# Shows with a Cop Main Character but not a Cop Show **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 8, 2014, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-a-cop-main-character-but-not-a-cop-show/706618 "2014-12-08T00:26:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Weedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/weedy/32/301_2.png) [@Weedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weedy)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-a-cop-main-character-but-not-a-cop-show/706618/21 "2014-12-08T04:20:29Z")
Matt Parkman in _Heroes_ was a cop. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-a-cop-main-character-but-not-a-cop-show/706618/22 "2014-12-08T04:31:35Z")
Sleepy Hollow. Even less cop show elements than Grimm since it’s not using the crime scene to drive the supernatural investigation of the week. ---
**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:** [December 8, 2014, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-a-cop-main-character-but-not-a-cop-show/706618/23 "2014-12-08T06:00:51Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > I respectfully disagree with the OP. Wiggum appears often enough to count. And I disagree with Joe on _Family Guy_, too. No way Chief Wiggum is a main character. He’s a recurring character, but his absence from any given episode requires neither explanation nor comment. Though the show’s pretty much become about the city of Springfield as a whole, the main characters are still just the Homer, Marge, Bart, and Lisa, one of whom is always linked to an episode’s main plot. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-a-cop-main-character-but-not-a-cop-show/706618/24 "2014-12-08T06:06:43Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Heck, Marge Simpson was a cop. For one episode. so was Homer. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-a-cop-main-character-but-not-a-cop-show/706618/25 "2014-12-08T06:42:21Z")
Some current shows that may fit: _ **Once Upon A Time** _ - the main character, Emma, has taken over the role of sheriff in Storybrooke. _ **The Leftovers** _ - HBO series about the sudden unexplainable disappearance of millions of people worldwide. The main character is a Chief of Police in his hometown. _ **Gotham** _ - maybe this could be called a “cop show,” but it’s not your typical procedural. Detective Jim Gordon is the center of the show. _ **Arrow** _ and _ **The Flash** _ - both of these shows have regular supporting characters who are cops (Detective Lance on _Arrow_ and Detective West on _The Flash_). _ **Defiance** _ - Syfy show, the main character is the “law keeper” (basically the sheriff) of the town built on the ruins of St. Louis. _ **Continuum** _ - scifi/time-travel show, the lead character was a kind of cop in the future, and she partners up with a Vancouver cop in our present. _ **Lost Girl** _ - fantasy show, one of the main supporting characters is Dyson, a werewolf who is a cop. And for a non-scifi/fantasy offering: _ **Orange is the New Black** _ - a few of the characters are prison guards. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-a-cop-main-character-but-not-a-cop-show/706618/26 "2014-12-08T12:48:39Z")
The John Larroquette Show ran for 3 season in the mid-90s. Lenny Clarke and Elizabeth Berridge played cops that were part of the main cast. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-a-cop-main-character-but-not-a-cop-show/706618/27 "2014-12-08T13:41:48Z")
I honestly think that the only ones that fit the bill are Family Matters, Mike & Molly, and Everybody Loves Raymond FM and MM for sure, for Ray, I think that his brother was such an integral part of the show (having either the A or B story in virtually every episode) brings him out of the recurring character role and into the main cast. Anyone else is just a recurring character (Wiggum) or the fact that they’re a cop is only part and parcel to a more intricate story (Once, Grimm, Walking Dead, etc.) ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-a-cop-main-character-but-not-a-cop-show/706618/28 "2014-12-08T14:32:05Z")
On The New Girl, one of the main characters, Winston, is in the process of becoming a cop. He’s been doing training and recently took some sort of an exam. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-a-cop-main-character-but-not-a-cop-show/706618/29 "2014-12-08T14:36:37Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > I honestly think that the only ones that fit the bill are Family Matters, Mike & Molly, and Everybody Loves Raymond I can’t imagine how _Family Matters_ would count and _Gimme a Break_ wouldn’t. Although the show went on after the actor’s death, for the first four seasons he was a main character. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-a-cop-main-character-but-not-a-cop-show/706618/30 "2014-12-08T14:41:27Z")
Old: Greatest American Hero New: The first episode of **Orphan Black.** Well, the first five minutes or so, anyway. > [@Lasciel](#): > > 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. Given that both of the main characters were cops, and all the episodes were about cop stuff… ---
**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:** [December 8, 2014, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-a-cop-main-character-but-not-a-cop-show/706618/31 "2014-12-08T14:43:20Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > Anyone else is just a recurring character (Wiggum) or the fact that they’re a cop is only part and parcel to a more intricate story (Once, Grimm, Walking Dead, etc.) Grimm is a cop show. It is a cop show with a twist but many episodes are cop show plots with the bad guy being a monster. After the 1st episode The Walking Dead is about an ex-cop. There is no longer any civilization to be a cop in. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-a-cop-main-character-but-not-a-cop-show/706618/32 "2014-12-08T15:00:49Z")
What about Commissioner Gordon on Batman? ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-a-cop-main-character-but-not-a-cop-show/706618/33 "2014-12-08T15:02:06Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > I can’t imagine how _Family Matters_ would count and _Gimme a Break_ wouldn’t. Although the show went on after the actor’s death, for the first four seasons he was a main character. I’ve never heard of Gimmie a Break before, so that’s why I didn’t include it. And omission out of ignorance more than anything else ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-a-cop-main-character-but-not-a-cop-show/706618/34 "2014-12-08T16:00:02Z")
_Car 54 Where Are You_ - pretty much all the characters were cops (or their wives), and it was rarely about a crime. Almost always about their personal lives. _Barney Miller_ also had little in the way of actual crime fighting. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-a-cop-main-character-but-not-a-cop-show/706618/35 "2014-12-08T16:05:02Z")
The TV Show [Doc](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doc_(TV_series)), is about a doctor whose best friend is a cop. ---
**Author:** ![Art\_Rock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/art_rock/32/525_2.png) [@Art\_Rock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Art_Rock)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-a-cop-main-character-but-not-a-cop-show/706618/36 "2014-12-08T16:30:49Z")
Sherlock has Inspector Lestrade as an important character. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-a-cop-main-character-but-not-a-cop-show/706618/37 "2014-12-08T17:36:19Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > _ **Arrow** _ and _ **The Flash** _ - both of these shows have regular supporting characters who are cops (Detective Lance on _Arrow_ and Detective West on _The Flash_). If those shows count, the Flash’s day job as a crime-scene investigator deserves mention. ---
**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:** [December 8, 2014, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-a-cop-main-character-but-not-a-cop-show/706618/38 "2014-12-08T17:53:28Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > for Ray, I think that his brother was such an integral part of the show (having either the A or B story in virtually every episode) brings him out of the recurring character role and into the main cast. Definitely main cast. Robert wasn’t just a recurring character. Brad Garrett had equal billing with the others in the opening credits. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-a-cop-main-character-but-not-a-cop-show/706618/39 "2014-12-08T17:53:44Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > If those shows count, the Flash’s day job as a crime-scene investigator deserves mention. True, but he’s not investigating crimes towards a standard cop resolution… it’s not like his enemies go to court. He’s running about 50/50 between incarcerated in his private prison and dead. ---
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-a-cop-main-character-but-not-a-cop-show/706618/40 "2014-12-09T02:14:53Z")
Kelso was a cop for a while on that 70’s show [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-a-cop-main-character-but-not-a-cop-show/706618.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-a-cop-main-character-but-not-a-cop-show/706618.md?page=3)