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Best Crime TV Series of the 1970s

303 Crime series that started in the 1970s, ranked by popularity

All Crime series All series from the 1970s
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Genres

Genres as assigned by IMDb. Selecting several means a show must match all of them.

Decades

By first-air year. Several selections widen the range; a specific year narrows within its decade.

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Rating patterns, computed from IMDb episode-rating trajectories. Deliberately strict: only shows with an unmistakable pattern carry one, so expect small numbers.

Rating patterns

Taste tags, judged by our AI taste model. They cover the 5,000 most-rated shows.

Tone & mood
Pacing & structure
Humor style
Themes & subject matter
Characters & perspective
Emotional payoff
Craft & style
Format & audience
Viewing-culture clusters
Intensity & content character
303 series

The Amazing Spider-Man

★ 6.2
3K 14 1977–1979
Action · Adventure · Crime

20/20

★ 6.8
3K 1273 1978–present
Crime · Documentary · News

The Sweeney

★ 8.1
3K 53 1975–1978
Action · Crime · Drama

Police Woman

★ 6.6
3K 90 1974–1978
Action · Crime · Drama

Lou Grant

★ 7.3
3K 114 1977–1982
Crime · Drama

Banacek

★ 7.6
3K 17 1972–1974
Crime · Drama · Mystery

Vega$

★ 6.9
3K 69 1978–1981
Crime · Drama · Mystery

Prisoner

★ 8.2
3K 692 1979–1986
Crime · Drama

S.W.A.T.

★ 6.8
2K 37 1975–1976
Action · Crime · Drama

The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries

★ 7.3
2K 46 1977–1979
Crime · Family · Mystery

Derrick

★ 6.7
2K 281 1974–1998
Crime · Drama

Rumpole of the Bailey

★ 8.4
2K 43 1978–1992
Crime · Drama · Mystery

Ellery Queen

★ 8.4
2K 23 1975–1976
Crime · Drama · Family

The Rookies

★ 6.9
1K 93 1972–1976
Crime · Drama

Police Story

★ 7.5
1K 97 1973–1980
Action · Crime · Drama

Petrocelli

★ 7.2
1K 44 1974–1976
Crime · Drama · Mystery

Thriller

★ 7.8
1K 43 1973–1976
Crime · Drama · Fantasy

Harry O

★ 7.6
1K 45 1973–1976
Action · Crime · Drama

Bassie & Adriaan

★ 7.5
1K 135 1978–1996
Adventure · Comedy · Crime

The Old Fox

★ 6.4
885 483 1977–present
Crime · Drama · Thriller

The Magician

★ 7.5
746 22 1973–1974
Adventure · Crime · Mystery

The Famous Five

★ 7.4
711 26 1978–1979
Adventure · Crime · Family

Longstreet

★ 7.8
709 24 1971–1972
Action · Crime · Drama

Return of the Saint

★ 6.7
663 24 1978–1979
Adventure · Crime
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