# Kinder, gentler police/crime/detective shows **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 19, 2014, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098 "2014-03-19T17:45:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/1 "2014-03-19T17:45:45Z")
I didn’t watch the _Inspector Lewis_ series when it first ran, but now I’m watching all of them on my Roku. I did see a couple of \*Endeavour \*and liked those. Looking forward very much to the _Inspector Morse_ series. I love the Oxford\* setting, the slow pace, the lack of (or at least minimal) “action,” and violence. I like the relationships among the characters and the absence of loud shocking effects calculated to make you jump out of your chair or gag or both. The cerebral dialogue with literary references really appeals to me, too. I was trying to think of any comparable American shows, but the only one I could think of was _Monk_. Can anyone think of any kinder, gentler, police/crime/detective shows? \*The \*per capita \*body count in Oxford is approaching that of Cabot Cove, Maine. ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/2 "2014-03-19T17:51:50Z")
Columbo would have to be obvious standout for this. Other than the murder in the beginning, it’s a psychological games of will from the beginning until Columbo collects enough evidence to get the guilty party to confess in the end. While I didn’t care for the show for a number of reasons (it was too often a set piece with the guilty being caught too easily for one) it was/is good quality television for its era. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/3 "2014-03-19T17:54:30Z")
Barnaby Jones seemed pretty mellow, at least in my memory. Especially as Buddy Ebsen was in his 60s at the time. Ellery Queen was also a thoughtful detective show. Lots of clue hunting. Ironside was less actiony, but did have an occasional gun battle. Same for Perry Mason. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/4 "2014-03-19T17:56:38Z")
A lot of the “vintage” detective series from the BBC are good: Poirot, Miss Marple, Campion, and so forth. I think there was also a brief series of Alexander McCall Smith’s _No. One Ladies’ Detective Agency_ stories, although I haven’t seen it. Those are very gentle and character-driven. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/5 "2014-03-19T18:12:35Z")
Rumpole of the Bailey. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/6 "2014-03-19T18:23:27Z")
If you liked the _Inspector Lewis_ series you should of course check out _Inspector Morse_ which is where the character came from. Also _Foyle’s War_ should be to your tastes too. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/7 "2014-03-19T18:30:36Z")
_ **Midsomer Murders** _, _ **Scott and Bailey** _, _ **A Taste of Frost** _. Dunno if I’d call them “kinder, gentler,” but definitely more thoughtful and dramatic than your average shoot-'em-up. Not at all for those with Attention Span Deficit. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/8 "2014-03-19T18:38:59Z")
Second _Midsomer Murders_. Any show where action takes place in an English village is going to be nice and mellow (see also _Marple_, as noted above). \* Midsomer Murders\* does like to make their killings grisly though. I saw some kind of “making of” documentary on the show and they come right out and say it. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/9 "2014-03-19T18:39:48Z")
**Homicide: Life on the Street** had very little violence in it. The shows concentrated on the aftermath of violent: how the cops found the criminal (and how they sometimes didn’t). There were a few episodes where someone was actually shown being shot, and those ended up creating plotlines that lasted for some time afterward. But there were tons of relationship stories, not only among the cops, but also among the killers, and families of victims. It’s rarely a clever mystery; often they find the killer in a few minutes. But the stories and characters make this one of the best cop shows ever to appear on US TV. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/10 "2014-03-19T18:50:56Z")
The early years of _Law & Order: Criminal Intent_ might qualify. Violence was mostly off-screen or implied, and unlike its sick sibling _Law & Order: SVU_, CI didn’t glory in showing naked women in bondage or benig humiliated. Also, there were several occasions in which Bobby Goren–despite his general tendency to mindfuck people into confessing–showed more than a little compassion for the murderer of the week. The episode with Neil Patrick Harris as a serial killer who clearly hated himself and was trying to stop comes to mind; Goren argued fairly passionately that the guy needed life imprisonment, not the death penalty. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/11 "2014-03-19T18:58:25Z")
> [@cher3](#): > > I think there was also a brief series of Alexander McCall Smith’s _No. One Ladies’ Detective Agency_ stories, although I haven’t seen it. Those are very gentle and character-driven. That was interesting, partly for the Botswana setting. And of course you should see the Inspector Morse programs. Also, you might like the Inspector Lynley Mysteries, which are interesting partly for the interaction between Inspector Lynley (who is a member of the nobility) and sergeant Havers, who is from the working class. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/12 "2014-03-19T19:05:43Z")
I didn’t watch any of these but wouldn’t “Murder She Wrote,” “Matlock,” “The Father Dowling Mysteries,” and “Diagnosis Murder” all fit into that genre? ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/13 "2014-03-19T19:15:03Z")
I’m watching “Castle” right now. It’s pretty tame. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/14 "2014-03-19T19:24:08Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > If you liked the _Inspector Lewis_ series you should of course check out _Inspector Morse_ which is where the character came from. > [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I didn’t watch the _Inspector Lewis_ series when it first ran, but now I’m watching all of them on my Roku. I did see a couple of \*Endeavour \*and liked those. Looking forward very much to the _Inspector Morse_ series. > [@](#): > > I was trying to think of any comparable American shows, but the only one I could think of was _Monk_. > > Can anyone think of any kinder, gentler, police/crime/detective shows? …that are still running. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/15 "2014-03-19T20:34:52Z")
Check out _Murdoch Mysteries_. There are no car chases. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/16 "2014-03-19T20:52:40Z")
Ponch and Jon never drew their weapons. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/17 "2014-03-19T20:57:47Z")
You would probably really enjoy _Foyle’s War_ - it isn’t like an old lady cosy but it’s character driven and not generally bloody and all. Also it’s really good and now I’m remembering that I never finished it. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/18 "2014-03-19T21:05:42Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > Ponch and Jon never drew their weapons. They finally got their chance in _Loaded Weapon 1_. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/19 "2014-03-19T21:20:54Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > You would probably really enjoy _Foyle’s War_ - it isn’t like an old lady cosy but it’s character driven and not generally bloody and all. Also it’s really good and now I’m remembering that I never finished it. I did see a few of those and liked them. I guess I’m going to have to go back in time mostly to find this kind of show. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/20 "2014-03-19T21:22:34Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Check out _Murdoch Mysteries_. > There are no car chases. And only the occasional bicycle chase. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098.md?page=2)