
Shows that feel likeCastle (2009–2016)
If you loved Castle, the closest series we have are Law & Order (1990), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000) and Lie to Me (2009). All three share Castle's contemplative and gritty feel, which is what we rank on before quality.
Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Unbelievable (2019).
If Castle hit the spot, these will too


Weekly cases solved by a team who genuinely like each other
The difference: Lab-driven and cooler, no writer in the room

An outside specialist reading people better than the detectives can
The difference: Prickly and clinical, with much less charm

A close-knit squad working cases weekly, family in all but name
The difference: Grim and violent, with none of the banter or bookish charm

Police work softened by the people the lead comes home to
The difference: Family sermon over banter, and no comic partner

A charming outsider working beside police with his own agenda
The difference: Cold, snowbound and morally ugly, with a killer at the centre

New York crime and the double lives people keep from each other
The difference: Serialised, brutal and told from the criminal's side of the desk

Detectives whose care for the victim drives the case
The difference: A true story told with no entertainment in it at all

Investigations that turn on personality as much as on evidence
The difference: Real cases played straight, with courtroom weight instead of romance

Murder, politics and charm all operating in the same city rooms
The difference: Prohibition-era prestige drama, slow and violent, no case of the week

One outsider's nerve carrying them through a world of professionals
The difference: A telenovela saga from the wrong side of the law, and far heavier

Contemplative where it counts, gritty underneath
In the mood for more contemplative?
all contemplative shows →The best-reviewed series that share Castle’s defining feeling.









