PICKING THE WORTHY SHOW OUT OF A LINEUP
CRIME MAY NOT PAY, BUT CRIME shows sure do. Especially right now. While the genre has been popular since the midcentury heyday of Perry Mason and Dragnet, recently it seems as though every TV trend has a kernel of crime at its core: Scammer shows. Mafia sagas. Domestic thrillers. True-crime documentaries and docudramas. Many of Netflix’s biggest global hits—South Korea’s Squid Game, Spain’s Money Heist, France’s Lupin, the U.S.’s Inventing Anna—speak the international language of crime.
Procedural franchises, from to have long been the category’s most reliable moneymakers. Yet since and pay-TV platforms have been cranking out prestige crime dramas nonstop. Typically a serialized epic with a hefty budget and a recognizable ensemble cast, this kind of show cuts across subgenres, striving for psychological realism and timely social commentary. As the deluge continues, it’s worth asking: What makes a great crime show in 2022?
