Picking the best crime shows on Hulu is a little like choosing a favorite child, only harder. From the super-smart Gil Grissom in CSI to moody deep-thinkers like Cal Lightman in Lie to Me, favoritism can slide depending on so many factors. For instance, Season one might be a triumph, but Season two drops the character you’re most invested in (I’m looking at you Criminal Minds). Whatever you hunger from a crime show, our top-20 has you covered and then some.
20. Sons of Anarchy (2008-2014)
The Sons of Anarchy follows a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club operating in California’s Central Valley. The motorcycle club operates illegal and legal businesses in a small town called Charming. The show has seven seasons, each one being crazier than the last.
19. Bones (2005-2017)
Bones is about a forensic anthropologist, Dr. Temperance Brennan, who teams up with a cocky FBI agent, Seely Booth, to build a team to investigate murders. They look at the bones to find out what happened to the victim and to figure out who they are when their body is decomposed to the point of being unrecognizable. Bones is a popular show for its witty sense of humor and the drama that is featured in the show between the characters. You will see numerous different crimes in the 12 seasons of the show currently on Hulu.
18. Chicago P.D. (2014-Present)
Chicago P. D is made up of two distinctly different groups. There are the uniformed cops who patrol and go head to head with the city’s street crime. Then the Intelligence Unit consists of detectives combating the city’s major offenses like organized crime, drug trafficking, and high-profile murders. To be a part of the unit, it takes a lot of street work to get to the level of intelligence. Ten seasons of drama, suspense, and crime are based in Chicago.
17. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000- 2015)
If you ever wonder about the crime tech people who go to a scene and gather all the evidence and how they get the results, this is a show for you. CSI is about how crime scene investigators use physical evidence to solve murders in Las Vegas. They can get proof from places you wouldn’t think of because the particles left behind are too small. There are sixteen seasons where you see crime scene investigators solve crimes with very little evidence or a bunch of evidence that leads nowhere.
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16. Prison Break (2005-2017)
Prison Break is about a man who ends up being framed for a crime he didn’t commit and is sentenced to death row, and his only hope is his brother. He makes it his mission to get himself set up in the same prison to break them both out from the inside. There are five seasons on Hulu where you will see if they can break out of jail and what will happen after whether they succeed or not.
15. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Hulu (1999-Present)
The Special Victims Unit is a trained squad of detectives in New York City investigating sexually related crimes. There are twenty-three seasons, and twenty-four will be released on September 22nd. When you think you have seen everything the series has to offer, they surprise you with each episode and season.
14. Lie to Me (2009-2011)
Lie to Me is about Cal Lightman, an expert on facial expressions and body language, and uses those things to expose the truth behind the lies. There are three seasons of Lie to Me, where you see different body language and facial expressions that criminals use to tell themselves without saying anything.
13. Elementary (2012-2019)
Elementary is a modern take on the cases of Sherlock Holmes, a recovering drug addict and a former consultant to Scotland Yard, who assists the New York City Police Department in solving crimes. There are seven seasons of Elementary where you will see Holmes go through the ups and downs of all the cases he is assigned.
12. Castle, Hulu (2009-2016)
Castle is about a novelist, Richard Castle, in which a serial killer imitates the plots of one of his novels. He received permission from the Mayor of New York City to tag along with the NYPD homicide investigation team only for research purposes. The show has eight seasons, all are available on Hulu.
11. S.W.A.T., (2017-Present)
S.W.A.T is about a team based in Los Angeles that highly trained men and women to solve crimes. They track down drug smugglers and human trafficking victims. They enter situations local police can’t, like hostage situations. S.W.A.T. has five seasons released right now, and you can watch seasons one through three on Hulu.
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10. Burn Notice, Prime (2007-2013)
Disowned by the U.S. government, a spy uses his special ops training to help others in trouble. He does impossible jobs for desperate people in Miami, Florida, where his mother lives. Burn Notice has seven seasons where you will see Michael help others that can’t go to the police and are in desperate need of his help.
9. White Collar, Prime (2009-2014)
A white-collar criminal agrees to help the FBI find and catch other white-collar criminals with his expertise as an art and security thief, conman, and counterfeiter. There are six seasons of White Collar where you see a bunch of white-collar criminals that get caught by someone who is just like them.
8. Blue Bloods (2010- Present)
Blue Bloods revolves around a family of New York cops. Danny is a detective, Jamie is a police officer, and Frank is the police commissioner trying to balance duties, running the largest police force in the world while also being his kids’ boss. You can watch seasons one through nine right now on Hulu.
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7. C.S.I Miami (2002- 2012)
C.S.I Miami follows the Miami-Dade Police Department Crime Scene Investigation unit as they try to follow the suspects’ trail and solve murders. You can watch seasons one, two, six, seven, and eight on Hulu.
6. Mayans M.C (2018- Present)
MayansM.C is about EZ Reyes, who gets out of prison and becomes a prospect in the Mayan MC charter. He vengeance for those who put him in jail and drives him toward a life he never intended for himself. There are fours and you can watch all of them right now on Hulu.
5. The Rookie (2018 – Present)
The Rookie is about John Nolan, starting his life over and pursuing his dream as an LAPD. As the oldest rookie, he’s met with doubt from those who see him as just a walking midlife crisis from his choices. There are five seasons of the show. You can watch all episodes from seasons one through four. Season five episodes are released every Monday on Hulu.
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4. 9-1-1 (2018-Present)
9-1-1 is a series that follows first responders, police officers, and dispatchers and how they handle weird situations they encounter in Los Angeles, California. Like Bones, you will see the characters go through many ups and downs in their personal and work lives. 9-1-1 has five seasons right now streaming on Hulu.
3. Only Murders in the Building (2021- Present)
Only Murders in the Building is about a tenant who ends up being murdered in the building he lives in. Three strangers who share an obsession with true crime suddenly find themselves trying to figure out who killed their fellow neighbor and why. The series just started and only has two seasons, but those two have been a major hit.
2. Criminal Minds (2005-2020)
Criminal Minds is about the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis, an elite group of profilers who analyze the nation’s most dangerous serial killers and heinous crimes. They use the murder scenes and people’s behaviors to stop the killers before they move on and strike again. There are fifteen seasons of Criminal Minds, and each season the group of profilers puts their lives and families at risk of getting hurt or, worse, killed.
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1. The X-Files (1993-2018)
The X-Files is focused on two FBI agents investigating unsolved cases involving supernatural or paranormal elements. Fox Mulder believes in the supernatural and paranormal, but Dana Cully is skeptical and approaches the cases from a scientific standpoint. There are eleven seasons of The X-Files on Hulu, where you will see the two agents come across the craziest elements of the supernatural.
Conclusion
If you are a crime show fanatic, Hulu is a top streaming service and better yet very affordable. Amazingly, we’ve left off numerous fantastic crime shows (we should have done a top 100), so even if we haven’t picked your favorite, we recommend exploring Hulu to find out more.
Also, if our top 20 has inspired you to check out a new show, please tell us on Facebook, we’d love to know what you’re streaming, and what you want us to cover.