Cold Case

Series Similar to Cold Case

If you enjoyed Cold Case, these series share similar themes, tone, and quality. Each recommendation is scored on genre overlap, tonal match, and critical acclaim.

1. The Wire

   2002 · Drama, Crime · ended99% match

   Recommended for similar Crime profile, highly rated (8.9).

   The first season of The Wire (2002) concentrated on the often-futile efforts of police to infiltrate a West Baltimore drug ring headed by Avon Barksdale and his lieutenant, Stringer Bell. In Seasons Two and Three, as the Barksdale investigation escalated, new storylines involving pressures on the working class and the city's political leadership were introduced. Season Four focused on the stories of several young boys in the public school system, struggling with problems at home and the lure of the corner - set against the rise of a new drug empire in West Baltimore and a new Mayor in City Hall. The fifth and final season of The Wire centers on the media's role in addressing - or failing to address - the fundamental political, economic and social realities depicted over the course of the series, while also resolving storylines of the numerous characters woven throughout the narrative arc of the show.

2. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

   2000 · Drama, Action, Crime · ended99% match

   Recommended for similar Crime profile, highly rated (8.1), also on CBS.

   CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is a drama about a team of forensic investigators trained to solve criminal cases by scouring the crime scene, collecting irrefutable evidence and finding the missing pieces that solve the mystery.

3. Thorne

   2010 · Drama, Crime · ended99% match

   Recommended for similar Crime profile, highly rated (8), hidden gem.

   Thorne, a television drama series which debuted on Sky1 in the UK on 10 October 2010, is based on crime writer Mark Billingham's novels. The series stars David Morrissey in the title role of Detective Inspector Tom Thorne, and includes Aidan Gillen, Eddie Marsan, and Natascha McElhone as supporting cast members.

4. The Sopranos

   1999 · Drama, Crime · ended98% match

   Recommended for similar Crime profile, highly rated (8.9).

   The Sopranos, writer-producer-director David Chase's extraordinary television series, is nominally an urban gangster drama, but its true impact strikes closer to home: Like 1999's other screen touchstone, American Beauty, the HBO series chronicles a dysfunctional, suburban American family in bold relief. And for protagonist Tony Soprano, there's the added complexity posed by heading twin families, his collegial mob clan and his own, nouveau riche brood.

5. The Shield

   2002 · Drama, Crime · ended98% match

   Recommended for similar Crime profile, highly rated (8.6).

   Detective Vic Mackey is the leader of an elite Strike Team unit, a group of cops effective at eliminating crime but also operating under Vic's own set of rules. But his rules sometimes cross the fine line between legal and illegal. Now the precinct has a new captain who doesn't like Vic's tactics and wants to bust him off the force - even as the captain finds himself going to Vic for help whenever the going gets rough.

6. Life

   2007 · Drama, Crime · ended98% match

   Recommended for similar Crime profile, highly rated (8).

   A detective gets a second chance after serving twelve years in prison for a crime he did not commit. 

7. Waking the Dead

   2000 · Drama, Crime · ended97% match

   Recommended for similar Crime profile.

   Drama series following the members of a Cold Case investigation team as they use advanced forensic techniques to uncover the truth and bring criminals to justice.

8. Unforgotten

   2015 · Drama, Crime · returning97% match

   Recommended for similar Crime profile, highly rated (8).

   Unforgotten focuses on ‘cold' murder cases. Each series deals with a new case, introducing seemingly unconnected characters who are gradually revealed to have some relationship with the victim. As the murder mystery unfolds, the emotional ramifications of the crime on the lives of those affected are also explored. 

9. The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies

   2014 · Drama, Crime · ended97% match

   Recommended for similar Crime profile, highly rated (8), hidden gem.

   This drama tells the real-life story of retired schoolteacher Christopher Jefferies who was initially questioned by police as a suspect in the murder of Jo Yeates who rented a flat from him. He was vilified by the press, partly on account of his eccentric appearance and long flowing hair, even after he had been released on bail by the police.

10. Oz

    1997 · Drama, Crime · ended97% match

    Recommended for similar Crime profile, highly rated (8.7).

    HBO's violent men-behind-bars drama is an addictive, testosterone-driven soap opera for guys. The eight episodes of the first season set the style for the show: a massive cast of a vivid characters on both sides of the bars, four or five stories unleashed at a breakneck pace and framed by angry, oddball introductions, and a soaring casualty rate. Created by Homicide producer Tom Fontana, this drama quickly earned its rightful reputation as the most brutal show on TV. It's simple chemistry: combine volatile ingredients in a confined space, shut tight, and shake.