The best crime shows to watch right now include British police dramas such as Happy Valley, The Responder and Sherwood, spy thrillers like Slow Horses, and American classics including The Wire and True Detective. Each one roots its investigation in a specific place and community, which is why they stay gripping. Below you will find our picks, a mood guide, viewing-order tips and what to check when testing an IPTV free trial.
The Best Crime Shows to Stream Right Now
The Responder
Martin Freeman plays a morally compromised Liverpool response officer working night shifts while his life falls apart. Written by former police officer Tony Schumacher, it is raw, tense and unmissable.
Happy Valley
Sally Wainwright's masterpiece. Three series of compulsive West Yorkshire crime drama, with Sarah Lancashire's Sergeant Catherine Cawood one of the great characters in British TV.
Slow Horses
Gary Oldman leads this spy thriller adapted from Mick Herron's Slough House novels, following MI5's rejected agents. Witty, tense and consistently entertaining.
The Wire
David Simon's five-season HBO drama about Baltimore's drug trade, police, docks, politics, schools and press is still the benchmark for American crime television.
Sherwood
James Graham's BBC drama, inspired by real events, follows two killings that reopen old wounds from the miners' strike in a Nottinghamshire community. One of the finest British dramas of recent years.
True Detective: Night Country
The fourth season of the anthology sends Jodie Foster and Kali Reis to a remote Alaskan town for a bleak, atmospheric investigation that divides opinion but demands to be watched.
The Diplomat
Keri Russell plays a career diplomat thrown into the job of US ambassador to the UK during an international crisis. Fast-paced political thriller with sharp, funny writing.
Broadchurch
Chris Chibnall's ITV drama stars David Tennant and Olivia Colman as detectives investigating a boy's death in a Dorset seaside town. Three series, with the first among the most gripping British dramas of its decade.
Why British Crime Drama Hits So Hard
British crime drama has had a remarkable decade. Shows like Happy Valley, Sherwood and The Responder do something many procedurals skip: they make the town, the class divides and the local history as important as the case itself. The detective is rarely a lone genius — more often an exhausted public servant inside a system under strain.
For viewers outside the UK there is the added pleasure of discovery: the landscapes, the accents and the institutions all feel specific. If you want live British channels as well as box sets, our guide to following UK TV from another country explains how that works.
More Crime Series Worth Your Time
- Line of Duty — Jed Mercurio's anti-corruption unit AC-12 and its famously long interrogation scenes.
- Unforgotten — Cold cases reopened decades later; patient, humane and quietly devastating.
- Mare of Easttown — Kate Winslet as a small-town Pennsylvania detective in a seven-episode limited series.
- The Killing (Forbrydelsen) — The Danish series that put Sarah Lund's jumper and Scandi noir on the map.
- The Bridge — A body found on the Øresund Bridge forces Swedish and Danish detectives to work together.
- Fargo — Darkly comic anthology inspired by the Coen brothers' film; every season stands alone.
What to Watch Next: Quick Picks by Mood
| Mood | Watch |
|---|---|
| Intense British realism | Happy Valley, The Responder, Sherwood |
| Witty spy-crime | Slow Horses, The Diplomat |
| Long-form American prestige | The Wire, True Detective, Mare of Easttown |
| Cosy crime | Vera, Midsomer Murders, Shetland |
| Twisty modern thrillers | Bodyguard, Line of Duty |
| Scandi noir | The Killing, The Bridge |
Viewing Order Tips
Crime series fall into two camps, and knowing which you are watching saves confusion:
- Serialised shows such as Happy Valley, Line of Duty, Broadchurch and The Wire carry characters and consequences across series. Start at the first episode.
- Anthologies such as True Detective and Fargo reset the story and cast each season, so you can start anywhere. True Detective's first season and Night Country are popular entry points.
- Case-of-the-week dramas such as Vera and Midsomer Murders can be dipped into at random — ideal for background viewing.
Where to Watch These Shows
The frustration with modern streaming is fragmentation: crime dramas are spread across broadcaster apps, premium cable services and streaming originals, and rights move over time. Following everything can mean juggling several subscriptions.
An IPTV service puts live channels and an on-demand library in one app. Ours lists 55,000+ live channels and 180,000+ movies and series on demand, with EPG and catch-up TV, so you can follow new episodes on live TV and binge older series from the VOD section. Libraries change, so use the free trial to search for the specific shows on your list. Our breakdown of what to look for in a series-focused IPTV library goes deeper.
How to Binge a Crime Series on IPTV
- Open the Series section and search by exact title; check the year to avoid remakes with the same name.
- Choose the season manually and start at episode one.
- Turn on subtitles for thick regional accents or Scandinavian-language dramas.
- Use catch-up in the programme guide to rewatch a live episode you missed — our guide to rewinding live TV with catch-up explains how far back you can go.
- If an episode stalls, follow the quick checks in our guide to stopping streams from stalling.
Watching Foreign-Language Crime Drama
Scandi noir and other foreign-language series are worth the small effort of subtitles. Pick the original audio track rather than an English dub where you can — the performances land far better — and choose a larger subtitle size if you watch from across the room. If subtitles drift out of sync, restarting the episode or switching player app usually fixes it.
What to Check During the Free Trial
- Search for three series from different sources — a BBC drama, an HBO classic and a streaming original — to see how broad the library is.
- Play an episode in the evening to see how 4K or HD streams behave at peak time on your connection.
- Confirm subtitles work on foreign-language titles.
- Install the app on the device you will actually watch on; the device setup hub covers Firestick, Android TV, Samsung, LG, Apple TV and more.
The trial lasts 24 hours, is requested on WhatsApp and needs no credit card; login details arrive within minutes. When you are ready, ask for a free 24-hour test, then compare plan lengths and multi-device discounts. If you prefer something lighter afterwards, our list of documentaries worth watching this year includes several true-crime series.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I watch Happy Valley?
Happy Valley was made for BBC One, and its streaming home varies by country and licensing deal. On an IPTV service, search the series section by title during your free trial to check whether all three series are in the library before you subscribe.
Is Slow Horses available on IPTV?
Slow Horses is an Apple TV+ original. Availability of streaming originals in any IPTV on-demand library can change, so search for it during the trial or ask WhatsApp support to check before you pay.
Do I need to watch True Detective or Fargo in order?
No. Both are anthology series, so each season tells a self-contained story with a new cast. Shows with continuing storylines, such as Happy Valley, Line of Duty and The Wire, should be watched from the first episode.
What crime show should I watch after Line of Duty?
Bodyguard comes from the same writer, Jed Mercurio, and has a similar pace. For another corruption-focused police drama, try The Responder; for slower-burning cold cases, try Unforgotten.