10 must-see detective series on Prime

Genres in TV seem to rise and fall in popularity. One year, we’re into sci-fi, the next Westerns, the next buddy comedies. But the one genre that never goes out of fashion is the crime drama. We always love our detective shows. Luckily, the Prime larder is fully stocked with them. Here are 10 of our favorites.

Bosch (Prime Original)
If you are a detective-show fan and haven’t watched Bosch yet — well, what are you waiting for? A classic crime-solving drama in modern garb, the Prime Original series leans heavily on its title character, LAPD investigator Harry Bosch, played with quiet ferocity by Titus Welliver. Harry is a complicated man, driven and brilliant, yet unpleasant to friend and foe alike. (TV-MA)

Tin Star (Prime Original)
Tim Roth stars as Jim Worth, the sheriff of a tiny town in the Canadian Rockies whose quiet life ends when a major oil-drilling operation comes to town. Conflicts between townies and the oil people exposes everyone’s dark secrets in a story that is part mystery, part drama, part black comedy. Christina Hendricks of Mad Men co-stars. (TV-MA)

Absentia (Prime Original)
Stana Katic of Castle fame returns to police work in this tense series. FBI agent Emily Byrne reappears after going missing for six years. Unable to recall much of what happened during her absence, Emily finds herself at the center of suspicion in a string of murders. (TV-MA)

Endeavour
The prequel to the long-running Inspector Morse series follows Endeavour Morse as a novice police detective in 1960s Oxford. The brilliant yet bumbling Morse displays equal amounts of ability and naiveté: His boss aptly describes him as a good detective but a poor policeman. Shawn Evans stars. (TV-14)

Prime Suspect: Tennison
Another prequel to a British favorite, this miniseries follows the early career of Jane Tennison, the relentless veteran detective played by Helen Mirren in Prime Suspect. Stefanie Martini plays Tennison as a newly minted Woman Police Constable, a rarity in 1973, who must fight for respect from her male colleagues and her family. (TV-14)

Monk
First of a pair of humorous series that enjoyed a long run together on the USA Network and now can be watched on Prime Video. Tony Shalhoub won three Emmys for his work as Adrian Monk, a brilliant detective with a socially crippling array of neuroses. Monk always solves the case, but not before being subjected to some self-inflicted torment. (TV-PG)

Psych
Monk’s partner in the world of goofy gumshoes, Psych stars James Roday as private eye Shawn Spencer, who hides his exceptional skills of observation and memory by pretending to be a psychic. Shawn and his sidekick Gus (Dulé Hill) split their time between solving crimes and annoying the Santa Barbara Police. To prove how seriously Psych takes itself (not very), a pineapple appears randomly in nearly every episode. (TV-PG)

Justified
U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens grew up in the coalfields of Kentucky, and earns himself an unwelcome reassignment there after some bad behavior in Miami. Givens’ unorthodox methods serve him well, especially when he comes up against his childhood friend and current nemesis, Boyd Crowder. Justified serves a well-balanced blend of crime drama and humor. Timothy Olyphant as Givens and Walton Goggins as Crowder lead an excellent cast. (TV-MA)

Grantchester
Anglophiles won’t find a more quintessentially English mystery series than Grantchester. James Norman plays a 1950s country vicar who also solves crimes. Period costumes, beautiful scenery, murders to unravel and limitless cups of tea — what else could one want? (TV-14)

Case Histories
Miles and years away from the Cambridgeshire countryside of Grantchester is the modern Edinburgh of Case Histories. Jason Isaacs stars as Jackson Brodie, a private investigator who takes on heartbreaking cases as he copes with his own tragic past. (NR)