These crime shows have all the mystery and drama you’re looking for
Top crime series to stream on Showmax
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Feel like sinking your teeth into a gritty thriller, crime caper or police procedural series? Love nothing more than a clever, but flawed, TV detective who’s a genius at cracking cases but totally clueless when it comes to their personal life?
Here are some of the most addictive series that fit the bill, all available on Showmax.
If you prefer true crime stories, check out Showmax’s selection.
Perry Mason
It’s the 1930s and while America is struggling through the Great Depression, Los Angeles is booming. It’s here that a down-and-out defence attorney Perry Mason, takes on the case of the decade. This dark new drama starring Matthew Rhys is inspired by the iconic series that aired in the 1950s and 1960s.
Reckoning
When a teenager is killed, the death is linked to a serial killer who’s been dormant for years. This leads two fathers living in a quiet community on a downward spiral.
Briarpatch season 1
Rosario Dawson plays Allegra Dill, a determined woman who returns to her hometown to investigate her sister’s death. In the process, she uncovers a web of lies and corruption.
Ray Donovan seasons 1 to 7
Ray Donovan is a professional fixer. Whenever a superstar, politician or high-profile businessman is faced with a problem, they turn to Ray to make it disappear, using whatever measures he deems necessary. Winner of multiple Emmy Awards.
Godfather of Harlem
Crime boss Bumpy Johnson returns to Harlem after a decade in prison to find the neighbourhood in shambles and the Italian mafia controlling the streets. Based on a true story, this one stars Forest Whitaker.
Sons of Anarchy seasons 1 to 7
The line between legal and illegal is easily blurred. Members of a California motorcycle club called the Sons of Anarchy take the law into their own hands as they fight to protect their hometown.
Watch the series now, and then watch the spin-off Mayans MC »
Get Shorty seasons 1 to 3
A homage to the novel of the same name by Elmore Leonard and the 1995 movie starring John Travolta, Get Shorty follows the antics of gangster Miles Daly (Chris O’Dowd), whose attempt at changing professions gets him tangled in a web of filmmakers and crime bosses.
Bosch seasons 1 to 5
Detective Harry Bosch is a troubled, but relentless, Los Angeles homicide detective. This gripping, dark series is based on the novels by Michael Connelly, and the title character is played by Titus Welliver. Bosch scores 97% on Rotten Tomatoes so you can be assured it’s excellent.
HBO’s The Wire seasons 1 to 5
Step into the streets of Baltimore, where gritty cops and clever drug dealers square off in this brilliant crime thriller where right and wrong is never black or white. The Wire is widely considered one of the finest TV series of all time.
HBO’s True Detective seasons 1 to 3
HBO’s True Detective is one of the most gripping and intense crime dramas of the past few years. It’s an anthology, with a separate story in each season. The cast includes Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as a pair of cops who uncover an occult network in Louisiana in season 1, and Colin Farrell, Vince Vaughn and Rachel McAdams investigating a complicated case in California in season 2.
Season 3 has been hailed as the best of the lot, with Mahershala Ali playing an investigator who worked a murder and missing persons case in 1980, revisited it a decade later, and then in 2015 is forced to relive it when a true crime documentary filmmaker seeks him out.
Fargo seasons 1 to 3
This anthology series is inspired by the Coen Brothers movie of the same name; they’re all set in the snowy, remote climes of North Dakota and Minnesota; and they’re all about law enforcement officials on the trail of organised crime, hitmen and the hapless, ordinary people who get caught in their webs and end up becoming criminals themselves.
Each season is as darkly funny and intriguing as the last, with stars such as Martin Freeman, Billy Bob Thornton and Ewan McGregor keeping you hooked.
The Outsider
Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Stephen King, this horror crime miniseries focuses on the investigation of the gruesome murder of a young teenager.
Mr Robot seasons 1 to 4
Oscar, Golden Globe and Emmy winner Rami Malek stars as antisocial hacker Elliot, who is recruited by an anarchist known only as Mr Robot. With its themes of cyber terrorism and manipulation, Mr Robot couldn’t feel more timely.
The Girl From St Agnes
The mysterious death of a schoolgirl at an elite boarding school sets off a desperate hunt for the truth. It seems everyone has something to hide in this gripping Showmax Original drama filmed in the Midlands.
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This article was paid for by Showmax.
Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.