☰
Genres
DramaComedyAnimationActionCrimeAdventureRomanceReality-TV More genres →
Decades
2020s2010s2000s1990s1980s1970s1960s1950s1940s1930s1920s1900s
Tags Search Sign in

Best Crime TV Series of the 1980s

375 Crime series that started in the 1980s, ranked by popularity

All Crime series All series from the 1980s
Filter & sort
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.

Specific year
Tags

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
375 series

Miss Marple: Nemesis

★ 7.9
3K 2 1987–1987
Crime · Drama · Mystery

Miss Marple: A Murder Is Announced

★ 8.0
3K 3 1985–1985
Crime · Drama · Mystery

The Deliberate Stranger

★ 7.3
3K 2 1986–1986
Crime · Drama · Thriller

48 Hours

★ 7.5
3K 1505 1988–present
Crime · Documentary

Bergerac

★ 6.9
3K 87 1981–1991
Crime · Drama · Mystery

Miss Marple: A Pocketful of Rye

★ 7.6
3K 2 1985–1985
Crime · Drama · Mystery

The Adventures of the Electronic

★ 7.5
3K 3 1980–1980
Adventure · Comedy · Crime

Manimal

★ 6.5
2K 8 1983–1983
Adventure · Crime · Fantasy

Miss Marple: The Moving Finger

★ 7.6
2K 2 1985–1985
Crime · Drama · Mystery

Father Dowling Mysteries

★ 6.9
2K 43 1989–1991
Action · Comedy · Crime

Miss Marple: At Bertram's Hotel

★ 7.6
2K 2 1987–1987
Crime · Drama · Mystery

America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back

★ 7.2
2K 777 1988–2021
Crime · Documentary

Automan

★ 6.8
2K 13 1983–1984
Adventure · Comedy · Crime

Taggart

★ 7.4
2K 176 1983–2010
Crime · Drama · Mystery

Blue Thunder

★ 6.1
2K 11 1984–1984
Action · Crime · Drama

Dempsey and Makepeace

★ 7.3
2K 30 1985–1986
Action · Crime · Drama

If Tomorrow Comes

★ 7.7
2K 3 1986–1986
Crime · Drama · Mystery

Reilly: Ace of Spies

★ 8.2
2K 12 1983–1983
Crime · Drama · History

Chiefs

★ 8.1
2K 3 1983–1983
Crime · Drama · Mystery

Angel Cop

★ 6.6
2K 6 1989–1994
Action · Animation · Crime

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson

★ 8.5
2K 3 1980–1980
Crime · Drama · Mystery

C.O.P.S.

★ 7.0
2K 65 1988–1989
Action · Animation · Crime

Traffik

★ 8.4
2K 6 1989–1989
Crime · Drama · Mystery

Matt Houston

★ 6.5
2K 67 1982–1985
Action · Crime · Drama
Browse by decade
1900s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
Browse by year
1989198819871986198519841983198219811980
Browse by genre
Action Adult Adventure Animation Biography Comedy Crime Documentary Drama Family Fantasy Game-Show History Horror Music Musical Mystery News Reality-TV Romance Sci-Fi Short Sport Talk-Show Thriller War Western