This article contains discussions of domestic abuse and sexual assault.
Crime dramas are a pretty fascinating TV genre, all things considered. Thanks to recent fascinations with true crime, semi-fictional and straight-up fictional crime dramas are also more popular than ever, to the point where it’s a joke that people love their “murder shows.” (I’m not kidding. “Saturday Night Live” did a whole sketch about it.) In a world where so much injustice feels completely out of our control, generally speaking, it can be weirdly comforting to curl up and watch a fictional hero catch a fictional villain. There’s a reason that “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” is one of the longest-running TV shows and most successful spin-offs in the history of the medium, and newer entries into the genre like “Reacher” (where Alan Ritchson’s titular character solves all crimes and problems with delightful violence) are all the rage right now, pun very much intended.
So, what are some great TV crime dramas that premiered this year that you should check out? This will be an ongoing list, so keep checking back as we add new picks … but, ultimately, this is a truly great collection of crime dramas that bring something new to a familiar and admittedly overstuffed genre. From a rage-fueled series from one of the industry’s most versatile showrunners to an offbeat Cold War crime drama to a star-studded literary adaptation, here are the best small screen crime dramas of 2026 so far.
Ponies
It’s a crying shame that “Ponies,” an irreverent, quirky crime drama created by Susanna Fogel (“Booksmart,” “The Spy Who Dumped Me”) and David Iserson (“Saturday Night Live,” “New Girl,” “Mad Men”) about two women who find themselves in a bizarre and unlikely situation during the Cold War, was canceled after its first season despite earning rave reviews from critics. So, what’s the deal with “Ponies” (which streamed on Peacock and began its run in January 2026)?
The show follows Beatrice “Bea” Grant (“Game of Thrones” veteran Emilia Clarke) and Twila Hasbeck (“The White Lotus” Season 2 standout Haley Lu Richardson) as they figure out life in Moscow while their CIA husbands — Chris Grant (Louis Boyer) and Tom Hasbeck (John MacMillan, who played one of Clarke’s very distant relatives on the “Game of Thrones” prequel series “House of the Dragon”) — work as undercover agents to gain intelligence for the United States. In the very first episode, though, Twila and Bea receive the news that Chris and Tom were killed during a dangerous mission.
Thankfully, just as the two women are about to be unceremoniously shipped home with no answers about the deaths of their husbands, Twila and Bea present the Moscow station chief Dane Walter (Adrian Lester) with a plan. What if they worked as undercover agents instead, taking advantage of the fact that they’re completely unknown variables as far as the Russians are concerned — or, more specifically, “PONIS” or “persons of no interest” (as opposed to “POIs” or “persons of interest”)? Clarke and Richardson’s chemistry is phenomenal on this short-lived series, which also features incredible supporting turns from performers like Dropout’s Vic Michaelis and even a guest spot from Rob Delaney … and though it was canceled too soon, it’s still one of 2026’s best crime dramas.
Furious
I’ve gone on the record right here at /Film regarding how much I love “Furious,” a thrilling new crime drama created by Liz Meriwether (the showrunner behind such varied hits as “New Girl,” “The Dropout,” and “Dying for Sex”). Great news, though: I’ll probably never get tired of talking about how much I love the Hulu series “Furious.” “Shameless” veteran Emmy Rossum leads the show as Alice Black, a former New York detective and green FBI agent still grappling with the aftermath of her abusive relationship with fellow officer Marshall Connelly (Jake Lacy, who’s been on a real streak of playing horrible jerks lately) when her old partner, Danny Kelly (Scoot McNairy), gives her a call. Flanked by Nora Washington (an astonishingly great Quincy Tyler Bernstine), the head of the FBI’s sex crimes unit, Alice starts investigating a string of murders that may have been committed by a young woman who was, earlier in her life, the victim of sex trafficking.
Those murders — which involve wealthy men who die of forced overdoses — are committed by a sex trafficking victim, Catherine Grace (Lola Petticrew), who’s determined to punish everyone who brutalized her when she was underage. The truly captivating thing about “Furious” is that you understand why Catherine is on this mission, and not only do you find yourself sympathizing with her, but you understand why Alice does, too. By the time “Furious” Season 1 arrives at its devastating, shocking, and genuinely satisfying conclusion (and it is set to return for Season 2), you’ll be completely committed to Alice, Nora, and Danny and ready for this exceptional story to continue.
DTF St. Louis
At the 2026 Primetime Emmy Awards, Linda Cardellini won her first-ever Emmy (I know!) for her supporting role as Carol Love-Smernitch on the HBO limited series “DTF St. Louis,” and if you’ve seen her performance on the show, you know it’s well-deserved. (Cardellini should actually be swimming in a pile of awards by now, but I digress.) Cardellini stars on the series — which was created, written by, and produced by Steven Conrad (“Wonder,” “The Pursuit of Happyness,” “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”) — alongside David Harbour as Carol’s husband Floyd Smernitch and Jason Bateman as Clark Forrest, a guy who gets caught up in the Smernitch’s marriage thanks to the titular dating app called “DTF St. Louis” (which finds, uh, eligible and excited participants for married couples to have illicit affairs with).
Across seven episodes told in a non-linear format, we follow Floyd, Clark, and Carol as Floyd and Clark become friends, learn about the app, and decide to give it a try after both eventually admitting that they’re unsatisfied with the status quo of their respective sex lives. Everything that happens once they both sign up for the app, though, is certifiably wild, and I mean that in a good way. Not only does Floyd turn up dead of poisoning at the end of the show’s very first episode, but when we find out about Clark and Carol’s unsettling connection, that’s honestly just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the delightfully depraved depths that “DTF St. Louis” explores. With supporting performances from “Abbott Elementary” standout Chris Perfetti, Richard Jenkins, Peter Sarsgaard, and Joy Sunday, “DTF St. Louis” is an odd, funny, and captivating crime drama that’s definitely one of the best TV shows of the year.
Imperfect Women
Adapted from Araminta Hall’s best-selling novel of the same name, the Apple TV series “Imperfect Women” (created by Annie Weisman and directed by small screen veteran Lesli Linka Glatter) follows a lot of the same beats that you’re used to in crime dramas, but it’s still worth checking out thanks to its twisted story and star-studded central cast. When we first meet longtime best friends Eleanor (Kerry Washington), Mary (Elisabeth Moss), and Nancy (Kate Mara), they’re all living happily in the suburbs with their respective husbands (for the most part). Nancy, who comes from a background characterized by hardship and abuse, settles in as a trophy wife for her wealthy husband Robert (Joel Kinnamen), and poor beleaguered Mary is essentially the only support system for her teenage son Marcus (Jackson Kelly) and chronically unemployed husband Howard (Corey Stoll). Then, one night, Nancy goes missing, and before long, her body is discovered, leaving Mary and Eleanor bereft and baffled about what happened to their closest friend.
Eventually, Mary and Eleanor discover that Nancy was having an affair — well, Mary, who had no idea, learns about it, and it turns out Eleanor knew that Nancy’s affair partner was threatening her after she tried to cut off the relationship — and the plot thickens. With supporting turns from Leslie Odom Jr., Rome Flynn, Ana Ortiz, and Keith Carradine, “Imperfect Women” is, like its title, somewhat imperfect. Again, it’s going to feel very familiar to you in general if you watch a lot of crime dramas. Still, it’s one of the best crime dramas of the year thanks to its standout performances.
Lucky
Showrunner Jonathan Tropper is a busy guy these days when you consider that he’s in charge of two pretty excellent Apple TV series: “Your Friends & Neighbors” and “Lucky.” We’re here to focus on the latter, which is adapted from Marissa Stapley’s 2021 novel of the same name and stars the always excellent Anya Taylor-Joy (who also serves as an executive producer on the series) as the titular Luciana “Lucky” Armstrong, a con artist married to a fellow career criminal, Cary Masterson (Drew Starkey). One night, after pulling off a truly magnificent heist with Cary, Lucky wakes up in a Las Vegas hotel room to find him gone … along with a briefcase containing $10 million in purloined cash.
This isn’t Lucky’s only problem, though. Not only is her enforcer Harris Dutch (Clifton Collins Jr.) looking for her after learning that the money is gone, but Cary’s mother Priscilla Masterson (living legend Annette Bening) is a powerful mob boss who’s out for blood as well. “Lucky” is sort of silly and can feel over-the-top, but Taylor-Joy grounds it by sheer force of will, ensuring that this is one of the best crime dramas to premiere in 2026.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, re
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit theRape, Abuse & Incest National Network websiteor contact RAINN’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
