The recent controversies over charging police officers (that is, Ferguson, MO and NYC) made me wonder what was the last show with a main character who is a cop but it’s not a cop show or police procedural. So, for instance, all the Law & Orders, Shields and so on are out. Probably also the shows like CSI and Elementary. I’d even consider knocking out shows like Fringe, Grimm, and Sleepy Hollow, although they’re not really procedurals.
All I can come up with is Family Matters, and that’s been off the air for 17 years. I’m not going to count The Simpsons or Family Guy, as neither show has one of the cops (Wiggum, Eddie, and Lou or Joe Swanson) as a main character.
The Walking Dead’s main character is a cop, but in the post apocalyptic word, he sort of gave up being a cop about a half an episode after he realized it was pointless.
Trying to decide if Alien Nation counts as a “cop show” or not. I’d vote that it did, but I bet the ‘aliens’ bit would make other viewers think otherwise.
Murray the cop. He was a regular in Felix and Oscar’s poker game. He was played by Al Molinaro, who also played Al, the proprietor of Arnold’s on Happy Days.
Sally’s boyfriend Don on 3rd Rock From the Sun, played by Wayne Knight was a recurring character who was a cop.
