drives a posh Ferrari, runs up an unlimited tab at a swank bar, and charms attractive women in peril - that's the lifestyle of Thomas Magnum, aka Magnum, P.I.

    The A-Team
    TMDB3.7

    The A-Team

    1983

    country: United States

    A fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel work as soldiers of fortune while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit."

    Miami Vice
    TMDB3.7

    Miami Vice

    1984

    country: United States

    The story of the Miami Police Department's vice squad and its efforts to end drug trafficking and prostitution, centered on the unlikely partnership of Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs - who first meet when Tubbs is undercover in a drug cartel.

    The Equalizer
    TMDB3.6

    The Equalizer

    1985

    country: Canada

    Robert McCall is a former agent of a secret government agency who is now running his own private crime fighting operation where he fashions himself as "The Equalizer." It is a service for victims of the system who have exhausted all possible means of seeking justice and have nowhere to go. McCall promises to even out the odds for them.

    21 Jump Street
    TMDB3.6

    21 Jump Street

    1987

    country: United States

    21 Jump Street revolves around a group of young cops who would use their youthful appearance to go undercover and solve crimes involving teenagers and young adults.

    Baywatch
    TMDB3.0

    Baywatch

    1989

    country: United States

    Join the Baywatch lifeguards on their thrilling adventures filled with beautiful beaches and those iconic red swimsuits.

    The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents
    TMDB3.6

    The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    1985

    country: United States

    The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents is an American anthology series that aired on NBC from 1985 to 1986, and on the USA Network from 1987 to 1989. The series is an updated re-imagining of the classic 1955 series Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

    A Case For Two
    TMDB2.9

    A Case For Two

    1981

    country: Germany

    Ein Fall für zwei is a German television series, which premiered on September 11, 1981 on ZDF. The series, located in Frankfurt am Main, features two main characters who solve crimes: a defense attorney and a private investigator. Josef Matula, a former German police officer, has gone into private business. His method of investigation is very effective and direct, and he sometimes even resorts to dirty tricks. Claus Theo Gärtner has portrayed the role since the start of the series.

    Hill Street Blues
    TMDB3.8

    Hill Street Blues

    1981

    country: United States

    A realistic glimpse into the daily lives of the officers and detectives at an urban police station.

    T. J. Hooker
    TMDB3.3

    T. J. Hooker

    1982

    country: United States

    Sergeant Thomas Jefferson Hooker is a tough-as-nails veteran police officer with the LCPD who turns his back on a gold badge and goes back to patrolling the streets and training recruits. Along with his young partners in blue, Hooker take on Lake City's toughest criminals.

    Matlock
    TMDB3.5

    Matlock

    1986

    country: United States

    Thrifty, folksy and cantankerous, Matlock charges a premium for his services but is worth every penny: This renowned attorney, always clothed in his trademark light-gray suit and driving his signature Ford Crown Victoria, has an uncanny knack for finding overlooked clues and exposing murderers in dramatic courtroom scenes.

    Sherlock Holmes
    TMDB4.1

    Sherlock Holmes

    1984

    country: United Kingdom

    Sherlock Holmes uses his abilities to take on cases by private clients and those that the Scotland Yard are unable to solve, along with his friend Dr. Watson.

    Matt Houston
    TMDB3.1

    Matt Houston

    1982

    country: United States

    Matt Houston is an American crime drama series that aired on ABC from 1982 to 1985. Created by Lawrence Gordon, the series was produced by Aaron Spelling.

    Großstadtrevier
    TMDB3.0

    Großstadtrevier

    1986

    country: Germany

    Follow the everyday work of a fictional police station on the Kiez of Hamburg.

    Cagney & Lacey
    TMDB3.5

    Cagney & Lacey

    1982

    country: United States

    Mary Beth Lacey and Chris Cagney are teamed up as NYPD police detectives. Their opposing personalities (one is tough and the other sensitive) mesh to make this one of the great crime-fighting duos of all time.

    Masterpiece Mystery
    TMDB3.1

    Masterpiece Mystery

    1980

    country: United States

    Mystery! is an episodic television series that debuted in 1980 in the USA. It airs on PBS and is produced by WGBH. The show has brought a large number of detective series and television movies—most of them British productions from the BBC or the ITV companies and usually adapted from mystery fiction literary sources—to air on American television. In 2002, they added an American-produced series based on the novels of Tony Hillerman to their roster.

    Moonlighting
    TMDB3.8

    Moonlighting

    1985

    country: United States

    After being duped and going bankrupt, model Maddie is convinced by David to become a partner in a detective agency. Together they solve various cases, while getting comfortable with each other.

    Jake and the Fatman
    TMDB3.1

    Jake and the Fatman

    1987

    country: United States

    Jake and the Fatman is a television crime drama starring William Conrad as prosecutor J. L. "Fatman" McCabe and Joe Penny as investigator Jake Styles. The series ran on CBS for five seasons from 1987 to 1992. Diagnosis: Murder was a spin-off of this series.

    The Hitchhiker
    TMDB3.1

    The Hitchhiker

    1983

    country: Canada

    A young hitchhiker introduces characters who are about to experience a frightening and sometimes supernatural incident of some kind in this moody anthology series.

    Inspector Morse
    TMDB3.9

    Inspector Morse

    1987

    country: United Kingdom

    Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis, as well as a large cast of notable actors and actresses.

    48 Hours
    TMDB3.5

    48 Hours

    1988

    country: United States

    This newsmagazine series investigates intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all aspects of the human experience. Over its long run, the show has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, driven the reopening — and resolution — of cold cases, and changed numerous lives. CBS News correspondents offer an in-depth look into each story, with the emphasis on solving the mystery at its heart.

    Scarecrow and Mrs. King
    TMDB3.4

    Scarecrow and Mrs. King

    1983

    country: United States

    Scarecrow and Mrs. King is an American television series that aired from October 3, 1983, to May 28, 1987 on CBS. The show stars Kate Jackson and Bruce Boxleitner as divorced housewife Amanda King and top-level "Agency" operative Lee Stetson who begin a strange association, and eventual romance, after encountering one another in a train station.

    Wiseguy
    TMDB3.3

    Wiseguy

    1987

    country: United States

    Vinnie Terranova does time in a New Jersey penitentiary to set up his undercover role as an agent for the OCB (Organized Crime Bureau) of the United States. His roots in a traditional Italian city neighborhood form the underlying dramatic base throughout the series, bringing him into conflict with his conservative mother and other family members while acting undercover as syndicate enforcer.

    The Fall Guy
    TMDB3.8

    The Fall Guy

    1981

    country: United States

    Hollywood stuntman Colt Seavers picks up some extra pocket money by using his rough-and-tumble skills to track and capture bail jumpers.

    Onihei Hankachō
    TMDB3.9

    Onihei Hankachō

    1989

    country: Japan

    Hasegawa is a chief police of big heart who leads a band of samurai police and cultivates reformed criminals as informants to solve difficult crimes.

    In the Heat of the Night
    TMDB3.8

    In the Heat of the Night

    1988

    country: United States

    In the Heat of the Night is an American television series based on the motion picture and novel of the same name starring Carroll O'Connor as the white police chief William Gillespie, and Howard Rollins as the African-American police detective Virgil Tibbs. It was broadcast on NBC from 1988 until 1992, and then on CBS until 1995. Its executive producers were Fred Silverman, Juanita Bartlett and Carroll O'Connor. TGG Direct released the first season of the series to DVD on August 28, 2012.

    Der Fahnder
    TMDB3.6

    Der Fahnder

    1984

    country: Germany

    Der Fahnder is a German television krimi series which was aired between 1984 and 2005. In the Netherlands the series was broadcast by the VARA from 3 October 1985.

    Dobrodružství kriminalistiky
    TMDB4.3

    Dobrodružství kriminalistiky

    1989

    country: XC

    No overview available

    Un giorno in pretura
    TMDB3.9

    Un giorno in pretura

    1988

    country: Italy

    No overview available

    Crime Story
    TMDB4.0

    Crime Story

    1986

    country: United States

    The hard-boiled saga of hair-trigger cop Lieutenant Mike Torello and his obsessive pursuit of ruthless gangster Ray Luca.

    The Greatest American Hero
    TMDB3.6

    The Greatest American Hero

    1981

    country: United States

    The chronicles of  teacher Ralph Hinkley's adventures after a group of aliens gives him a red suit that gives him superhuman abilities. Unfortunately, Ralph, who hates wearing the suit, immediately loses its instruction booklet, and thus has to learn how to use its powers by trial and error, often with comical results.

    Boon
    TMDB2.9

    Boon

    1986

    country: United Kingdom

    Boon is a British television drama and modern-day western series starring Michael Elphick, David Daker, and later Neil Morrissey. It was created by Jim Hill and Bill Stair and filmed by Central Television for ITV. It revolved around the life of a modern-day Lone Ranger and ex-firefighter, Ken Boon.

    Spenser: For Hire
    TMDB3.4

    Spenser: For Hire

    1985

    country: United States

    Mystery and suspense series based on Robert Parker's "Spenser" novels. Spenser, a private investigator living in Boston, gets involved in a new murder mystery each episode.

    Elas por Elas
    TMDB4.1

    Elas por Elas

    1982

    country: Brazil

    Seven high school friends reunite after 20 years. Memories of the past and coincidences of the present reveal the secrets and affections that bind the women and their families.

    About 1980s Crime TV Shows

    The 1980s

    1980s television saw the serialized primetime drama take hold and cable begin to fragment the audience that networks had held uncontested for thirty years.

    Crime

    Crime is arguably television's defining genre, spanning the weekly procedural, the single-case anthology, and the sprawling organized-crime epic. The serialized form suits investigation better than film ever has.

    In this list

    Best reviewed
    Sherlock Holmes (8.2)
    Often also
    Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery
    Longest run
    45 seasons

    Common questions

    What are the best 1980s crime TV shows?
    By popularity across Flickfolio and TMDB, the top picks right now are EastEnders, Murder, She Wrote, and Knight Rider. The full ranked list of 40 sits above — open any show for ratings, reviews, and streaming availability.
    How is this list ranked?
    1980s crime TV shows are ordered by overall popularity, which blends how often a title is viewed, searched, and logged. It updates as viewing habits shift, so the list reflects what people are actually watching rather than a fixed critical canon.
    Where can I watch these TV shows?
    Every show page lists current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region, alongside community ratings and reviews from Flickfolio members.

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