10 Best Crime Shows Streaming On Netflix

This article contains discussions of mental health and sexual assault.

Sometimes, you're in the mood to binge-watch a dark, twisty show but aren't really in the mood for a documentary; maybe you prefer your crime stories fictional, or at least fictional and based on a "true" story of some kind. That's where these picks come in — because we've rounded up ten of the very best crime dramas available to stream on Netflix.

Some important housekeeping, before we begin. Nearly all of these shows are Netflix originals, meaning that it's unlikely — but not completely impossible — that they'll leave the service any time soon and will be there to binge whenever you want. Now that that's out of the way, let's look at some Emmy winners, some teen detective dramas, a beloved and sadly canceled drama about a real FBI department, and shows featuring A-list talent — in other words, ten great crime dramas streaming on Netflix.

At the 2025 Emmys and the 2026 Golden Globes, one victor emerged from the pack and beat out every other nominated miniseries: Adolescence, created by Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne. Across four episodes, all of which were shot in one unbroken take, we meet Jamie Miller (Emmy and Golden Globe winner Owen Cooper), but we already know, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that he's committed a truly horrifying crime; in fact, he was caught on video stabbing a female classmate to death, leaving both the police and his family to try and figure out exactly why Jamie attacked a young girl.

Breaking down the devastating effects of toxic masculinity and the growing "manosphere" and giving a spotlight to unbelievable performers like Cooper and, in fact, Graham himself — who also won multiple awards for portraying Jamie's bereft and shocked father Eddie — "Adolescence" is a harrowing series that's not really a "whodunit," but an investigation into the motive behind a crime committed by a young boy whose mind has been poisoned by outside forces. All of "Adolescence" is truly spectacular, but pay special attention to the show's third episode, which features a shocking, stunning showdown between Jamie and a therapist, portrayed outstandingly by Erin Doherty.

Created and pioneered by Jed Mercurio, the BBC and Netflix collaboration "Bodyguard" spanned just one six-episode season that released in 2018 ... but it left a lasting impression, to the point that its star Richard Madden took home a Golden Globe for his leading performance. (Yes, we mean that Richard Madden, who played Robb Stark on "Game of Thrones" and quite famously perished in bloody fashion on that show's Red Wedding.) On "Bodyguard," Madden plays David Budd, a Scottish man and war veteran who must protect Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes), a high-ranking Conservative politician whose policies and beliefs are despicable to David. Despite the fact that he doesn't agree with Julia on a single major issue, David takes his job in protecting her seriously, even as he himself struggles with PTSD from his time serving in Afghanistan.

"Bodyguard" is a relatively simple story told with skill and, thanks to Madden and Hawes, it's truly an engaging, gorgeously performed, and gripping story (even if it is a bit too short at, again, just six episodes). Whether you need your Robb Stark fix or just need a short new show to binge, it's worth checking out "Bodyguard."

While you absolutely can and should ignore the dreadful American adaptation of "Broadchurch" that briefly aired on Fox — titled "Gracepoint" — you definitely shouldn't overlook "Broadchurch." Created by Chris Chibnall, "Broadchurch" has a truly spectacular first season that features David Tennant and future Oscar winner Olivia Colman as detectives Alec Hardy and Ellie Miller, who are tasked with investigating the harrowing murder of a young boy in the titular (and fictional) coastal British town. In that first "series," as the British call it, Alec and Ellie have to find out who killed 11-year-old Danny Latimer, even investigating his parents Mark and Beth Latimer (Andrew Buchan and Jodie Whittaker, the latter of whom would go on to portray the Doctor on "Doctor Who" just like Tennant once did). 

With an ensemble cast that features luminaries like Whittaker, "Wicked" star Jonathan Bailey, Vicky McClure, Arthur Darvill (another "Doctor Who" alum), and future "Game of Thrones" supporting players Jacob Anderson and David Bradley, "Broadchurch" is well worth your time, even if the first season is still the best outing. Don't hesitate; go hit play on "Broadchurch."

After the real-life heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris in 2025, some fans of French crime dramas probably started thinking, "Wait, isn't this just like 'Lupin?'" Created by by George Kay and François Uzan, "Lupin" premiered on Netflix in 2021, focusing on thief Assane Diop (French powerhouse Omar Sy), the first-generation son of a Senegalese immigrant in France who wants to get revenge on the wealthy and powerful Pellegrini family. Years before the series' narrative begins, a young Assane often goes to the Pellegrini household with his father Babakar Diop (Fargass Assandé, only seen in flashbacks), but Babakar is subsequently fired and then jailed after the evil patriarch Hubert Pellegrini (Hervé Pierre) accuses the man of stealing a massive diamond necklace.

So what does the Louvre have to do with anything, and why is the show called "Lupin" and not, like, "Assane?" Well, Assane smartly adopts the moniker Arséne Lupin as he steals things like that diamond necklace — from the Louvre after an auction for it, specifically — and for those who aren't familiar with Arséne Lupin, he's the main character of a famous French book series designed for children who also happens to be a thief. Sy is absolutely phenomenal in this role, so even if you don't speak a word of French, throw on those subtitles and immerse yourself in "Lupin."

After David Fincher helped transform Netflix from a DVD rental service into a streaming giant with its own original programming — specifically, with "House of Cards" — he created one of the service's best-ever crime shows, "Mindhunter." Led by Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, and Anna Torv, "Mindhunter" fictionalizes the very real creation of an FBI department called the Behavioral Science Unit, which seeks to understand exactly why some of the world's most violent and dangerous criminals and killers commit their heinous crimes. 

As relatively green FBI agent Holden Ford (Groff) and his grizzled superior Bill Tench (McCallany) work with a psychologist, Wendy Carr (Torv) to launch this project in the first place during the show's inaugural season, they interview Ed Kemper (a very real and very horrific serial killer portrayed on the series by Cameron Britton). Throughout the show's two seasons, Holden becomes far too involved in his work to the point that his mental health deteriorates, and as we watch Holden, Bill, and Anna attempt to understand the psychology of killers, interstitial scenes show us Dennis Rader, also known as the "BTK Killer" (which stands for "bind, torture, kill") committing some of his crimes (with the killer played in shadowy appearances by Sonny Valicenti). Unfortunately, "Mindhunter," which premiered in 2017, likely won't ever return for a third season ... but you should definitely watch the first two if you haven't already.

Helmed by Shawn Ryan, "The Night Agent," based on a novel of the same name by Matthew Quirk, is a phenomenal crime thriller that definitely deserves your attention. The series centers around Peter Sutherland, an FBI agent played by Gabriel Basso who's trying to find a dangerous mole in the United States government who's leaking information to enemy forces. To complicate everything as he desperately tries to figure out who this mole might be, he's also tasked with protecting Rose Larkin (Luciane Buchanan), a prodigal tech entrepreneur whose aunt and uncle once worked in a secret U.S. task force as "night agents" and who now needs to be shielded from the forces her aunt and uncle once worked to destroy.

With an incredible cast that includes Oscar nominee Hong Chau, Sarah Desjardins, Brittany Snow, and D.B. Woodside, "The Night Agent" is a bit labyrinthine in that it eventually shifts focus to center around a shadowy government agency called, appropriately, Night Action. Still, it's worth your while to get invested in "The Night Agent," particularly because Basso and Buchanan are excellent in their lead roles. If you need a new crime series to binge-watch on Netflix, you honestly can't go wrong with this one.

Helmed by Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams, "Ozark" remains one of Netflix's most highly-regarded and critically acclaimed series in the streamer's history ... which helps explain why it won so many Emmy nominations (and a handful of important wins). When the show opens, we meet Marty and Wendy Byrde, played by Jason Bateman and Laura Linney, who relocate from Chicago to the remote Ozarks to continue quietly laundering money for a dangerous Mexican cartel ... especially after Marty's partner steals money from the cartel, putting Marty and Wendy in a truly horrifying and dangerous position. As they remake themselves in the Ozarks, they meet characters like Ruth Langmore (Emmy winner Julia Garner), a young woman who's the daughter of and heir to a powerful Ozark crime family, as well as dangerous crime boss and drug producer Jacob Snell (Peter Mullan). Along the way, Wendy and Marty's kids Charlotte and Jonah, played by Sofia Hublitz and Skylar Gaertner, grapple with the knowledge that their parents are criminals ... who often find themselves at odds with other criminals.

Most people have already watched and enjoyed "Ozark," but if you're late to the party, there's truly no better time to start. Park yourself on the couch, log into Netflix, and watch all four seasons of "Ozark" whenver you like.

An anthology series that began its life in 2017 on The USA Network (where, famously, characters are welcome), "The Sinner" is one of the darkest crime shows in recent memory ... to the point where it's actively shocking that it ever aired on cable television. In the first season, Jessica Biel shows off her dramatic chops as Cora Tannetti, who's enjoying a beach day with her family before abruptly stabbing a fellow beachgoer to death for reasons that nobody initially understands; in Season 2, a young boy named Julian Walker (Elisha Henig) confesses that he poisoned a couple, and Season 3 centers around a devastating car crash that reveals more secrets than anyone could have ever anticipated. Season 4, the fourth and final outing, takes place in Maine and focuses on a crime involving a young girl.

All of these seasons are deftly anchored by Bill Pullman's detective Harry Ambrose, who's the main connective tissue of the entire series — and each season brings in a powerhouse cast to boot. With great performers like Jessica Hecht, Christopher Abbott, Carrie Coon, Tracy Letts, Matt Bomer, Chris Messina, Michael Mosley, and Frances Fisher on board across its four seasons, "The Sinner" will keep you guessing — and aside from Ambrose's continued presence, each season feels like an individual and perfectly contained series.

The UPN series "Veronica Mars" has experienced quite the journey over the years, and with the original series on Netflix, you can experience those initial first three seasons for yourself. As the show opens, we meet the titular teenage detective Veronica, played perfectly by a young Kristen Bell — and learn that, just before the show began, her life turned upside down. Her best friend, the beautiful and popular Lilly Kane (Amanda Seyfried, seen only in flashbacks), was murdered. Veronica's boyfriend Duncan Kane (Teddy Dunn), Lilly's brother, abruptly ended their relationship without explanation after Lilly's murder, turning Veronica into an outcast.

Worse still, Veronica's father Keith Mars (Enrico Colantoni), the former sheriff of their small California town of Neptune, was fired in disgrace after publicly accusing Lilly's powerful father of killing her; in the aftermath of that, Veronica's mother left town. Oh, and one last thing, in case that wasn't enough: after losing Lilly, Duncan, and her mother, Veronica attended a Neptune High School party and was drugged and sexually assaulted by a classmate, whose identity she does not know.

"Veronica Mars" ran for three seasons between UPN and The WB, got a crowd-funded movie in 2014 and a fourth (and potentially final) season on Hulu in 2019. Now, it's on Netflix — so if you haven't experienced this particular Bell performance, enjoy.

Even though the series "You" — created by Sera Gamble and adapted from a series of books by Caroline Kepnes — originally premiered on Lifetime in 2018, it got super popular when it premiered on Netflix, and ultimately, the streamer picked up this series and exclusively aired its second season. After playing a creepy online stalker in "Gossip Girl," Penn Badgley switched gears to play a creepy online stalker in "You" as Joe Goldberg, a man whose obsessions with women eventually turn violent and horrifying as he puts them on various pedestals ... and then gets angry when they topple off.

"You" is, to be honestly, a patently silly show that somehow works because Badgley's central performance is so excellent — and even though each season becomes more and more heightened, Badgley anchors all of the silliness in a way that makes you feel fully invested in Joe's journey (even as you realize that he's extremely horrible). With great supporting characters played by Victoria Pedretti, Jenna Ortega, Shay Mitchell, Zach Cherry, Elizabeth Lail, Tati Gabrielle, Charlotte Ritchie, Ed Speelers, Lukas Gage, Madeline Brewer, and Anna Camp — all of whom cross Joe's path and live to regret it — "You" is a fun, campy, disturbing, and strangely delightful ride.

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).