Best Cop/Detective Shows of the 1990s
Cop shows have always been popular among alpha-male types. Since TV's inception cop shows have been a staple of the networks. The hard boiled cop relentlessly working to track down the bad guys. When the 1990s came around a new breed of cop came onto the scene. This cop is more cerebral and sensitive, he may even listen to opera, or he may not even be a cop but still an amateur detective. Despite this change, there have been many good shows about cops and others doing the detective work to catch the bad guys.
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- CreatorsDick WolfRick EidStarsJerry OrbachJesse L. MartinDennis FarinaTwo Part drama which focuses on the New York criminal Justice System by showing a violent crime investigated by police detectives in the first half and then the trial of the accused in court by the prosecutors in the second half.Of all of the cop shows to come about in the last 20 years, this is the granddaddy of them all. Law and Order lasted for 20 years and spawned 5 spinoffs.
- CreatorPaul AttanasioStarsRichard BelzerClark JohnsonYaphet KottoAn American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Unit.This is one of the throwbacks to the police shows of old, with one major difference: Homicide was grittier than many of its predecessors. Barry Levinson, who is best known for films like Diner, The Natural and Rain Man created this show about Baltimore homicide detectives who struggle to solve complex cases. On a side note Homicide features a character (Detective John Munch) who would later move to another show (Law and Order: SVU).
- CreatorJoyce BurdittStarsDick Van DykeBarry Van DykeVictoria RowellDr. Mark Sloan has a knack for getting into trouble, negotiating the twists and turns of mysteries and solving crimes with the help of his son, Steve, a homicide detective.Many TV actors have found fame a second time around by playing a role that is different from their first starring role. Robert Young (Father Knows Best) first achieved this when he took on the role of Marcus Welby M.D. Buddy Ebsen (The Beverly Hillbillies) followed suit with Barnaby Jones. Now Dick Van Dyke (The Dick Van Dyke Show) returns as Dr. Mark Sloan, a skilled physician and equally skilled amateur detective. Sloan routinely solves cases with his police detective son (played by Van Dyke's real-life son Barry Van Dyke).
- CreatorStephen J. CannellStarsLorenzo LamasBranscombe RichmondDon LaFontaineAfter crooked cop Lieutenant "Dutch" Dixon kills his girlfriend and frames him for murder, Reno Raines escapes from jail and goes on the run.Detective Reno Raines (Lorenzo Lamas) is framed for murder by the corrupt Lt. Dutch Dixon (Stephen J. Cannell) for murder. Raines teams with his bounty hunter friend (Branscome Richmond) and a sexy tracker (played by Lamas' ex-wife Kathleen Kinmont) to clear his name and solve other cases along the way.
- CreatorsStephen J. CannellStephen KronishStarsMichael ChiklisTheresa SaldanaKaj-Erik EriksenTony Scali is the police commissioner of a city where solutions often require creativity. Tony's calmness and intellect are far more useful to him than guns or brute force in his fight against crime.A police commissioner who listens to opera. Michael Chilkis (The Shield) plays Commissioner Tony Scali, who solves difficult cases in his small town. This is the introduction of the cerebral cop, the one who relies more on intellect than brute force. This show also showcases the home lives of these officers, proving that everyone has a life away from the office.
- CreatorCarlton CuseStarsDon JohnsonCheech MarinJodi Lyn O'KeefeA smart alecky San Francisco, California cop and his get rich quick scheme of a partner keep tabs on crime and take down the bad guys in the Bay Area.Wise-cracking police inspector Nash Bridges (Don Johnson) solves crimes with his partner Joe Dominguez (Cheech Marin). Nash Bridges was a light-hearted look at the cop show. Like The Commish, Nash Bridges also focused on our hero's home life. Nash has a daughter (Jodi-Lynn O'Keefe) who is a wild child and a father (James Gammon) with Alzheimer's.
- CreatorDick WolfStarsMariska HargitayChristopher MeloniIce-TFollows the New York City Police Department's (NYPD) Special Victims Unit (SVU), a specially trained squad of detectives who investigates sex crimes including rape, child sexual abuse, human trafficking and domestic violence.Nine years after the original comes Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. This show focuses on crimes of a sexual nature. It also features Detective John Munch (Richard Belzer) from Homicide: Life on the Streets, who moved up to New York following the end of his first series. Law & Order: SVU also holds the distinction of being the only remaining Law & Order still on TV.
