Columbo

Series Similar to Columbo

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

1. Lie to Me*

   2009 · Drama, Crime, Mystery · ended

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

   This compelling new drama series stars Tim Roth as Dr. Cal Lightman, the world's leading deception expert who studies facial expressions and involuntary body language to discover not only if someone is lying, but why. Based on the real-life scientific discoveries of Dr. Paul Ekman, the series follows Lightman and his team of deception experts as they assist law enforcement and government agencies to expose the truth behind the lies.

2. Monk

   2002 · Drama, Crime, Mystery · ended

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

   An ex-cop suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder solves crimes with various (and usually exasperated) sidekicks. The 'defective detective' may have an abundance of phobias (heights, crowds, and even milk), but also razor-sharp deductive skills, which he uses to help the San Francisco police with especially baffling cases.

3. The Brokenwood Mysteries

   2014 · Drama, Crime, Mystery · returning

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

   The Brokenwood Mysteries is set in a seemingly quiet New Zealand country town where the town's newest resident, Detective Inspector Mike Shepherd, finds that murder lurks in even the most homely location.Premiered in 2014 on Prime Television New Zealand. Moved to TVNZ 1 and Acorn TV with Season 7 in early 2021.

4. Janet King

   2014 · Drama, Crime, Mystery · ended

   Recommended for similar Crime / Mystery profile, highly rated (8), also on ABC.

   Created as a spin-off from the 2011 legal drama Crownies. Janet King follows the story of Senior Crown Prosecutor Janet King, tracing her journey in Series 1 in the Department of Public Prosecutions to a Royal Commission into Serious Firearm Crime in Series 2 to the National Crime Commission in Series 3.

5. Vega$

   1978 · Drama, Crime, Mystery · ended

   Recommended for similar Crime / Mystery profile, highly rated (8), also on ABC.

   Vega$ was an American crime drama television series that followed private detective Dan Tanna. Working for a wide variety of Las Vegas clients, the detective work included locating missing persons, helping solve various Las Vegas hotel and casino crimes, solving casino chip and money scams, and working to make Las Vegas a safer place for residents and tourists alike. Dan Tanna made a point of not accepting divorce cases, or working as a bodyguard. Being in Las Vegas, Tanna was occasionally hired to work for well known celebrity clients who had issues regarding their personal safety, and needed help solving personal issues or threats against them.

6. Sherlock

   2010 · Drama, Crime, Mystery · ended

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

   Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson's adventures in 21st Century London. A thrilling, funny, fast-paced contemporary reimagining of the Arthur Conan Doyle classic.

7. Messiah

   2001 · Drama, Crime, Mystery · ended

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

   Crime drama series following the investigations of DCI Red Metcalfe.

8. The Doctor Blake Mysteries

   2013 · Drama, Crime, Mystery · ended

   Recommended for similar Crime / Mystery profile, highly rated (8.1), also on ABC.

   Doctor Lucien Blake returns to Ballarat to once again solve a series of strange and baffling murders, only to find change is afoot, nothing is sacred, and no one is safe.

9. The Alfred Hitchcock Hour

   1962 · Drama, Crime, Mystery · ended

   Recommended for similar Crime / Mystery profile, highly rated (8.1).

   Previously Alfred Hitchcock Presents, the series expanded to an hour. Master of the macabre Alfred Hitchcock introduces and concludes tales of suspense and crime. Hitchcock's speeches are filled with black humor and jabs at his network sponsors.

10. Castle

    2009 · Drama, Crime, Mystery · ended

    Recommended for similar Crime / Mystery profile, highly rated (8.2), also on ABC.

    Castle follows Rick Castle who is one of the world's most successful crime authors. But when his rock star lifestyle isn't enough, this bad boy goes looking for new trouble and finds it working with smart, beautiful Detective Kate Beckett. Inspired by her professional record and intrigued by her buttoned-up personality, Castle's found the model for his bold new character whether she likes it or not. Now with the mayor's permission, Castle is helping solve crime with his own twist.