feelsalike.comSign in
CSI: Miami poster

Shows that feel likeCSI: Miami (2002–2012)

The show follows Crime Scene Investigators working for the Miami-Dade Police Department as they use physical evidence, similar to their Las Vegas counterparts, to solve grisly murders. The series mixes deduction, gritty subject matter, and character-driven drama in the same vein as the original series in the CSI franchise, except that the Miami CSIs are cops first, scientists second.

If you loved CSI: Miami, the closest series we have are Elementary (2012), The Killing (2011) and Chicago P.D. (2014). All three share CSI: Miami'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 The Chestnut Man (2021).

★ 6.5 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗10 seasons · CBScreated by Ann Donahuecontemplativetwistygritty
11 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · HBO Max · Amazon Prime Video

If CSI: Miami hit the spot, these will too

Elementary poster
Elementary
2012–2019 · 7 seasons · CBS
★ 7.9drama · mystery · crimePrime VideoHulu

A lead who reads a room nobody else can, one case per hour

The difference: Deduction and dialogue, without the lab spectacle or the sunshine

A modern-day drama about a crime-solving duo that cracks the NYPD's most impossible cases. Following his fall from grace in London and a stint in rehab, eccentric Sherlock escapes to Manhattan where his wealthy father forces him to live with his worst nightmare - a sober companion, Dr. Watson.

The Killing poster
The Killing
2011–2014 · 4 seasons · AMC
★ 8.3drama · crime · mysteryHulu

Detectives working a killing with genuine procedural patience

The difference: One case stretched across a season, grey and grief-soaked

The Killing is an American crime drama television series based upon the Danish television series Forbrydelsen. Set in Seattle, Washington, the series follows the various murder investigations by homicide detectives Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder.

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

A unit that closes ranks and a case every week

The difference: Grim, violent street policing with no camp

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.

Defending Jacob poster
Defending Jacob
2020 · 1 season · Apple TV
★ 7.7drama · mystery · crimeApple TV+

A case examined through the people who cannot let it go

The difference: One family, one season, and no procedure to hide behind

A family's lives are irreparably disrupted when the 14-year-old son is accused of murdering a fellow classmate.

The Outsider poster
The Outsider
2020 · 1 season · HBO
★ 7.6drama · mystery · crimeMax

Evidence that refuses to fit any explanation the team will accept

The difference: Slow supernatural horror, adult and sombre

When an insidious supernatural force edges its way into a seemingly straightforward investigation into the gruesome murder of a young boy, it leads a seasoned cop and an unorthodox investigator to question everything they believe in.

The Chestnut Man poster
The Chestnut Man
2021–2026 · 2 seasons · Netflix
★ 7.6drama · crime · mysteryNetflix

One thread runs through both: detective

At a grisly murder scene sits a figurine made of chestnuts. From this creepy clue, two detectives hunt a killer linked to a politician's missing child.

Dexter poster
Dexter
2006–2013 · 8 seasons · Showtime
★ 8.6crime · drama · mysteryParamount+

Miami forensics, sunshine, and something rotten underneath

The difference: The analyst is the killer, and it is genuinely dark

Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police also leads a secret life as a serial killer, hunting down criminals who have slipped through the cracks of justice.

NCIS: Los Angeles poster
NCIS: Los Angeles
2009–2023 · 14 seasons · CBS
★ 6.8action & adventure · drama · crime

A glossy specialist unit with federal reach and good sunglasses

The difference: Action-forward, with less lab work

The exploits of the Los Angeles–based Office of Special Projects (OSP), an elite division of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service that specializes in undercover assignments.

Mare of Easttown poster
Mare of Easttown
2021 · 1 season · HBO
★ 8.4drama · crime · mysteryMax

Common ground: detective

A detective in a small Pennsylvania town investigates a local murder while trying to keep her life from falling apart.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit poster
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999– · 28 seasons · NBC
★ 8.1crime · drama · mysteryHuluPeacock

A squad you can drop into anywhere, with decades of it waiting

The difference: Far heavier subject matter, and grim where Miami stays glossy

In the criminal justice system, sexually-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories.

Quantico poster
Quantico
2015–2018 · 3 seasons · ABC
★ 6.7crime · drama · mystery

Federal glamour and good-looking people handling very bad things

The difference: One serialised conspiracy with timeline jumps, not weekly cases

A diverse group of recruits has arrived at the FBI Quantico Base for training. They are the best, the brightest and the most vetted, so it seems impossible that one of them is suspected of masterminding the biggest attack on New York City since 9/11.

Luther poster
Luther
2010–2019 · 5 seasons · BBC One
★ 8.4crime · drama · mysteryMaxHulu

A lead detective who bends the department around his instincts

The difference: British, bleak and serialised

A dark psychological crime drama starring Idris Elba as Luther, a man struggling with his own terrible demons, who might be as dangerous as the depraved murderers he hunts.

In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative shows →

The best-reviewed series that share CSI: Miami’s defining feeling.