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If you’re looking for a crime series to stream in the U.S., these 20 picks cover everything from cartel dramas and heists to investigations, legal cases and crime-comedy hybrids. The selection balances critical and editorial reputation, variety of format and titles listed in the Netflix U.S. crime catalog or Hulu’s crime hub. It is an editorial guide, not a scored or objectively ranked top 20.
Catalog listings can change, and a hub listing does not establish that every season is available or included with every plan. Check the show’s current title page in your region before you start.
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Lucifer: The Complete Third Season | $13.92 | Buy on Amazon |
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![Banacek: The Complete Series Box Set [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51z0tgd1VfL._SL160_.jpg)
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Banacek: The Complete Series Box Set [DVD] | $41.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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NCIS- Season 3 | $14.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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Criminal Minds: Season 14 | $20.68 | Buy on Amazon |
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CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Season 1 | $9.62 | Buy on Amazon |
Serialized crime dramas and moral compromises
Breaking Bad — Netflix
A high-stakes crime drama about a chemistry teacher who enters the meth trade and the consequences that spread through his family and criminal world. Its appeal is the character transformation as much as the escalating danger. Choose it for a sustained, season-spanning story rather than a case-of-the-week format. Netflix’s U.S. crime catalog lists the series.
Ozark — Netflix
A tense family-crime drama centered on a financial adviser drawn into laundering money for a cartel. The story keeps its focus on the family’s compromises and the pressures of staying useful to dangerous people. It is a fit for viewers who want a continuing plot and a bleak, suspenseful tone. Listed in Netflix’s U.S. crime catalog.
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Narcos — Netflix
This crime drama draws on real-world drug-trafficking history, following the rise of powerful cartels and the efforts to pursue them. Its subject matter and violence make it a more intense choice than a light procedural. Netflix’s U.S. crime catalog includes it; the listing alone does not establish which seasons are currently available.
Snowfall — Hulu
A serialized crime drama about the crack cocaine trade and its effects on people and communities. Its appeal lies in the way criminal activity and its consequences shape the characters’ lives over time. Hulu’s crime hub lists the series. Check its current title page for the applicable rating and season availability.
The Americans — Hulu
A character-led espionage drama in which criminal intrigue and covert operations intersect with family life. It is less a conventional police investigation than a long-form story about divided loyalties and the costs of living a double life. Hulu’s crime hub lists it; expect a continuing narrative rather than standalone cases.
Dexter — Hulu
A dark crime drama built around a forensic technician who works with the police while secretly killing people he believes deserve it. That premise makes this a morally uneasy, violent choice, not a standard detective show. Hulu’s crime hub describes the series as a TV-MA drama/crime series and lists it in its catalog.
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Rank #2
- George Peppard is Thomas Banacek, Boston s leading freelance investigator. When a crime proves too difficult for insurance investigators to solve, Banacek is called on in thisic TV Show from the early 70s. This specially priced DVD contains three of the best episodes from this beloved series. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION Rating: NR Age: 829567054727 UPC: 82956
Animal Kingdom — Netflix
A family crime drama focused on a young man pulled into the orbit of a criminal family. Its engine is the tension between loyalty, survival and the risks of the family’s criminal life. Netflix’s U.S. crime catalog lists the series.
The Gentlemen — Netflix
A crime-comedy hybrid that brings criminal power struggles together with an irreverent tone. It is a good option when you want crime-world scheming without the consistently grave mood of a cartel drama. Netflix’s U.S. crime catalog lists the title.
Investigations, cases and legal drama
The Mentalist — Hulu
A procedural built around investigations and the perceptive methods of Patrick Jane, who assists law enforcement. Its case-driven structure makes it easier to dip into than a tightly serialized crime saga, while the character’s personal history supplies a longer-running thread. Listed in Hulu’s crime hub.
Criminal Minds — Hulu
A crime procedural focused on a team that analyzes criminal behavior to investigate cases. The format offers recurring investigative stories, but its subject matter can be disturbing; a crime label alone is not a complete content warning. Hulu’s crime hub lists the show. Check its current title page for rating and included seasons.
Rank #3
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — Hulu
A long-running police procedural centered on investigations of sex crimes. Its case-focused structure suits viewers who want individual investigations rather than one unbroken plot. The subject matter is serious and may be upsetting. Hulu’s crime hub lists the series; consult the current title page for its rating and availability details.
The Blacklist — Netflix
A crime procedural with an ongoing conspiracy thread, built around a criminal who helps law enforcement pursue other wanted figures. It combines recurring cases with a larger mystery, so it can work for viewers who want both episodic developments and continuing storylines. Listed in Netflix’s U.S. crime catalog.
The Lincoln Lawyer — Netflix
A legal crime drama following a defense attorney whose cases bring him into contact with dangerous clients and complicated investigations. It offers courtroom and case-solving elements rather than the police-team structure of a conventional procedural. Netflix’s U.S. crime catalog lists the series.
Justified — Hulu
A crime drama with a distinctive regional setting, following a U.S. Marshal whose methods and personal history complicate his work. Its cases sit alongside longer character and criminal-world storylines. Hulu’s crime hub lists it; check the current page for rating and season availability.
Rank #4
The Rookie — Hulu
A police procedural centered on a newcomer to the force. Its work-based, case-driven structure gives it a different entry point from stories focused on established criminal empires or a single long investigation. Hulu’s crime hub lists the series.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Heists, crime worlds and genre blends
Money Heist — Netflix
A high-pressure heist series driven by elaborate plans, shifting loyalties and the risks of a robbery under siege. It favors cliffhangers and a continuing story over self-contained investigations. Netflix’s U.S. crime catalog lists it.
Peaky Blinders — Netflix
A period crime drama about a gang and its expanding influence. Its appeal is the combination of criminal power struggles, family dynamics and a strongly defined historical setting. Netflix’s U.S. crime catalog lists the series.
Good Girls — Netflix
A crime-comedy hybrid about women whose attempt to solve financial problems pulls them into criminal schemes. Its lighter, character-driven premise contrasts with the bleakness of many cartel and serial-killer dramas, though the criminal stakes remain central. Listed in Netflix’s U.S. crime catalog.
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Lucifer — Netflix
A supernatural crime hybrid that pairs investigations with a central character who is the Devil. It is a tonal change of pace from realistic crime dramas, mixing police cases with fantasy and comedy elements. Netflix’s U.S. crime catalog lists the series.
Fargo — Hulu
A crime anthology with a distinctive blend of dark comedy, violence and ordinary people caught in extraordinary criminal situations. Its anthology approach makes it a useful choice for viewers who like crime stories with an unusual tone rather than a straightforward procedural. Hulu’s crime hub lists the series.
MobLand — Hulu
A crime drama about organized-crime power struggles. It is a contemporary option for viewers interested in criminal factions and their conflicts, rather than a case-of-the-week police format. Hulu’s crime hub lists the title; verify the current title page for rating and season availability.
How to choose a crime show
- For a long, escalating story: try Breaking Bad, Ozark, Snowfall or Money Heist.
- For recurring investigations: consider The Mentalist, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit or The Rookie.
- For a legal or investigative angle: start with The Lincoln Lawyer or The Blacklist.
- For a lighter or stranger blend: try Good Girls, Lucifer or Fargo.
- For a darker, more intense premise: look at Dexter, Narcos or Criminal Minds, and check the platform’s rating and title details before watching.
The Netflix U.S. crime catalog and Hulu crime hub are the basis for the service listings above. They establish that these titles appeared in those services’ crime collections, not that availability is permanent, universal, or identical across subscription plans. Rotten Tomatoes’ September 2026 crime browse page provides filters and popularity or rating controls, but does not establish a comparable current top-20 ranking for this selection.
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