# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/21 "2014-03-19T21:43:44Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > …that are still running. No word on if it’s been renewed for this year but down in Australia there’s “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries”. First [del]season[/del] series is available on Netflix. ---
**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, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/22 "2014-03-19T21:44:34Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > _ **A Taste of Frost** _ I can’t believe I wrote this! :smack: It’s _ **Touch** _, not _ **Taste** _! **D’oh!** ---
**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, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/23 "2014-03-19T21:57:35Z")
> [@thelmalou](#): > > 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. [[deleted links]] ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/24 "2014-03-19T22:04:54Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > …that are still running. Ah. In that case, I’d recommend \*Castle \*and possibly _Elementary_. Not that \*Elementary \*is particularly violent. I like it, but I’d like it a lot more if the lead character had an original name rather than Sherlock Holmes. ---
**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, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/25 "2014-03-19T22:22:54Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > …that are still running. You didn’t specify that.🙂 Anyway, most are available on DVD, Netflix, library… ---
**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, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/26 "2014-03-19T22:26:48Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > I’m watching “Castle” right now. It’s pretty tame. Wait until they torture Ryan with the cold water head dunking. And Beckett gets shot in the chest. And Ryan and Espo trapped in the burning building. And Castle and Beckett getting pushed off a bridge in their car. And the shootout with Montgomery in the hangar. Other than that… 🙂 JAQ, _Castle_ fan ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/27 "2014-03-19T22:58:21Z")
[Rosemary and Thyme](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary_%26_Thyme) are two middle-aged, middle class English women who start a landscaping/gardening business and end up involved in all sorts of murders, usually with a gardening hook somewhere. The epitome of ‘cosy’! ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/28 "2014-03-19T23:41:55Z")
I’d email you my netflix list, but most of them have been mentioned. A lot of them are a little too gentle - much like _Murder, She Wrote_. If you want something, a bit grimmer, but just less bloody, consider the Inspector Lynley series (I hated the novels, but rather liked the shows) Wallander Waking the Dead Lillyhammer (I haven’t watched it, but I’d be interested to know what you think) Vera (probably not what you’re looking for) MI-5 (not terribly cerebral, but not too violent) Jack Taylor (not what you asked for, I thought it was good) You don’t just want British shows, you want shows Anglophiles like. You want [WGBH Mystery!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery!) series. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/29 "2014-03-19T23:49:31Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > 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? > [@ThelmaLou](#): > > …that are still running. The finale is coming in just a few days, but _Psych_ is a non-gory detective show and has a lot of humor and witty dialogue, although the references tend to be to pop culture and not literature. The main character is a “psychic” detective who solves crimes with his amazing powers of observation. His relationships with his best friend/crime-solving partner, his father, and members of the local police force are all important parts of the show. ---
**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 20, 2014, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/30 "2014-03-20T01:31:40Z")
I did watch a few episodes of _Psych_. Kind of cute. I’ve put _Foyle’s War_ on my amazon prime watch list. I also put MI-5 on a watch list somewhere. Thanks to all for the suggestions. I’m going through amazon and netflix and snagging the ones mentioned. I guess most of the kind I’m looking for are going to turn out to be British. Not necessarily looking for “cozy” although I’m not against it. It’s just that I like cerebral action more than shooting and car chases. I don’t mind murders-- hey, I’m a died [sic] in the wool L&O fan. But some police/crime shows are just tooooo difficult to watch. I started to watch a new one (maybe it’s already gone) called _Low Winter Sun_ and in the opening episode a guy was beating up a women WHILE he was raping her. That’s a cheap shot and does not take the place of good writing. It’s calculated to get a reaction from the viewer. It got one from me: I changed the channel. I tried _Criminal Minds_ for a while 'cause I love Joe Mantegna, but then I realized I don’t want to know what’s inside a criminal’s mind. Mostly I like the ensemble and the relationships among the regular characters as long as the stories don’t veer too far off course into their personal lives. Which L&O:SVU has done and subsequently has driven me away. ---
**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 20, 2014, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/31 "2014-03-20T01:41:52Z")
Someone suggested MI-5. It’s a good show but I don’t think you’re going to like it if you’re looking for an absence of violence. It’s about spies and features murder, torture and explosions. ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/32 "2014-03-20T01:43:58Z")
> [@Meurglys](#): > > [Rosemary and Thyme](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary_%26_Thyme) are two middle-aged, middle class English women who start a landscaping/gardening business and end up involved in all sorts of murders, usually with a gardening hook somewhere. > The epitome of ‘cosy’! In the same spirit: [Pie in the Sky](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pie_in_the_Sky_(TV_series)). With the late Richard Griffiths in the lead > [@](#): > > Detective Inspector Henry Crabbe is a long-serving police officer in the fictional county of Westershire. Although very much his own man and an independent thinker, he is not a maverick, nor has he any particular neuroses; indeed, Crabbe is a highly intelligent, gentle and thoughtful man of high moral principle. On the other hand he does have one passion in life - food. He dreams of retiring from the police to run his own restaurant serving good English fare. However, as the most outstanding detective in his department, his superiors – in particular Assistant Chief Constable Freddie Fisher – are reluctant to allow him to leave. ---
**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 20, 2014, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/33 "2014-03-20T02:57:13Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Someone suggested MI-5. It’s a good show but I don’t think you’re going to like it if you’re looking for an absence of violence. It’s about spies and features murder, torture and explosions. I’m not looking for no violence. I’m looking for a show that focuses on good characters and plots rather than lots of action and shock value. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/34 "2014-03-20T04:54:13Z")
If anime works, [_Case Closed/Detective Conan_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Case_Closed) might do the trick. It’s kinda like Encyclopedia Brown…only with murders. Grisly, yet at the same time still somehow lighthearted. I would have LOVED this series as a kid. But I was the type who watched “Mystery!” just for the [animated intro](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPlY_7RR1h0). ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/35 "2014-03-20T05:27:43Z")
I have always liked NCIS, it is kind of like CSI but the workplace seems more real. The characters joke back and forth with each other and seem to have fun in bad situations. It is definitely more on the Law & Order side than Murder She Wrote but not as heavy as Criminal Minds or CSI. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/36 "2014-03-20T06:29:42Z")
I second both _Murdoch Mysteries_ and _Midsomer Murders_. I also recommend _[Father Brown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father_Brown_%282013_TV_series%29)_, and [Jonathan Creek](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Creek). ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/37 "2014-03-20T07:32:20Z")
See if you can get The Killing (3 series) and The Bridge (2 series) on DVD or streaming. These are not without violence and gore but are most definitely character and plot driven. If you can get over the foreign language element\* (they’re Danish/Swedish) you’re in for a treat. - I was reluctant to watch them because of this, but actually I found that watching with subtitles immersed me in the story even more, and I’m now hooked on all things in the “Nordic Noir” genre. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/38 "2014-03-20T07:39:15Z")
I loved the 1994 series [Due South](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108756/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1). “The cases of a cynical American police detective and a upright Royal Canadian Mounted Police constable in the city of Chicago.” The series are so morally uplifting, and yet not cheesy or preachy at all, that I plan to let those be the first police series I’ll let my kid watch. From one of the user reviews: > [@](#): > > Due South is a courageous show. Week after week, the writers put the comically unflappable Mountie Fraser in center court, fighting crime in his bright red ceremonial uniform. This raised eyebrows and started snickers. It was ridiculed for its ostentatiously feel-good storylines and ignored as “another one of those cop buddy series”. But those who overcame their initial cynicism and stayed to watch a full hour of the show discovered a gem. The message of the show was - don’t be afraid to show what’s in your heart and mind. Due South the series, by being on air and gaining a loyal following, led by example. > > Due South promotes old fashioned virtues. Mountie Fraser opens doors and helps old ladies cross streets. He always goes the extra mile for everyone he knows. Detractors claimed that the character was cartoonish. But again, they missed the point. I am reminded of a forwarded e-mail that encouraged the reader to wear bright colored clothes to improve the mood, spike the energy level and increase productivity in general. Another e-mail said to smile frequently so that one will feel better about oneself and be attractive to others at the same time. Due South embodies the spirit of those quaint but universally sound advice. You bring out the best in others by exhibiting the best in yourself. In our modern world of depressing grays and browns, Fraser’s scarlet served as a flashing reminder that passion, over any issue, causes us to care about others and may yet redeem us from the selfish, individualistic blackhole that society is sleepwalking towards. > > And my favorite reason, Due South is about friendship. Fraser and Ray took bullets for each other. I can recall a few other cop and soldier shows that had the lead characters do the same but more often than not, it’s done to grandstand the machismo of the protagonists. Due South says what’s really important is to be a hero for your loved ones, the people who actually need that from you. ---
**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 20, 2014, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/39 "2014-03-20T12:42:45Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > > Someone suggested MI-5. It’s a good show but I don’t think you’re going to like it if you’re looking for an absence of violence. It’s about spies and features murder, torture and explosions. > > I’m not looking for no violence. I’m looking for a show that focuses on good characters and plots rather than lots of action and shock value. Well, the nice thing about MI-5 (called Spooks in the original UK broadcast) is that within the first few episodes, you’ll know if it’s too much for you. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098/40 "2014-03-20T12:48:37Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Wait until they torture Ryan with the cold water head dunking. And Beckett gets shot in the chest. And Ryan and Espo trapped in the burning building. And Castle and Beckett getting pushed off a bridge in their car. And the shootout with Montgomery in the hangar. > > Other than that… And ninjas! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kinder-gentler-police-crime-detective-shows/684098.md?page=3)