The 40 most popular 1990s mystery TV shows, ranked. Click any show for ratings, reviews, trailers, and where to watch.


Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999
country: United States
In the criminal justice system, sexually-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories.


C.I.D.
1998
country: India
A team of dedicated men and women in the Crime Investigation Department will risk everything to solve Mumbai's toughest, most complicated crimes.


Midsomer Murders
1997
country: United Kingdom
The peacefulness of the Midsomer community is shattered by violent crimes, suspects are placed under suspicion, and it is up to a veteran DCI and his young sergeant to calmly and diligently eliminate the innocent and ruthlessly pursue the guilty.


Detective Conan
1996
country: Japan
The son of a world famous mystery writer, Jimmy Kudo, has achieved his own notoriety by assisting the local police as a student detective. He has always been able to solve the most difficult of criminal cases using his wits and power of reason.


The X-Files
1993
country: United States
The exploits of FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully who investigate X-Files: marginalized, unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. Mulder believes in the existence of aliens and the paranormal while Scully, a skeptic, is assigned to make scientific analyses of Mulder's discoveries that debunk Mulder's work and thus return him to mainstream cases.


Charmed
1998
country: United States
Three sisters (Prue, Piper and Phoebe) reunite and unlock their powers to become the Charmed Ones, the most powerful good witches of all time, whose prophesied destiny is to protect innocent lives from evil beings such as demons and warlocks. Each sister possesses unique magical powers that grow and evolve, while they attempt to maintain normal lives in modern day San Francisco.


Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction
1997
country: United States
Can you tell the difference between fact and fiction? Several stories of strange, mysterious and incredible occurrences are chronicled during each episode. It is up to the viewer to decide which stories actually happened and which were completely fabricated by the show’s writers. The answer is revealed by Jonathan Frakes at the conclusion of each episode.


Twin Peaks
1990
country: United States
The body of Laura Palmer is washed up on a beach near the small Washington state town of Twin Peaks. FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper is called in to investigate her strange demise only to uncover a web of mystery that ultimately leads him deep into the heart of the surrounding woodland and his very own soul.


Diagnosis: Murder
1993
country: United States
Dr. Mark Sloan is a good-natured, offbeat physician who is called upon to solve murders.


Batman: The Animated Series
1992
country: United States
Vowing to avenge the murder of his parents, Bruce Wayne devotes his life to wiping out crime in Gotham City as the masked vigilante "Batman".


The Pretender
1996
country: United States
Raised in a secret facility built for experimenting on children, Jarod is a genius who can master any profession and become anyone he has to be. When he realizes as an adult that he's actually a prisoner and his captors are not as benevolent as he's been told, he breaks out. While trying to find his real identity, Jarod helps those he encounters and tries to avoid the woman sent to retrieve him.


Homicide: Life on the Street
1993
country: United States
An American police procedural chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Unit.


Relic Hunter
1999
country: Canada
Sydney Fox is a professor and globe-trotting "relic hunter" who looks for ancient artifacts to return to museums and/or the descendants of the original owner. She is aided by her linguistic assistant Nigel and occasionally by her somewhat air-headed secretary Claudia. She often ends up battling rival hunters seeking out artifacts for the money.


A Touch of Frost
1992
country: United Kingdom
Jack Frost is a gritty, dogged and unconventional detective with sympathy for the underdog and an instinct for moral justice who attracts trouble like a magnet. Despite some animosity with his superintendent, Norman “Horn-rimmed Harry” Mullett, Frost and his ever-changing roster of assistants manage to solve cases via his clever mind, good heart, and cool touch.


Yonimo Kimyou na Monogatari Tokubetsuhen
1990
country: Japan
No overview available


Detective Investigation Files
1995
country: Hong Kong
"Detective Investigation Files" revolves around the professional and meticulous investigations carried out by a group of dedicated police officers. As they delve into mysterious deaths with unclear causes, they tirelessly work towards maintaining peace and security for the people. However, their demanding job often comes at the expense of personal happiness. Cheung Dai Yong, a brilliant and astute police officer, has a track record of solving crucial cases. His trusted colleague, Lee Chung Yee, stands by his side, and together they tackle challenging and complex cases. Amidst their work, Dai Yong encounters Ko Jit, a tenacious journalist. Despite their initial conflicts, a deepening connection blossoms between them. However, Ko Jit already has a romantic partner.


Earth: Final Conflict
1997
country: Canada
Years ago, the Taelons came to Earth, offering friendship and technology to humanity. But there are those who believe the Taelons have more sinister motives.


Tales of the Bizarre
1990
country: Japan
Inspired by American TV movies like "Hitchcock Theater" and "The Twilight Zone," the show features multiple works with Tamori as the storyteller and actors as the main characters. While horror and supernatural themes are predominant, a variety of genres like comedy and drama are also produced. Most episodes, however, have a bad ending.


Are You Afraid of the Dark?
1992
country: Canada
This spooky anthology series for kids recounts ghost stories told by the young members of the Midnight Society as they gather around a campfire. Each episode opens with members of the Midnight Society at their secret spot in the woods, where they prepare their fire and the night's storyteller announces the title of the his or her offering. However, the cameras soon leave the storyteller and switch to the tale being told.


Serial Experiments Lain
1998
country: Japan
Lain—driven by the abrupt suicide of a classmate—logs on to the Wired and promptly loses herself in a twisted mass of hallucinations, memories, and interconnected-psyches.


Goosebumps
1995
country: Canada
Anything can turn spooky in this horror anthology series based on the best-selling books by master of kid horror, R.L. Stine. In every episode, see what happens when regular kids find themselves in scary situations, and how they work to confront and overcome their fears.


The Files of the Young Kindaichi
1995
country: Japan
A young man who showed little promise while a high school student becomes a master detective, just like his grandfather.


The New Batman Adventures
1997
country: United States
After a long hiatus -- The Caped Crusader is back and cooler then ever, in the animated action-packed series -- The New Batman Adventures. Picking up years after Batman: The Animated Series, the series highlights Batman and his crimefighting cadre of Nightwing, Robin and Batgirl, as they join forces to battle Gotham City's classic super-villains.


Inspector Rex
1994
country: Austria
After his handler is killed, police dog Rex teams up with recently-divorced inspector Richard Moser to investigate crimes and solve mysteries on the streets of Vienna. And they sometimes get help from their two-legged friend, Inspector Stockinger.


Streets of Broken Lights
1998
country: Russia
Russian detectives unwind the ball of the most intricate and cruel crimes. They are consummate professionals, the best cops in town. Even on the most dangerous missions, this quartet never loses their sense of humor. It is it that helps them find the most incredible ways out of any situation. They uphold the law and emerge victorious.


Dalziel and Pascoe
1996
country: United Kingdom
In the fictional Yorkshire town of Wetherton, the unlikely duo of politically incorrect elephant-in-a-China-shop-copper DS Andrew Dalziel (pronounced Dee-ell) and his more sensitive and university educated sidekick DS, later DI, Peter Pascoe is always on hand to solve the classic murder mystery, while maintaining down-to-Earth wit and humour.


Millennium
1996
country: Canada
A retired FBI serial-profiler joins the mysterious Millennium Group, a team of underground ex-law enforcement experts dedicated to fighting against the ever-growing forces of evil and darkness in the world.


BeastMaster
1999
country: Australia
BeastMaster chronicles the adventures of Dar, the last surviving male of the storied Sula tribe, who is blessed with the ability to communicate telepathically with the animals of his ancient world. Also endowed with the strength, courage and fighting skills of a great warrior, he uses his gifts to defend all living creatures oppressed by the forces of evil.


Forever Knight
1992
country: Canada
Forever Knight is a Canadian television series about Nick Knight, an 800-year-old vampire working as a police detective in modern day Toronto. Wracked with guilt for centuries of killing others, he seeks redemption by working as a homicide detective on the night shift while struggling to find a way to become human again. The series premiered on May 5, 1992 and concluded with the third season finale on May 17, 1996.


The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries
1995
country: United States
Sylvester and Tweety help out when Granny opens a detective agency.


Kindaichi Case Files
1997
country: Japan
Kindaichi Hajime may look dumb, but he is one of the smartest you will ever see. He encounters mysteries after mysteries with his good friend, Miyuki, and he swears to solve them in the name of his grandfather, which was a great detective.


It
1990
country: United States
In 1960, seven outcast kids known as "The Losers' Club" fight against an ancient shape-shifting alien who poses as a child-killing clown, while also dealing with bullies and abusive parents. Thirty years later, they reunite to stop the creature once and for all when it returns to their hometown.


Prime Suspect
1991
country: United Kingdom
Highly skilled Detective Inspector Jane Tennison battles to prove herself in a male dominated world.


The File Of Justice
1992
country: Hong Kong
The Files of Justice is a series of Hong Kong legal drama produced by TVB. There were 5 seasons produced, the first was aired in 1992 spanning 13 episodes. The series revolves around a group of lawyers and legal personnel with stories interwoven between their personal lives and the court cases in which they’re engaged. This drama is Bobby Au Yeung's TV debut.


Jonathan Creek
1997
country: United Kingdom
Working from his home in a converted windmill, Jonathan Creek is a magician with a natural ability for solving puzzles. He soon puts this ability to the use of solving impossible crimes and mysterious murders.


Justice Pao
1993
country: Taiwan
Justice Bao is a 236-episode television series from Taiwan, first airing on Chinese Television System from February 1993 to January 1994. The show stars Jin Chao-chun as the Chinese official Bao Zheng in the Song Dynasty. It was hugely popular in Greater China as well as many other countries in the Far East. The series was originally scheduled for just 15 episodes. However, the show garnered high ratings when the initial episodes aired. Due to its popularity, CTS expanded the show to 236 episodes. The TVB and ATV Home networks in Hong Kong both bought the series in an attempt to gain viewers. Competition between the two networks during the showing of the series was so severe that identical episodes were shown on both channels on the same night. It was also one of the first dramas that used NICAM technology.


Master Keaton
1998
country: Japan
The amazing Taichi Keaton works on cases around the globe that always lead to adventure! He combines his arsenal of multidisciplinary expertise in investigation, archeology, and survival with his experience as a professor, a Falklands Conflict veteran and a SAS agent to unravel the often dangerous challenges in each riveting episode.


Baywatch Nights
1995
country: United States
Baywatch Nights is an American police and science fiction drama series that aired in syndication from 1995 to 1997. Created by Douglas Schwartz, David Hasselhoff, and Gregory J. Bonann, the series is a spin-off from the popular television series, Baywatch.


Swamp Thing
1990
country: United States
Swamp Thing: The Series, is a science fiction, action/adventure television series based on the DC Comics character Swamp Thing. It debuted on USA Network on July 27, 1990 and lasted three seasons for a total of 72 episodes. It was later shown in reruns on the Sci Fi Channel.


Revolutionary Girl Utena
1997
country: Japan
"Never lose that strength or nobility, even when you grow up." When Utena was just a child and in the depths of sorrow, she found salvation in those words. They were the words of a prince, who bestowed upon her both a ring and the promise that it would lead her to him again. She never forgot the encounter. Now a teenager, Utena attends the prestigious Ohtori Academy; however, her strong sense of chivalry soon places her at odds with the student council and thrusts her into a series of mysterious and dangerous duels against its members.
1990s television was the last era of true mass audiences, when a network sitcom or a season finale could be a shared national event.
Mystery series stretch a central question across a season, which lets them develop suspects and setting far past what a film allows. The form's risk is the ending, and its reward is the slow build.