13 crime TV shows you shouldn’t miss in 2026

Crime drama has a busy year ahead. The genre’s been evolving fast, with streaming platforms and traditional broadcasters chasing darker stories, stranger mysteries and sharper character work. We’ve come to expect more than just case-of-the-week police procedurals: we’re looking for excellent writing, an A-list cast, and a few clever surprises along the way.

Looking at the early slate for 2026, there’s a clear sense that studios know the bar is set high. Several long-gestating projects are finally landing, a handful of major names are returning to television, and a couple of unexpected adaptations look ready to make some noise.

So, if you like your television tense, stylish and more than a little unpredictable, here’s our verdict on the best crime dramas of 2026.

Original new crime dramas

Dustfall
Where to watch it: BBC One
When it’s available: TBD

There’s something instantly gripping about a crime story set miles from anywhere, and this new drama makes full use of its remote Australian backdrop. Dustfall follows Detective Tig Pollard who returns to the sweltering coastal town of North Gap, only to find a string of drink-spiking cases no one wants to touch. Things escalate when a suspect ends up dead, pulling Tig into a case of small-town loyalty and buried resentment. The setting, mood and slow-burn tension are enough to keep you glued to your screen.

Scarpetta
Where to watch it: Prime Video
When it’s available:11th March 2026

Nicole Kidman plays Kay Scarpetta in the new Prime Video adaptation. Image credit: Credit Connie Chornuk/Prime.

It’s taken long enough, but Patricia Cornwell’s immensely enjoyable and bestselling Scarpetta novels are finally getting a proper adaptation. And the best news? Amazon’s Prime Video has gone big with it. Hollywood icon Nicole Kidman steps into the role of Dr. Kay Scarpetta as the series moves between her early forensic work and a present-day case that forces her back into old territory. The tone looks set to be slick, atmospheric and detailed, with enough character focus to satisfy fans of the books while still offering something fresh to viewers unfamiliar with the story.

Out of the Dust
Where to watch it: Netflix
When it’s available: Early 2026

In Out of the Dust, a young woman starts to question the strict religious sect she grew up in, gradually shining a light on the group’s control tactics and long-held secrets. If you like your crime dramas with a slow-building, intimate and quietly threatening atmosphere, this one is for you. BAFTA winner Molly Windsor (Three Girls) anchors the series, while Asa Butterfield, Christopher Eccleston, Siobhan Finneran, and Fra Fee add extra weight to the cast.

Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials
Where to watch it: Netflix
When it’s available: 15th January 2026

Helena Bonham Carter in Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials Mystery. Image credit: Simon Ridgway/Netflix.

This latest Christie adaptation adopts a playful tone that suits the story perfectly. Seven Dials drops us into 1920s high society, where a lively house party takes a sharp turn and young Bundle Brent, played by Mia McKenna-Bruce (Persuasion, How to Have Sex), stumbles into a maze of secret codes and shadowy organisations. With Helena Bonham Carter and Martin Freeman adding extra spark, Seven Dials is brisk, charming and full of Christie’s signature plot twists.

I Will Find You
Where to watch it: Netflix
When it’s available: Early 2026

Netflix and Harlan Coben have become a super reliable pairing, and this latest adaptation has a strong hook. Based on the 2023 novel of the same name, Sam Worthington (Avatar) leads the story of a man convicted of killing his young son, only to be presented with evidence that the boy might still be alive. Expect a twist-heavy, binge-friendly family drama – exactly the sort of thing Coben fans have come to expect.

The Blame
Where to watch it: ITV1
When it’s available: TBD

Fool Me Once star Michelle Keegan and Worried About the Boy’s Douglas Booth team up for The Blame, a six-part cop drama that’s coming soon to ITV1. Keegan and Booth play DI Emma Crane and DI Tom Radley, two detectives working a murder case who fall in love – until one of them is suspected of the crime… The series is based on Charlotte Langley’s debut novel and written by All Her Fault‘s Megan Gallagher.

The Cage
Where to watch it: BBC One
When it’s available: TBD

Sheridan Smith and Michael Socha in new BBC drama The Cage. Image credit: BBC/Element Pictures/James Stack.

A Liverpool casino doesn’t sound like an obvious setting for a crime thriller, but that’s exactly where The Cage plants its story. Sheridan Smith takes the lead as Leanne, a woman working at an inner-city casino who learns that she and a stranger (Michael Socha) are trying to steal from the same safe. From there, the pair are pulled into a dangerous world where favours, debts and loyalties shift by the minute. The backdrop gives it a different flavour to the usual police-focused dramas, and Sheridan Smith is as brilliant and watchable as ever.

Legends
Where to watch it: Netflix
When it’s available: TBD

Strike‘s Tom Burke and comedy royalty Steve Coogan headline the 1980’s-set Legends, the latest series from writer and creator Neil Forsyth (Guilt, The Gold). The pair play customs officers pushed deep undercover as they slip inside major drug networks while balancing their real lives outside of the job. The era gives it grit, the premise brings heart-racing tension, and Neil Forsyth’s naturally witty writing finds humour in any situation. With the talent involved, we predict this will be a major hit for Netflix in 2026.

Returning TV crime dramas

The Night Manager, series 2
Where to watch it: BBC One
When it’s available: 1st January 2026

Olivia Colman reprises her role as Angela Burr in the second series of The Night Manager. Image credit: Ink Factory.

This was a follow-up many TV fans thought they might never see. It has been over eight years since the BBC proudly presented their high-end spy thriller The Night Manager to an unsuspecting public. Finally, after plenty of rumours and false starts, it returned with a second series at the start of January. Tom Hiddleston was back as the hotel-manager-turned-spy Jonathan Pine, alongside Olivia Colman, who played Pine’s British Intelligence handler Angela Burr.

For more information on the show, read our guide to The Night Manager series 2.

Line of Duty, series 7
Where to watch it: BBC One
When it’s available: Late 2026

First look at Line of Duty series 7. Image credit: BBC/World Productions/Steffan Hill.

It’s back. Expect a reunited trio, a restructured policing landscape and a new case that threatens to pull everything apart. The seventh series of Line of Duty brings Fleming, Arnott and Hastings back into the fray as they investigate allegations of sexual impropriety by a serving detective, pushing them into familiar territory but with a fresh twist. It’s a chance for Jed Mercurio’s show to reset slightly while keeping the tension, suspicion and procedural detail that made it such a hit in the first place.

Strike, series 7 (The Running Grave)
Where to watch it: BBC One
When it’s available: TBD

The Running Grave sees private detectives Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott, played by Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger, venture deep into a secluded religious community after a family begs for help retrieving their adult son. What begins as a straightforward request quickly turns into a tense undercover assignment where trust is scarce and pressure builds fast. It’s set to be another charged and atmospheric adaptation from the bestselling Cormoran Strike series.

Unforgotten, series 7
Where to watch it: ITV1
When it’s available: Late 2026

Another cold case lands on Jessie and Sunny’s desks and, as ever, the ripples reach far beyond the original crime. Unforgotten’s seventh outing sticks to the show’s strengths, focusing on careful police work, layered character drama and the long-term impact of past decisions. It’s steady, grounded storytelling that trusts the audience to keep up, making it one of ITV’s most consistently watchable crime dramas.

Peaky Blinders sequel
Where to watch it: Netflix
When it’s available: TBD

Technically, this will be a seventh run of the Peaky Blinders saga too, although this as-yet untitled follow-up is more of a sequel than a continuation. Steven Knight’s adored Birmingham-set crime epic shifts a few years into the future to 1953. The next chapter shifts the focus to the younger Shelby generation as they attempt to navigate a criminal landscape shaped by their parents. The sequel series, which will follow the new film Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, out in March 2026, gives the franchise room to grow without repeating itself.

Those are our early standouts for the year ahead. If there’s a series you think should join the list, let us know in the comments below…