Some of the most popular television shows to ever exist have been crime dramas. With a healthy selection of crime dramas to choose from the Netflix library, we’ve ranked the very best by pairing the scores of IMDB users and Rotten Tomatoes together to compile the list of crime dramas on Netflix.
To determine which crime dramas have ranked higher when the same score is achieved we’ve decided to place the anime with more user ratings on IMDb as the tiebreaker.
Please Note: the list below has been compiled from titles in the Netflix US library.
Here are the best crime dramas on Netflix according to IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes:
10. Signal
Seasons: 1 | Episodes: 16
Runtime: 80 Minutes | Cast: Lee Je Hoon, Kim Hye Soo, Jo Jin Woong, Kim Won Hae, Lee Yoo Joon
IMDb Rating: 8.5.10 out of 7.6k user ratings | AVG Tomatometer: 91% (Audience)
Some of the best crime dramas available on Netflix are from South Korea. One of the very best the country has to offer on Netflix is Signal.
Fifteen years ago a child was kidnapped on her way to school, which was witnessed by Park Hae Yeong. When the young girl is found dead, Hae Young begins to distrust the police. 15 years later, Hae Young is working for the police as a criminal profiler and finds a walkie-talkie that allows him to talk to Detective Lee Jae Han, who is in the past.
9. Stranger
Seasons: 2 | Episodes: 32
Runtime: 60 Minutes | Cast: Cho Seung Woo, Bae Doo Na, Lee Joon Hyuk, Yoo Jae Myung, Shin Hye Sun
IMDb Rating: 8.5/10 out of 8.8k user ratings | AVG Tomatometer: N/A
Actress Bae Doona is one of the most recognizable faces on Netflix, having starred in a whole multitude of different projects. One of the best k-dramas available to stream, and with 32 episodes, if you’ve never watched a k-drama before then binging Stranger would be a great place to start.
Hwang Shi Mok is an exemplary prosecutor who suffered from hypersensitivity to certain sounds. After undergoing brain surgery in his youth he almost lost his sense of empathy. While investigating a strange murder case, he meets police lieutenant Han Yeo Jin, and she assists him in solving it. As they begin to unravel the mystery behind the murders, they also discover that someone guides and someone hinders their efforts to unfold the secrets about a larger scheme of corruption between the government’s Public Prosecutor’s Office and a private conglomerate.
8. Wentworth
Seasons: 9 | Episodes: 100
Runtime: 45 Minutes | Cast: Kate Atkinson, Katrina Milosevic, Robbie Magasiva, Jacquie Brennan, Celia Ireland
IMDb Rating: 8.6/10 out of 23k user ratings | AVG Tomatometer: N/A
There have been some excellent dramas from Australia, but none so more popular than Wentworth. Fans of Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black should not pass up the opportunity to watch all 100 excellent episodes of the beloved Australian series.
After the attempted murder of her husband, Bea Smith is put behind bars as she awaits her trial. Bea must come to terms with her new way of life as she learns the rules of prison life.
7. Mindhunter N
Seasons: 2 | Episodes: 19
Runtime: 60 Minutes | Cast: Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, Anna Torv, Hannah Gross, Sonny Valicenti
IMDb Rating: 8.6/10 out of 296k user ratings | AVG Tomatometer: 97%
Thanks to Fincher placing the series on ice for the foreseeable future, Mindhunter continues to be one of the most in-demand originals that subscribers want to return.
FBI Agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench, along with psychologist Wendy Carr, create the agency’s Behavioral Science Unit within the training division at the FBI Academy. Conducting interviews with known mass murderers, allows them to begin profiling criminals, understanding how they think, and how to apply this newfound knowledge to solve new and old cases.
6. Dark N
Seasons: 3 | Episodes: 26
Runtime: 60 Minutes | Cast: Louis Hoffman, Karoline Eichorn, Lisa Vicari, Maja Schöne, Jördis Triebel
IMDb Rating: 8.7/10 out of 399k user ratings | AVG Tomatometer: 95%
The first, and arguably most successful Netflix original from Germany, Dark had audiences in twists and turns thanks to its mind-boggling narrative that took place over multiple timelines,
A family saga with a supernatural twist, set in a German town where the disappearance of two young children exposes the relationships between four families.
5. Narcos N
Seasons: 3 | Episodes: 30
Runtime: 49 Minutes | Cast: Pedro Pascal, Wagner Moura, Boy Holbrook, Alberto Ammann, Paulina Gaitan
IMDb Rating: 8.8/10 out of 429k user ratings | AVG Tomatometer: 89%
One of the earliest, and most popular Netflix originals, Narcos helped pave the way for more multilingual shows. After his break-out role in Game of Thrones, Pedro Pascal showed off his acting chops as DEA agent Javier Peña, meanwhile, the world was introduced to Wagner Moura and his iconic performance as Pablo Escobar.
Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar rises to the top of the criminal underworld, becoming one of the most powerful and richest men on the planet. With Escobar’s influence impacting the United States’ war on drugs, top DEA agents are sent to the country to bring him down.
4. Peaky Blinders N
Seasons: 6 | Episodes: 36
Runtime: 60 Minutes | Cast: Cillian Murphy, Paul Anderson, Sophie Rundle, Helen McCrory, Ned Dennehy
IMDb Rating: 8.8/10 out of 563k user ratings | AVG Tomatometer: 93%
Over the past decade, there have been few shows that have enamored audiences quite like Peaky Blinders. Taking both sides of the Atlantic by storm, Cillian Murphy and his fellow cast members have done a phenomenal job in entertaining audiences for a decade, always leaving us wanting more.
In the wake of the Great War, Tommy Shelby takes advantage of the despair and hedonism of 1919 Britain and uses his family, and gang, the Peaky Blinders, to take control of the streets of Birmingham. With ambitions bigger than running the streets, Tommy Shelby wants to go legitimate.
3. Better Call Saul
Seasons: 6 | Episodes: 63
Runtime: 46 Minutes | Cast: Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seehorn, Jonathan Banks, Patrick Fabian, Michael Mando
IMDb Rating: 8.9/10 out of 548k user ratings | AVG Tomatometer: 98%
In an era where prequel shows and spin-offs are a dime a dozen, it takes something special to stand out amongst the crowd, especially when you’re the prequel series to one of the most beloved television shows of all time.
Before there was Saul Goodman, there was Jimmy McGill. Years before meeting Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, Saul was a struggling small-time attorney.
2. My Mister
Seasons: 1 | Episodes: 16
Runtime: 67 Minutes | Cast: Lee Sun Kyun, IU, Park Ho San, Song Sae Byul, Lee Ji Ah
IMDb Rating: 9.1/10 out of 7.2k user ratings | AVG Tomatometer: N/A
Despite its fantastic audience rating and critical reception, the k-drama failed to make a significant impact on South Korean ratings.
A man in his 40’s withstands the weight of life. A woman in her 20s goes through different experiences, but also withstands the weight of her life. The man and woman get together to help each other.
1. Breaking Bad
Seasons: 5 | Episodes: 62
Runtime: 49 Minutes | Cast: Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Betsy Brandt, RJ Mitte
IMDb Rating: 9.5/10 out of 1.9 million user ratings | AVG Tomatometer: 96%
A series that needs little to no introduction, the show has been a near-constant presence on Netflix for over a decade. If you haven’t seen Breaking Bad yet, then we’re completely jealous of you, but for those that have already seen Vince Gilligan’s masterpiece, isn’t it about time for another rewatch?
Diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, high-school chemistry teacher Walter White has a short amount of time left to live. Determined to secure a financial future for his family, Walter, with the help of former student Jesse Pinkman, uses his chemistry genius to create extremely pure crystal methamphetamine. Walt’s signature blue meth makes him, and Jesse, rich quickly, but its quality captures the attention of the DEA and the Mexican cartel. With time running out, Walt must make as much meth and money as possible without being caught or killed.
What is your favorite crime drama on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!
