# Recommend shows like "Forensic Files" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 26, 2019, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-shows-like-forensic-files/834545 "2019-05-26T11:08:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-shows-like-forensic-files/834545/1 "2019-05-26T11:08:02Z")
For the longest time, Forensic Files has been my go-to TV show for when it’s late at night and I need something to watch that’s self-contained and resolves itself in a single episode. Now, thanks to Netflix, I’ve watched the entire 400-episode run, and I need something new. I’m looking for something in the same basic style - a true-crime whodunit documentary, which introduces the victim, describes the crime, and documents how the police discover the evidence, use it to find a suspect, and reveal how the guilty party committed the crime, what their motive was, and how they can prove how it happened. Any recommendations? ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-shows-like-forensic-files/834545/2 "2019-05-26T11:14:54Z")
I liked American Greed. All about financial shenanigans. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-shows-like-forensic-files/834545/3 "2019-05-31T17:00:07Z")
Apparently I killed the thread. Sorry 'bout that. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-shows-like-forensic-files/834545/4 "2019-05-31T17:10:42Z")
You might also like The New Detectives. > **[The New Detectives](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Detectives)** > > The New Detectives: Case Studies in Forensic Science (or simply The New Detectives, formally "Forensic Detectives") is a documentary true crime television show that aired two to three different cases in forensic science per episode from 1996 to 2004. Episode reruns currently air on the Discovery Channel, TLC, the Investigation Discovery network, Pluto TV, and the Justice Network. Before the series was canceled, the show also aired on The History Channel and Court TV in the United States and In Br... ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-shows-like-forensic-files/834545/5 "2019-05-31T17:15:14Z")
Love this stuff but can’t watch it if my family’s out and I’m the only one in. I have been known to call up a family member to ask what shirt they had on because if the police came asking, I’d have no idea. Some other’s I’ve watched: Cold Case Files (not the TV show on one of the networks, the A&E procedural. It’s the granddaddy of these types of shows). The F.B.I. Files: Same stuff with FBI cases. Snapped: Spouses and family members going HAM and the ensuing investigation. There are more, I just can’t think of them right now. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-shows-like-forensic-files/834545/6 "2019-05-31T17:22:30Z")
We watch a lot of _Homicide Hunter_, with Lt. Joe Kenda. Part of the fun is that Lt. Joe is so completely deadpan - he’s seen everything. And thus his expression never changes, as he figures out it wasn’t the boyfriend of the lady the victim was cheating with, nor any of the family of his common-law wife, but actually a mistaken identity shooting by the ex-roommate of the short-order cook who was ripped off by in a drug deal by a friend of the victim. No doubt some of the stories are faked up, but they are fun nonetheless. Regards, Shodan ---
**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:** [May 31, 2019, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-shows-like-forensic-files/834545/7 "2019-05-31T20:12:29Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I’m looking for something in the same basic style - a true-crime whodunit documentary, which introduces the victim, describes the crime, and documents how the police discover the evidence, use it to find a suspect, and reveal how the guilty party committed the crime, what their motive was, and how they can prove how it happened. > > Any recommendations? Not sure it includes these elements, but HBO ran a series called Autopsy, with Dr Michael Baden, who was formerly NYS medical examiner. He talks about various cases and describes how they were investigated. I think a couple of episodes discussed famous cases, like the prison riot at Attica or the JFK assassination. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-shows-like-forensic-files/834545/8 "2019-05-31T20:26:28Z")
I like _The First 48_. It’s a police procedural where homicide detectives try to solve murders within 48 hours, because after that the trail can grow cold. They’re mostly successful, but sometimes they don’t catch the culprit for months, and sometimes the case remains open at the end of the show. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-shows-like-forensic-files/834545/9 "2019-05-31T20:46:36Z")
I don’t know if you get cable but there are whole channels of this stuff now like investigation discovery, oxygen…reelz which was supposed to be an entertainment info channel like E! but is now a mostly celebrity crime channel like the night stalker dalmer ect …for Netflix type in “investigation discovery” and have at … oh and “true crime” by the way CNN headline news has been making new forensic files for a couple of years now … i think there on sundays ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2019, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-shows-like-forensic-files/834545/10 "2019-06-01T02:10:26Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > We watch a lot of _Homicide Hunter_, with Lt. Joe Kenda. Part of the fun is that Lt. Joe is so completely deadpan - he’s seen everything. And thus his expression never changes, as he figures out it wasn’t the boyfriend of the lady the victim was cheating with, nor any of the family of his common-law wife, but actually a mistaken identity shooting by the ex-roommate of the short-order cook who was ripped off by in a drug deal by a friend of the victim. > > No doubt some of the stories are faked up, but they are fun nonetheless. > > Regards, > Shodan And the actor that played him is SO handsome!! There’s tons of shows on the ID Network. Some more seedy than others ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2019, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-shows-like-forensic-files/834545/11 "2019-06-01T02:43:39Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > And the actor that played him is SO handsome!! > > \ My favorite part is when faux Joe (handsome actor) sort of fuzzes out all the “noise” at the crime scene, the superfluous elements fade away, the light around Joe turns gently gold and my, my, my, you can see him solve that case right then, _in that very moment_! Cracks me up every time. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mcmechanic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Mcmechanic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mcmechanic)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2019, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-shows-like-forensic-files/834545/12 "2019-06-01T04:39:18Z")
Ha, I watch forensic files every night on HLN, puts my right to sleep. Good to know there are similar shows to look for ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2019, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-shows-like-forensic-files/834545/13 "2019-06-01T05:44:41Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > I don’t know if you get cable but there are whole channels of this stuff now like investigation discovery, oxygen…reelz which was supposed to be an entertainment info channel like E! but is now a mostly celebrity crime channel like the night stalker dalmer ect > > …for Netflix type in “investigation discovery” and have at … oh and “true crime” > > by the way CNN headline news has been making new forensic files for a couple of years now … i think there on sundays I’m pretty sure their “new” episodes are just ones that hadn’t previously been in syndication, since Peter Thomas (the narrator) died a few years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2019, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-shows-like-forensic-files/834545/14 "2019-06-01T12:04:01Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > We watch a lot of _Homicide Hunter_, with Lt. Joe Kenda. Part of the fun is that Lt. Joe is so completely deadpan - he’s seen everything. And thus his expression never changes, as he figures out it wasn’t the boyfriend of the lady the victim was cheating with, nor any of the family of his common-law wife, but actually a mistaken identity shooting by the ex-roommate of the short-order cook who was ripped off by in a drug deal by a friend of the victim. I’ve watched a couple episodes of this one and I’m enjoying it so far. I wish the stories weren’t all set in Colorado Springs, but then again globe-trotting master detectives only exist in pulp novels. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2019, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-shows-like-forensic-files/834545/15 "2019-06-01T15:44:08Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I’ve watched a couple episodes of this one and I’m enjoying it so far. I wish the stories weren’t all set in Colorado Springs, but then again globe-trotting master detectives only exist in pulp novels. They’re supposed to be reenactments of his own cases, and that’s where he spent his career. They are pretty interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2019, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-shows-like-forensic-files/834545/16 "2019-06-01T16:53:33Z")
I’ll recommend _Air Crash Investigation_ (aka _Mayday_, _Air Emergency_, or _Air Disasters_). A plane crash isn’t usually a crime, but the investigation into one involves a lot of similar forensic and detective work. I think I’ve watched too many episodes, as several times I’ve been able to correctly diagnose the cause of a crash purely from the recreation of the circumstances, before they start on the investigation itself. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2019, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-shows-like-forensic-files/834545/17 "2019-06-01T18:44:03Z")
> [@Terminus\_Est](#): > > I’ll recommend _Air Crash Investigation_ (aka _Mayday_, _Air Emergency_, or _Air Disasters_). A plane crash isn’t usually a crime, but the investigation into one involves a lot of similar forensic and detective work. I think I’ve watched too many episodes, as several times I’ve been able to correctly diagnose the cause of a crash purely from the recreation of the circumstances, before they start on the investigation itself. YES! Exactly. “Dude. You’re out of fuel!” or… “Dude, turn around now! What are you doing?? Turn around!” My fave is the guy who did a perfect landing on some kind of Louisiana levee.