The French wordnoirliterally translates to “dark” or “black,” and was termed as such since it encompassed darker story lines and characters that were more reflective of the real world in the ’40s. As a result of the post-war pessimism of the era, noir film techniques generally played on more fatalistic themes, anti-hero tropes, and angles that subverted traditionally good characters. Those elements made it a perfect fit forcrimedramas and detective mysteries.
Early renditions of film noir resulted in amazingclassic films likeOut of the Past,precipitating the ’40s and ’50s reputation as the Golden Age of Noir. And while noir originally boomed as a method of film making, its allure meant it could be just as successfully applied to TV shows.
With a far more expansive range that now includes sub-themed genres like neo-noir, sunshine noir, and the very popular Nordic noir, the discipline has never lost relevance. Dark and gritty, with adult themes and insurgent characters, these 20 thrilling crime dramas are the best of the best noir TV shows.
1Broadchurch (2013 – 2017)
Broadchurch
Featuring three electric seasons,Broadchurchwas a modernslow-burn British crime noirshow that starred David Tennant and Olivia Colman as its leads. Set in a fictional English town called Broadchurch, it follows Tennant and Colman as two detectives there during a period when sensational crimes rock the quiet beach community.
Related:The 13 Best Neo-Noir Movies Ever Made, Ranked
What Makes It Noir?
With immense performances from its leads, the show was a captivating and utterly compelling one. Its dark undertone takesa quaint countryside settingand bludgeons its quiet appeal with fantastically executed mystery, with underlying themes of ethnocentrism that play out under the guise of a peaceful little town upended by happenings it could never imagine.
Stream Broadchurch on Tubi
2Dexter (2006 – 2013)
Dexterwas a masterful show that ran for eight seasons between 2006 and 2013, revolving around the eponymous character, Dexter Morgan. Made famous byMichael C. Hall’s haunting performance, Dexter is a forensic technician who has a shocking secret: he operates as a vigilante serial killer, tracking down and murdering killers he believes escaped true justice.
Related:7 Interesting Facts About the Cast of Dexter: New Blood
The immediate concept ofthe main protagonist being a serial killerhimself immediately centers on a subversive ideology. He’s an anti-hero, the kind of man we should not be so enthralled by. Yet, the brilliant way it manages to flip dark and twisted ideals into morally gray notions while goading audiences into supporting the protagonist is a classic noir trope. Set to the tune of the humid Miami nightlife, the show is a tropical noir — if such a subgenre exists.
Stream Dexter on Paramount+
3Perry Mason (2020 – 2023)
perry mason
Billed as a period drama, HBO’sPerry Masonwas a remake of the famous show of the same name from 1957. The modern version tells the origin story of the title character. Perry operates as a PI in Los Angeles in 1932, while the country is struggling in the aftermath of the great depression. Emotionally reeling from his divorce and WWI, he takes on a child kidnapping case that will forever alter his life.
This was a show that helped define the genre itself, and the reboot taps into all of the classic noir tropes. The ’30s period iswonderfully depicted, contrasting LA’s vast fortune and lavish lifestyle with other, very different parts of the country during that time.
Though the city may be doing better than most, Perry is not. His nihilistic viewpoints run counter to the lecherous nature of the wealthy who live in a different, more opulent world from those grinding under the boots of poverty.
As Australian-based criticWenlei Ma, deftly explains, unlike some pseudo-noir shows that only brush the edges,Perry Masonprovides on-the-nose noir.
This new installment leans fully into the film noir aesthetic it merely teased three years ago, contrasting saturated daylight scenes with the moody shadows of the night. What’s lurking at the edges can be as literal as it is metaphorical. Everyone has secrets and everyone is vulnerable. Noir aficionados will soak up the sultry jazz, femme fatales and institutional rot, and lovers of a legal drama will appreciate the more time spent in the courtroom.
Stream Perry Mason on Max
4Jessica Jones — (2015 – 2019)
Jessica Jones
Jessica Joneswas a Marvel show thatformed part of the MCUand featured continuity from its films. Krysten Ritter featured in the lead as the title character, an ex-superhero who becomes a private investigator that runs her own agency. The show ran for three seasons and won a host of awards in that time.
Ritter was superb as the character, who went through some very dark moments and was flawed in a myriad of ways.Unlike archetypal heroes, Jones suffered from PTSD, was known for being cold, abrasive, and even purposefully hurtful to everyone. Those traits placed her in direct opposition to traditional heroes, who are usually meant to represent the best of us.
With her chronic drinking in her private detective office and her morose views on the state of the world fit her classicaly into the noir genre. The dark and blue tone to many of the shots in the show only added to that feeling, making it one of the best modern noir shows — that also happens to be about superheroes.
Stream Jessica Jones on Disney+
5Boardwalk Empire (2010 – 2014)
Boardwalk Empire
Based on a non-fiction book about the prohibition-era criminal mastermind Enoch L. Johnson,Boardwalk Empirewas a gritty crime show that held nothing back. Enoch “Nucky” Johnson was a political figure at the county level who used bootlegging to gain control over vast tracts of Atlantic City, New Jersey during the ’20s and ’30s.
His political standing sees him hobnobbing with everyone fromgangsters like Al Capone and Lucky Luciano, to other politicians and government officials, as he slowly builds a cabal of corruption.
Related:20 Great Movies About the Prohibition Era
The show’s murky moral codes and romanticization of gangster life, corruption, and bloodshed immediately placed it among dark crime shows likeThe WireandThe Sopranos. At the same time, it cuts at the heart of how a free society could never fully accept theprohibition-level excessive governmental encroachmentof the time that pushed legislative power into the realms of paternalism. With Martin Scorsese directing the pilot and other episodes during its second, third, and fourth seasons, the grimy noir elements were pretty much a guarantee.
Stream Boardwalk Empire on Max
6The Shield (2002 – 2008)
The Shield
The Shield is a gritty police drama starring Michael Chiklis as Detective Vic Mackey, the leader of a corrupt anti-gang unit in Los Angeles who breaks the law because he thinks it’s the only way to bring criminals to justice. The series ran for seven seasons on FX and received several nominations, including Emmy and Golden Globe nods.
One of the forerunners of modern noir shows,The Shieldis widely hailed as apioneering show that changed television. Starring Michael Chiklis as its renegade lead, the show was based on the real scandal of the LAPD’s infamous and violent Rampart Division. Flipping the script on conventional cop shows, this one saw the police entrusted with taking down gangs becoming thugs with a badge themselves.
Related:The Shield: The Best Episodes of the Series, Ranked
Edgy and filled with boundary-pushing scenes, it came at a time when FX, and most other cable shows, were still known as family-friendly.The show redefined network TVand opened the door to abrasively brilliant shows likeBreaking Bad. The show has since become legendary, an iconic and classic example of the best of dark police thrillers.
Stream The Shield on Hulu
7Fallen Angels (1993 – 1995)
Between 1993 and 1995, Showtime featureda gritty anthology crime seriescalledFallen Angels.Ahead of its time, it wasn’t as well appreciated back in the early ’90s when it first aired. Each episode was based on a notable and subversive crime writer, like Mickey Spillane or Raymond Chandler.
Frequently playing on angles of ambiguous morality,Fallen Angelsfeatured an unbelievable array of talented guest stars, like Gary Oldman, Tom Hanks, Alan Rickman, Brendan Fraser and James Woods — just to name a few. Meanwhile, individual episodes were directed by the likes of Peter Bogdanovic, Alfonso Cuaron, Tom Cruise, and Steven Soderbergh.
With the inclusion ofjazzy tones and emotively moving torch songsover black-and-white episodes, the show was steeped in a stylized atmosphere. Featuring everything from classical visual elements like dark and seedy lighting to deep existentialist themes, it brilliantly paid homage to the great film noirs of the past in splendid detail.
Fallen Angelsis not currently available to stream or rent
8The Untouchables (1959 – 1963)
A classic show based on the famous memoir by prohibition agent Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley,The Untouchablestells the story of a group of incorruptible agents fighting against crime and corruption during Prohibition-era Chicago.
Breaking boundaries for its time,The Untouchableswas widely regarded as one of the most violent and profane around. Despite its take-no-prisoners approach, it became known as one of the greatest police procedurals ever made, and influencedthe legendary 1987 Brian de Palma filmof the same name. Staring the harsh reality behind its concept dead in the eye, shot fully in black-and-white with acerbic dialogue and superb acting, it was film noir on TV at its finest.
The Untouchablesis not currently available to stream
9The Sopranos (1999 – 2007)
The Sopranos
The Sopranosis one of those shows that is guaranteed to be in the top 3 of any list of the greatest TV series of all time. It is widely regarded as one of the most groundbreaking shows in TV history, and provided a powerful depiction of the nuances of modern crime families. Told from the perspective of Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), the head of a New Jersey Italian-American crime family who seeks therapy after suffering a panic attack,The Sopranosstruck a delicate balance between his life as a mobster and being the head of his family.
Overarching tenets of nihilism pervade throughout the show as themes of a familiar life drifting into the decay caused by forsaken values that were once held in the highest regard by those who espouse them. Tony’s own contradictions as a powerful man bred from a world of violence contrast withthe memorable dialoguesfrom the therapy sessions he reluctantly undertakes.
Related:The Sopranos Ending, Explained
He feels disillusioned by how the value system among organized criminals is slipping. His existential crises throughout the show subvert ordinary morality and present them through the lenses of neo-noir psychology — along with, of course, a host of gritty crime.
Stream The Sopranos on Max
10The Knick (2014 – 2015)
The Knickwasa brilliant medical drama set in the early 1900s that followed Clive Owen as Dr. John Thackery, a surgeon who arrives atthe famous Knickerbocker Hospitalin New York to lead its surgical team. Although a fantastic physician, he has to find a way to balance his personal demons, all while he and the staff struggle to keep the hospital running amid a milieu of problems and societal tensions.
Dr. Thackery is an ambitious doctor but quietlystruggles with a cocaine and opium addictionwhile treating patients. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, the show made for an uncomfortably gory watch at times as it often delved into dark, dank rooms to indulge its more sordid elements of drug abuse and the medical limitations of the day.
