17 of the best crime TV shows of 2025

TV crime drama has never been better. With so many top Hollywood writers and directors and A-list acting talent now only too happy to ply their trade on the small screen, it feels like we’re enjoying a real televisual zenith at this moment in time.

Last year gave us the likes of Mr & Mrs Smith, Presumed Innocent, Lady in the Lake and The Penguin. So, 2025 had big shoes to fill. Looking back at all the new crime series of 2025, however, this year’s TV schedule has more than kept up. In fact, with its array of new book adaptations, UK-based thrillers, international crime capers, and fresh new instalments of returning shows, it may have even gone one (or two) better…

Below, we’ve rounded up our top picks for the best new crime shows of 2025…

1. All Her Fault

Where to watch it: Peacock
Key themes: Domestic drama, family, paranoia.

Based on Andrea Mara’s novel of the same name, All Her Fault follows a mother who arrives at a house, expecting to pick up her young son from his first playdate. But the woman who answers the door is a stranger, and she doesn’t have her son. As news of the disappearance spreads through the Dublin suburb, the mother is in a race against time to find her child. Performances from big hitters Sarah Snook (Succession), Dakota Fanning (Ripley) and Michael Peña (Jack Ryan) made this one of the most talked-about adaptations of 2025.

2. Virdee

Where to watch it: BBC One
Key themes: Cultural identity, racism.

Staz Nair as Detective Harry Virdee in the new BBC series, Virdee. Image credit: Magical Society/Sam Taylor/BBC.

Based on A.A. Dhand’s bestselling Detective Harry Virdee novels, this gripping series explores crime and cultural tensions in Bradford, as a Sikh detective navigates personal and professional challenges in the Yorkshire city. When a young drug dealer is murdered and a turf war escalates, Detective Virdee is forced to ask his brother-in-law Riaz, a notorious drugs kingpin, for his help.

Game of Thrones‘ Staz Nair stars as Detective Harry Virdee, alongside the likes of Aysha Kala, Nina Singh, Vikash Bhai, Kulvinder Ghir, Sudha Bhuchar and Danyal Ismail.

3. The Crow Girl

Where to watch it: Paramount+
Key themes: Murder, trauma, psychology.

Set against a bleak Bristol backdrop, this adaptation of Erik Axl Sund’s novel is one of 2025’s darkest crime stories. Katherine Kelly and Eve Myles play two women drawn together by a string of brutal killings, while Dougray Scott adds steel as the investigating officer. It’s a rare British thriller that matches the icy tone of its Scandi source material.

4. Missing You

Where to watch it: Netflix
Key themes: Secrets, deception.

Still from the Netflix drama Missing You, based on the Harlan Coben novel of the same name.

Missing You is yet another limited drama series adapted from one of Harlan Coben’s immensely popular novels. It stars Slow Horses‘ Rosalind Eleazar as Detective Kat Donovan, who discovers her fiancé’s profile on a dating app a decade after his disappearance, leading her to uncover a whole host of shady past secrets. Missing You is twisty, gripping, and we might have binged the whole thing in one sitting…

5. Dexter: Resurrection

Where to watch it: Paramount+
Key themes: Serial killing, justice, vigilantism.

Rather than completely reinvent the franchise, this sequel series picks up just moments after New Blood and follows Dexter to New York in search of Harrison Morgan. Michael C. Hall slips back into the role of everyone’s favourite serial killer with ease, while Uma Thurman and Peter Dinklage bring real bite as new obstacles in his path. Fans and critics agreed Dexter: Resurrection was a sharper, more confident revival than expected.

6. Unforgotten, series 6

Where to watch it: ITV
Key themes: Cold cases, policing.

Sanjeev Bhaskar and Sinéad Keenan in Unforgotten series 6. Image credit: Mainstreet Pictures.

ITV’s hugely popular Unforgotten continues to steady itself after Nicola Walker’s departure at the end of its fourth run, with Sinéad Keenan’s DCI Jessie James growing into the role in the show’s sixth series. This time, DCI James and DS Sunni Khan investigate the death of a right-wing man with plenty of debts and a fair few enemies. A decade after its debut, Unforgotten remains one of ITV’s most reliable and enjoyable crime dramas.

7. Blue Lights, series 3

Where to watch it: BBC One
Key themes: Policing, loyalty.

Life on the streets of Belfast grows even more fraught in the exceptional Blue Lights’ third outing. Returning leads Siân Brooke, Katherine Devlin and Nathan Braniff play the now-familiar police officers who tackle escalating tensions and shifting loyalties in some of their toughest cases yet. Building on its acclaimed debut and follow-up, this third run tightens its focus even more and cements its place among the UK’s top police dramas. A message for Line of Duty: Blue Lights is coming for you…

8. Adolescence

Where to watch it: Netflix
Key themes: Teen violence, sexism, justice.

Erin Doherty and Owen Cooper in Adolescence. Image credit: Ben Blackall/Netflix.

There was a slight danger that this ambitious drama might come off as gimmicky, as each episode was shot in one long, uninterrupted take. However, given the quality of talent behind and in front of the camera, we’d instead describe it as a real televisual event. Stephen Graham leads the four-part project, with Philip Barantini directing after his one-take success with Boiling Point.

Adolescence follows a schoolboy arrested for the murder of a classmate, but it’s less whodunnit, more whydunnit. The show sparked nationwide conversation and was a huge smash for Netflix, winning a raft of major awards and turning young Owen Cooper into a breakout star.

9. Out There

Where to watch it: ITV.
Key themes: Drugs, rural crime, parenthood.

Martin Clunes in new ITV drama, Out There. Credit: Buffalo Pictures for ITV and ITVX

This gritty ITV drama stars Martin Clunes as Nathan, a Welsh farmer confronting county lines drug-dealing in his rural community and its impact on his livelihood and 15-year-old son. Out There was written by acclaimed screenwriter Ed Whitmore (Grace, Manhunt, Silent Witness) and director Marc Evans (Manhunt, The Pembrokeshire Murders), and it’s a tense, can’t-look-away watch.

10. Bergerac

Where to watch it: UKTV.
Key themes: Policing, community.

Oh, yes. You read that right: Bergerac is back! Damien Molony (Ripper Street, Being Human) takes over from John Nettles as the eponymous Jersey detective. It’s not exactly the reboot of the original ‘80s series that many TV crime drama fans have been clamouring for, as it’s a modern and moody re-imagining as opposed to a sequel or prequel. However, due to its gripping storylines and a charming central performance from Molony, it was one of our unexpected favourites of the year.

11. This City is Ours

Where to watch it: BBC One
Key themes: Gangland, power, family.

James Nelson-Joyce in This City Is Ours. Credit: BBC/Left Bank Pictures/James Stack.

Liverpool’s criminal underworld takes centre stage in this bruising family saga, with Sean Bean anchoring the story as a gang boss fighting to keep control of his empire. James Nelson-Joyce and Jack McMullen add spark as the next generation jostling for power. With sharp writing and real emotional heft, This City is Ours stands out as one of the year’s strongest UK originals. We expect a second run soon.

12. Get Millie Black

Where to watch it: Channel 4
Key themes: Politics, disappearance, policing.

Detective Millie-Jean Black leaves Scotland Yard behind and moves to Jamaica to investigate the case of a missing schoolgirl. But gradually, she realises the disappearance is steeped in political rot. Tamara Lawrance shines in the titular role, with Joe Dempsie and Gershwyn Eustache Jr. providing strong support. The series blends mystery with pointed social commentary: it’s bold, stylish, and unlike anything else on TV.

13. MobLand

Where to watch it: Paramount+
Key themes: Family, influence, gangs.

London’s organised crime scene gets a glossy, bruising makeover in this crime epic fronted by Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren. A turf war spirals out of control when a junior member of the Harrigans kills a young rival, setting off a chain reaction of violence and retribution. The series mixes swagger with surprisingly high emotional stakes. Slick direction (Guy Ritchie helms the opening two episodes) and heavyweight performances (Hardy is the clear standout) make MobLand an undeniably delicious watch.

14. The Residence

Where to watch it: Netflix
Key themes: Murder, whodunnit, politics.

Uzo Aduba plays investigator Cordelia Cupp in the offbeat detective Netflix mystery The Residence. Credit: Jessica Brooks/Netflix.

A state dinner gone wrong sparks mayhem in this Shondaland whodunnit, where Uzo Aduba’s offbeat investigator probes a murder inside the White House residence. Joined by an ensemble including Giancarlo Esposito, Susan Kelechi Watson and Randall Park, the show is a playful mix of mystery, satire and political farce that proves unexpectedly charming – all while retaining a criminal edge that keeps you hooked.

15. Task

Where to watch it: HBO/Sky
Key themes: Kidnapping, organised crime, policing.

The team behind the Emmy-winning Mare of Easttown return with another elite miniseries starring an A-list actor. Mark Ruffalo stars as the head of an FBI task force investigating a complex kidnapping case. After a slow, steady start, Task really comes into its own. Ruffalo is very good, but co-stars Tom Pelphrey, Alison Oliver and Emilia Jones give stand-out performances. Not only is this a tense crime thriller, it’s also an unexpectedly touching and thoughtful exploration of family and belonging. Unmissable.

16. Black Rabbit

Where to watch it: Netflix
Key themes: Family, organised crime.

Jude Law plays Jake, a man whose brother drags him into trouble with a local gang, in Black Rabbit. Credit: Netflix.

Tensions simmer inside a New York restaurant in this stylish thriller, where estranged brothers played by Jason Bateman and Jude Law find themselves in trouble after Bateman’s Vince becomes indebted to some vicious local gangsters. As the walls close in, the supporting cast – including Cleopatra Coleman and Sope Dirisu – help turn the show into a sleek, character-driven standout. Black Rabbit begins a little unconvincingly but, after the main players’ motivations become clear, it soon finds its paws. By the end, this is seriously, seriously tense stuff.

17. Smoke

Where to watch it: Apple TV+
Key themes: Arson, conspiracy.

Arson and conspiracy fuel this moody Pacific Northwest thriller from writer Dennis Lehane. Taron Egerton plays a fire investigator looking into a pattern of linked blazes, with Jurnee Smollett matching him beat for beat as the detective on the case. Thick atmosphere and careful pacing help set the show apart from standard procedural fare. The best part? Smoke has one of the year’s more memorable – and oddly sympathetic – bad guys in Freddy Fasano, played by Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine (also seen in this year’s Dexter: Resurrection).

Those are our 17 picks from 2025. Were there any shows that we missed? Let us know in the comments below…

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