Yahoo News 20 Most Popular Crime Shows on Netflix
Netflix shows have a massive audience around the world, and one of the most popular genres on the streaming service is crime shows. Whether it’s a hard-boiled story adapted from a well-known book series like “The Lincoln Lawyer” or a new pulse-pounding action concept like “The Night Agent,” it’s clear viewers across the globe love a good procedural.
More from Variety
Some of the biggest shows that Netflix tallied in its data for the second half of 2023 included series from France like “Lupin,” from Germany like “Dear Child” and from Spain like the miniseries “Burning Body.” Even older series remain popular across the globe — especially when they’re one of the top crime-themed TV series ever made, like “Breaking Bad,” which ranked No. 5 on Variety’s list of the best TV shows of all time.
Here are some of the most popular crime-focused series from around the world on Netflix, according to the most recent data on number of views. Note: Some top crime shows which are not available in the U.S. were not included.
Dear Child
“Dear Child” is a six-episode limited series hailing from Germany. Starring Kin Riedele, Naila Schiberth and Sammy Shrein, the mystery drama follows Lena and her two children who live in the captivity of a psychotic kidnapper. When Lena manages to escape with her daughter Hannah, she gets in a near-fatal car accident and is rushed to the hospital. When Lena wakes up, her parents arrive, who have been desperately searching for her for 13 years.
Who is Erin Carter?
“Who is Erin Carter?” is a British action thriller set in Spain starring Evin Ahmad, Sean Teal and Indica Watson. The first season follows school teacher Erin Carter, who moves to Barcelona to work in an international school. Her dangerous past is threatened to be revealed when a robber in a grocery store claims to recognize her.
Lupin
“Lupin” is a French espionage thriller inspired by the classic “Arsène Lupin” novels by Maurice Leblanc. Starring Omar Sy, Shirine Boutella and Ludvine Sagnier, the action-packed fantastical three-season series follows the adventures of gentleman thief Assane Diop as he seeks vengeance for his father who was wronged by a wealthy family.
The Lincoln Lawyer
American legal drama “The Lincoln Lawyer” started production on its third season in January. Starring Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Neve Campbell and Becki Newton, the series is based on Michael Connelly’s best-selling hard-boiled mystery novels that follow Los Angeles defense attorney Mickey Haller (Rulfo), who often runs his practice out of the backseats of a 1963 Lincoln Continental Convertible and two Lincoln Navigators.
Fun fact: In the novels, the Mickey Haller character is the half-brother of Harry Bosch, subject of Amazon’s popular detective series.
A Nearly Normal Family
“A Nearly Normal Family” is a six-episode limited series hailing from Sweden. Based on the novel of the same name by M.T. Edvardsson, “A Nearly Normal Family” follows married couple Adam (Björn Sandell) and Ulrika Sandell (Alexandra Karlsson Tyrefors) who live an idyllic suburban life until their 19-year-old daughter is accused of murder.
Bodies
The eight-episode series “Bodies” stars Amaka Okafor, Kyle Soller and Shira Haas. It’s set in London’s East End, with filming taking place primarily in Yorkshire. The show revolves around four detectives who are all living in different timelines: 1890, 1941, 2023 and 2053. After they discover the body of a murder victim, their investigations lead them to follow a lifelong conspiracy.
Burning Body
The eight-episode Netflix true crime series “Burning Body” was filmed in 2022 in Barcelona. The show is set in 2017 and is a fictionalized story based on real events of the Guàrdia Urbana, which is the Urban Police. It tells the story of a police officer, Pedro, whose burned body is found in the Foix reservoir, and the love triangle between Pedro and two female officers.
Pact of Silence
Netflix’s thriller “Pact of Silence” stars Adriana Louvier, Marimar Vega and Litzy. The Mexican series follows a popular social media influencer who inserts herself in the lives of four women. She is on a journey to investigate and discover which of them is her real mom who abandoned her at birth and why she did it.
Criminal Code
“Criminal Code” takes place near the border of Brazil and Paraguay. It stars Maeve Jinkings, Rômulo Braga and Thomas Aquino and is directed by Heitor Dhalia and Pedro Morelli. The series is based on a real-life caper and follows the work of federal police officers during an investigation that later unravels into something much more pressing. After tracking DNA evidence, it leads them to a large amount of stolen cash.
The Night Agent
The 10-episode American action thriller series “The Night Agent” stars Gabriel Basso, Luciane Buchanan and Fola Evans-Akingbola. It follows FBI agent Peter Sutherland (Basso), who works in the basement of the White House tracking phone calls. One night when a mysterious phone call comes in, it leads him to follow a conspiracy full of twists and surprising turns. The pulse-pounding thriller was created by Shawn Ryan and is based on a book of the same name by Matthew Quirk. Season 2 will be released later in 2024.
Celebrity
“Celebrity” is a Korean Netflix thriller series written by Kim Yi-young, directed by Kim Cheol-kyu, and starring Park Gyu-young, Kang Min-hyuk, Lee Chung-ah, Lee Dong-gun and Jun Hyo-seong. It senters around a woman who is fixated on becoming the next big celebrity in Seoul, but it also explores the dark side of social media and being an influencer, including scams, drugs — and even murder.
Black Mirror
“Black Mirror” is a six-season anthology series that was first released in 2011, where every episode is a standalone story. Collectively, the show explores dark aspects of humanity and society, with a futuristic, technological theme that includes stories of drama, political satire and psychological horror. Stars who have been featured in the series include Miley Cyrus, Daniel Kaluuya, Michael Cera, Salma Hayek, Jon Hamm and more.
Elite
This Spanish drama follows teens at a fictional private high school in Spain called Las Encinas. Three students enroll in the exclusive school through a scholarship program, and clash with the privileged, uber-wealthy kids at the institution. Lying, secrets and murder are an everyday occurrence for these spoiled teens.
“Money Heist” actors Jaime Lorente, María Pedraza and Miguel Herrán have appeared in the drama, as well as Arón Piper, Ester Expósito and Itzan Escamilla. Danna Paola, Manu Rios and Omar Ayuso also have starred in the show. The first season was released in 2018, and the eighth and final season will be released in 2024. The final season boasts only a few familiar faces, with most of the original cast having left the series in seasons 3 and 4.
Top Boy
Set on a estate in east London, “Top Boy” follows two drug dealers, Dushane (Ashley Walters) and Sully (Kane Robinson) and explores drug dealing and gang violence in the city.
Rapper Drake and LeBron James’ business manager and business partner Maverick Carter serve as executive producers on the series. James and Carter co-founded SpringHill Company, which co-produced season 3. The British crime drama ran for two seasons on Channel 4 in the U.K. from 2011-2013 until Drake helped revive the show in 2019.
Blood Coast
Set along the stunning French Riviera, “Blood Coast” follows a rogue police captain and a new recruit who try to find the leader of one of the most infamous drug rings in Marseille. The show is co-written by Kamel Guemra and former police officer Olivier Marchal and directed by Marchal.
The cast includes “Barbarians” actor Jeanne Goursand, Tewfik Jallab, Samir Boitard, Lani Sagoyou, Samir Boitard and more.
Bloodhounds
South Korean action-drama series “Bloodhounds” follows two boxers who, alongside a moneylender, attempt to take down a loan shark to pay off their debt. The series, created by Jason Kim, stars Woo Do-hwan, Lee Sang-yi and Huh Joon-ho.
Sang-yi won the actor excellence award at the Korea Drama Awards last year for his role as Hong Woo-jin, Kim Geon-woo’s (Do-hwan) friend and fellow boxer. The series is based on the eponymous web comic from Jeong Chan. A second season of “Bloodhounds” has been confirmed, though there is no release date set yet.
Money Heist: Berlin
Following the immense success of “Money Heist,” Pedro Alonso (code-named Berlin) sees his own spinoff with “Money Heist: Berlin,” a prequel to the events of the original series. Berlin and his crew work together to pull off another ambitious heist, similar to “Money Heist,” but this time in Paris.
“Money Heist: Berlin” was created by “Money Heist” creator Álex Pina and Esther Martínez Lobato. The original series debut on Spanish TV channel Antena 3 before Netflix acquired the worldwide streaming rights in 2017. The show became one of the most-watched non-English language shows in the streamer’s history.
While “Money Heist: Berlin” is not yet available in the U.S., it is coming soon. Filming for its second season is set to start in 2025.
Sintonia
“Sintonia” follows Nando, Doni and Rita – three childhood friends who live in the same São Paulo favela, an impoverished and crowded area of the Brazilian city. The trio attempts to pursue their dreams amidst the connection between music, drug trafficking and religion.
The series stars Bruna Mascarenhas as Rita, Christian Malheiros as Nando and MC Jottapê as Doni. Filming for the fifth and final season of “Sintonia” began this April.
Breaking Bad
He is the one who knocks. “Breaking Bad” follows Walter White (Brian Cranston), a New Mexico high school chemistry teacher who turns to drug dealing and crime when he’s diagnosed with stage-three lung cancer after his 50th birthday. He bands with his former student Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), to cook and distribute methamphetamine to save money for his family before he dies.
Paul and Cranston led the AMC series, created and produced by Vince Gilligan, for five seasons from 2008 until 2013. “Better Call Saul,” a prequel series following White’s corrupt lawyer Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) debuted in 2015 and ran until 2022. A sequel film starring Paul, “El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie,” premiered in 2019.
Peaky Blinders
The British period series follows the story of Peaky Blinders, a crime gang in Birmingham, U.K. that operated after World War I. Based on a real youth gang that operated in the city, the star-studded cast includes Cillian Murphy, Helen McCrory and Paul Anderson with Sam Neill, Tom Hardy, Paddy Considine, Adrien Brody, Anya Taylor-Joy and Sam Claflin. The six seasons cover the notorious gang as it expands into Britain and abroad and moving into the time of Prohibition and the rise of Nazism.
Best of Variety
