Trending badgeTrendingPosted 1 hour agoSubscribe to Screen Time NewsletterCaret DownI Ranked 26 TV Detectives Based On Who Would Actually Find My KillerI approve of anyone on this list to solve the case.by Ehis OsifoBuzzFeed ContributorFacebookPinterestLink As an avid lover of crime procedurals, I planned to share my definitive ranking of fictional detectives. But then I realized everyone I wanted to include are ALL amazing detectives. Makes sense" that's why they're detectives. Otherwise they would be mall cops (no offense to mall cops). So, here's a list of some of the best fictional detectives to ever grace our screens: Note: This ranking is based on movies and shows that I've seen, so before you get upset if your fave isn't on this list, I haven't seen EVERYTHING. 1. Tom Brandis (Mark Ruffalo) from Task: HBO Max Synopsis: In the working-class suburbs of Philadelphia, an FBI agent heads a task force to put an end to a string of violent robberies led by an unsuspected family man.
Stream Task on HBO Max. 2. Mare Sheehan (Kate Winslet) from Mare of Easttown: HBO Max Synopsis: A small-town police detective tries to keep her professional and personal lives separate while investigating the death of a teenage mother.
Stream Mare of Easttown on HBO Max. 3. Det. Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) from True Detective: HBO Max Synopsis: Anthology series in which police investigations unearth the personal and professional secrets of those involved, both within and outside the law.
Stream True Detective on HBO Max. 4. Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman) from The Sinner: USA Network Synopsis: Detective Ambrose employs some unusual tactics, and a deep capacity for empathy to solve his cases. His boundless dedication is driven by his dark past, leading him into powerful and often dangerously intimate bonds with his suspects.
Stream The Sinner on Netflix. 5. Det. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) from Law and Order: Special Victims Unit: NBC Synopsis: Follows the New York City Police Department's Special Victims Unit (SVU), a specially trained squad of detectives who investigate sex crimes, including rape, pedophilia, child abuse, human trafficking and domestic violence.
Stream Law & Order: SVU on Peacock. 6. Morgan Gillory (Kaitlin Olson) from High Potential: ABC Synopsis: Morgan, a single mom with three kids and an exceptional mind, helps solve an unsolvable crime when she rearranges some evidence during her shift as a cleaner for the police department. When they discover she has a knack for putting things in order because of her high intellectual potential, she is brought on as a consultant to work with a by-the-book seasoned detective, Karadec. Together they form an unusual and unstoppable team.
Stream High Potential on Hulu. 7. Lester Freamon (Clark Peters) from The Wire: HBO Synposis: The Baltimore drug scene, as seen through the eyes of drug dealers and law enforcement.
Stream The Wire on HBO Max. 8. Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) from Veronica Mars: UPN Synopsis: After her best friend is murdered, and her father is removed as county sheriff, Veronica Mars dedicates her life to cracking the toughest mysteries in the affluent town of Neptune.
Seasons 1-3 of Veronica Mars are available to rent; stream the movie on HBO Max, and stream Season 4 on Hulu. 9. David Mills (Brad Pitt) from Se7en: New Line Cinema Synopsis: Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives.
Stream Se7en on HBO Max. 10. Camille Preaker (Amy Adams) from Sharp Objects: HBO Synopsis: After treating her mental illness, a crime reporter returns to her hometown to solve the murder of two young girls. However, she is forced to face and deal with her own demons, too.
Stream Sharp Objects on HBO Max. 11. Lilly Rush (Kathryn Morris) from Cold Case: CBS Synopsis: The Philadelphia homicide squad's lone female detective finds her calling when she is assigned "cold cases." Detective Lilly Rush combines her instincts with advanced technology to bring justice to all the victims she can.
Stream Cold Case on HBO Max. 12. Nancy Drew (Kennedy McMann) from Nancy Drew: The CW Synopsis: Young Nancy Drew makes plans to leave her hometown for college after high school graduation, but finds herself drawn into a supernatural murder mystery.
Stream Nancy Drew on HBO Max. 13. Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) from The Silence of the Lambs: Orion Pictures Synopsis: A young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims.
Stream The Silence of the Lambs on HBO Max. 14. James Gordon (Gary Oldman, Jeffery Wright, and Ben McKenzie) from Batman: Warner Bros. Synopsis: Det. James Gordon is a detective in the corrupt Gotham City and a close confidant of the masked vigilante, Batman. Stream Batman Begins on HBO Max, The Batman on HBO Max, and Gotham on HBO Max. 15. Malcolm Bright (Tom Payne) from Prodigal Son: Fox Synopsis: Malcolm Bright, a for