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Castle poster

Shows that feel likeCastle (2009–2016)

After a serial killer imitates the plots of his novels, successful mystery novelist Richard "Rick" Castle receives permission from the Mayor of New York City to tag along with an NYPD homicide investigation team for research purposes.

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).

★ 8.1 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗8 seasons · ABCcreated by Andrew W. Marlowecontemplativegritty
12 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · HBO Max · Amazon Prime Video

If Castle hit the spot, these will too

Law & Order poster
Law & Order
1990– · 26 seasons · NBC
★ 7.8crime · dramaNetflixHulu

New York City shapes both of them

In cases ripped from the headlines, police investigate serious and often deadly crimes, weighing the evidence and questioning the suspects until someone is taken into custody. The district attorney's office then builds a case to convict the perpetrator by proving the person guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Working together, these expert teams navigate all sides of the complex criminal justice system to make New York a safer place.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation poster
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
2000–2015 · 15 seasons · CBS
★ 7.7crime · drama · mysteryHuluParamount+

Weekly cases solved by a team who genuinely like each other

The difference: Lab-driven and cooler, no writer in the room

A Las Vegas team of forensic investigators are trained to solve criminal cases by scouring the crime scene, collecting irrefutable evidence and finding the missing pieces that solve the mystery.

Lie to Me poster
Lie to Me
2009–2011 · 3 seasons · FOX
★ 8crime · drama · mysteryHulu

An outside specialist reading people better than the detectives can

The difference: Prickly and clinical, with much less charm

The world's leading deception researcher, Dr. Cal Lightman, studies facial expression, body language and tone of voice to determine when a person is lying and why, which helps law enforcement and government agencies uncover the truth. But his skills also make it easier for him to deceive others.

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Chicago P.D.
2014– · 14 seasons · NBC
★ 8.1crime · dramaPrime VideoPeacock

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

A riveting police drama about the men and women of the Chicago Police Department's District 21 who put it all on the line to serve and protect their community. District 21 is made up of two distinctly different groups: the uniformed cops who patrol the beat and go head-to-head with the city's street crimes and the Intelligence Unit that combats the city's major offenses - organized crime, drug trafficking, high profile murders and beyond.

Blue Bloods poster
Blue Bloods
2010–2024 · 14 seasons · CBS
★ 7.7crime · dramaPrime VideoParamount+

Police work softened by the people the lead comes home to

The difference: Family sermon over banter, and no comic partner

A drama about a multi-generational family of cops dedicated to New York City law enforcement. Frank Reagan is the New York Police Commissioner and heads both the police force and the Reagan brood. He runs his department as diplomatically as he runs his family, even when dealing with the politics that plagued his unapologetically bold father, Henry, during his stint as Chief.

Dexter: New Blood poster
Dexter: New Blood
2021–2022 · 1 season · Showtime
★ 8drama · crimeParamount+

A charming outsider working beside police with his own agenda

The difference: Cold, snowbound and morally ugly, with a killer at the centre

10 years after Dexter went missing in the eye of Hurricane Laura, we find him living under an assumed name in the small town of Iron Lake, New York. Dexter may be embracing his new life, but in the wake of unexpected events in this close-knit community, his Dark Passenger beckons.

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Power
2014–2020 · 6 seasons · STARZ
★ 8.1crime · dramaHuluStarz

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

A successful New York entrepreneur lives a double life as the head of a drug empire that serves only the rich and influential, all while wanting to escape the underworld and keep his family safe.

Unbelievable poster
Unbelievable
2019 · 1 season · Netflix
★ 8.3drama · crimeNetflix

Detectives whose care for the victim drives the case

The difference: A true story told with no entertainment in it at all

After a young woman is accused of lying about a rape, two female detectives investigate a spate of eerily similar attacks.

American Crime Story poster
American Crime Story
2016–2021 · 3 seasons · FX
★ 8.4crime · dramaHulu

Investigations that turn on personality as much as on evidence

The difference: Real cases played straight, with courtroom weight instead of romance

An anthology series centered around some of history's most famous criminal investigations.

Boardwalk Empire poster
Boardwalk Empire
2010–2014 · 5 seasons · HBO
★ 8.5crime · dramaMax

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

Atlantic City at the dawn of Prohibition is a place where the rules don't apply. And the man who runs things -- legally and otherwise -- is the town's treasurer, Enoch "Nucky" Thompson, who is equal parts politician and gangster.

La Reina del Sur poster
La Reina del Sur
2011– · 3 seasons · Telemundo
★ 7.8drama · crimeNetflix

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

After years of blood, sweat and tears, a woman of humble origin ends up becoming a drug trafficking legend, with all that that means...

Justified poster
Justified
2010–2015 · 6 seasons · FX
★ 8.6crime · dramaHulu

Contemplative where it counts, gritty underneath

A character drama based on the 2001 Elmore Leonard short story "Fire in the Hole." Leonard's tale centers around U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens of Kentucky, a quiet but strong-willed official of the law. The tale covers his high-stakes job, as well as his strained relationships with his ex-wife and father.

In the mood for more contemplative?

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The best-reviewed series that share Castle’s defining feeling.