The robot from Riptide.
What, no Magnum, P.I. yet? 
I have to agree with fotosbyfrank. I think Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin are great in the A&E series. I know alot of people don’t care for it, but I love these stories, and really enjoy it when I happen to catch an episode.
I don’t know if these count as television detectives, but I saw their movies on TV, so I’m gonna include them anyway: Nick and Nora Charles from the Thin Man movies. Witty, urbane, and oh-so inebriated, these two are always fun to watch. William Powell and Myrna Loy have an incredible chemistry together.
Seriously, a friend and I were recently (okay, a year ago)lamenting that there were no good detective shows on tv (This was before Monk came along). For a long time it seemed to be the most popular genre on t.v. and then it just sot of died.
I’m Talking more about pure non-police civilian detectives than about detectives as part of a police procedural show.
just had another thought, don’t know if it’s in the us but there’s an interesting show in the UK called Jonathan Creek. The main character (Mr Creek himself) is a magician and every solves each week’s impossible crime. I enjoyed it a lot.
Let me just second this thought. Not only was it a fantastic show and generally logically coherent, it was a “family event” around the young Hamlet household. My mom and dad were big fans, and the entire family would gather in the basement each week, grill hotdogs and s’mores in the fireplace, and watch Ellery Queen. We’d then spend the last commercial break trying to figure out the solution. And if you were right, you got an extra s’more and just beamed with pride the entire night. sniff sniff Oh to be young again. Excuse me… I have something in my eye.
Morse, yep, he was the best.
Columbo, yep he was good.
Jane Tennison - she is excellent, there is a new one out soon, you know.
But Quincy, who was a forensic scientist - both biologist AND chemist was surely the most hardworking. He could have saved the Where-ever-it-was PD a fortune. They didn’t need anyone else on staff with him around.
Columbo
Monk
Spenser
For me it also has to be Columbo, even though every single episode is exactly the same…
Picture the scene, lieutenant columbo and an upper crust murderous aristocrat (lets call him Shepley) are on deck (of Shepley`s yacht).
Columbo is walking around on deck rubbing his forehead, he has an enormous hangover and is throwing bread to some seagulls, sometimes his aim is not so good and the manky bread lands on Shepley`s favourite new piece of expensive deck furniture.
Shepley is following Columbo around making a big show of collecting the bread litter.
And ACTION -
Shepley - “Look Lt. we went over all this yesterday I told you everything I know why do you need to speak to me again? you dont possibly think I could be the killer of my own incredibly rich aunt”
Columbo - “Sir I know your a busy man, but there are a couple of things that I need to get straight in my head, its nothing important, actually it could have waited till Monday but when I called your seceretary and found out you were down at the marina, well, I dont often get to be on a boat as swanky as this, how much did it cost by the way? How many miles do you get for a gallon?”
Shepley - “She”
Columbo - “Whats that sir?”
Shepley - “She Lt. ‘she’, we dont refer to a vessel as ‘it’, the proper term is ‘she’, and its not a boat its a yacht and her speed is measured in knots not mph, really I dont mind helping with your enquiries but I have got a golf match at four can you ask me these questions so I can go about my day”
Columbo - “Knots eh? who woulda guessed that? Look at them seagulls sir, not a care in the world, do you ever think humans will be able to fly unaided? Do you have any aspirin on you sir?”
Shepley - " Really Lt. I am a busy man and I am tiring of your lazy eyed meanderings, and what is that smell, did you stand in something before you boarded my yacht Columbo?"
Columbo - “I dont think so sir, oh wait maybe I did step in a 4-week old pastrami on rye that I lost under my car seat, they get really squishy you know, after about two weeks, could I trouble you for a glass of milk?”
Shepley - " Look here you seedy little sht, my tie costs more than every piece of clothing you own, and yes, so I killed aunt Mabel for her money, the btch was asking for it, if i had waited till she popped off of natural causes I would have been too old to enjoy the money properly "
Columbo - “Or water sir, it doesn`t have to be milk, you see my throat is really dry, I think I may have some of that scurvy thats been going around”
Shepley - " Piss of you little oik, I am going for my game of golf, if you had any evidence to convict me you would have arrested me by now, I want you off my yacht by the time I get back"
Columbo - “I wouldn`t do that if I was you sir, you see, aunt Mabel was a bit off an amateur movie maker, and it turns out her little movie camera was on at the time you bludgeoned her to death, we have the whole thing on tape, we found it yesterday”
Shepley - “Oh sh*t, damn you mabel you slag, its a fair cop etc. But if you knew yesterday then why the need for this charade today?”
Columbo - "Like I said sir, its not every day a humble lieutenant like me gets to come on a real swanky canoe like this, do you mind if I take some of these sandwhiches down to the station with me? They really are delicious.
Shepley - " C*nt "
THE END!
Absolutely the best Nero Wolfe ever is the little-known 1977 TV movie (made by an Australian company, IIRC) starring the late Thayer David. Truly the perfect Wolfe. And well written, unlike the latest version.
There was a Thin Man TV series in 1957, starring Peter Lawford and Phyllis Kirk, which I have vague memories of being very good. I wish TV Land would bring it back some time, if anyone can find even kinescopes of it.
Blasphemy! Frank Pembleton is #1 all-time. John Munch is a close #2.
Briscoe and Fitz (Robbie Coltraine version) top my list, 100%. I could start a thread about how much I like these guys alone.
Pembleton and Munch come in second
I’m actually sort-of surprised no one has mentioned Poirot. I always found the series fascinating, especially the detail they put in the sets / costumes etc. Plus, you have to love a guy who always wants to exercise ‘The little grey cells’.
Matt Sykes, the ah-apparently-he’s-not-a-bigot-he’s-just-a-jerk human detective from Alien Nation. He was just so IRRITATED all the time, I could totally relate. Plus, he had a bald girlfriend.
One of the rare cases where a mediocre movie spawned a really good TV show . . .
–
Bet you thought I couldn’t work 80’s SF into this, huh?
Inspector Clousseu from The Pink Panther
Rockford all the way. He had the Firebird; Columbo’s car sucked.
Also, has anyone mentioned Addie and David from Moonlighting?
Lovejoy - a British series named for the “charming rascal” who dealt in antiques. In most episodes, he would wind up either unmasking a ring of antiquities smugglers or forgers, but he was just shady enough that in some episodes he was pulling the same sort of questionable stunts himself. Add in a rather lower-class personal appearance but the fact that his job brought him into frequent contact with upper class clients who might variously appreciate his expertise while loathing his manner.
In the US, the show ran on A&E for a few years.
Oh, and how could I forget: Brother Cadfael (a 15th century Benedictan monk played by Derek Jacobi)
Actually, I’m surprised there haven’t been more nominations, other than Cadfael and Jeremy Bret as Sherlock Holmes, from the PBS Mystery series (which airs a variety of British detective dramas).
And does Horace Rumpole count?
smam, your Columbo parody was very amusing. I enjoyed reading it.
I have a thing for Magnum PI. That show hypnotizes me.
Even talking about it I am getting… verrrry… sleeeeeepy.
Julie
Add me as another vote for Inspector Morse.
His fallibility, his crankiness, his unwillingness to go along with the class BS - all appealed to me.
And I especially like the theme which weaves Morse Code for M-O-R-S-E into the music.
Columbo-A-Minute
Somebody is murdered
MURDERER
Oh my, who could have done this?
COLUMBO
Er, ah, uh, er, ah, sir can I ask you a few questions?
MURDERER
Leave me alone I’m very busy you weed.
COLUMBO
Yes sir.
Walks halfway through door
Oh I forgot, one more thing.
Proves murderers guilt
MURDERER
Shoot. I’ll admit my guilt here and forego a trial.