Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "police-protagonist"
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1. Fargo (2014–2024)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Various chronicles of deception, intrigue, and murder in and around frozen Minnesota. All of these tales mysteriously lead back one way or another to Fargo, North Dakota.
Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Freeman, Allison Tolman, Colin Hanks
Votes: 422,074
2. Columbo (1971–2003)
TV-PG | 100 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Los Angeles homicide detective Lieutenant Columbo uses his humble ways and ingenuous demeanor to winkle out even the most well-concealed of crimes.
Stars: Peter Falk, Mike Lally, John Finnegan, Bruce Kirby
Votes: 42,019
3. Se7en (1995)
R | 127 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey, Andrew Kevin Walker
Votes: 1,799,587 | Gross: $100.13M
4. Hawaii Five-0 (2010–2020)
TV-14 | 42 min | Action, Crime, Drama
When Steve McGarrett returns home to Oahu to find his father's killer, the Governor offers him the chance to run his own task force: Five-0.
Stars: Alex O'Loughlin, Scott Caan, Taylor Wily, Daniel Dae Kim
Votes: 78,680
5. The Shield (2002–2008)
TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Drama series following the lives and cases of dirty cop Vic Mackey and the corrupt LAPD unit under his command.
Stars: Michael Chiklis, Catherine Dent, Walton Goggins, Michael Jace
Votes: 88,150
6. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
R | 105 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A freewheeling Detroit cop pursuing a murder investigation finds himself dealing with the very different culture of Beverly Hills.
Director: Martin Brest | Stars: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Lisa Eilbacher
Votes: 203,356 | Gross: $234.76M
7. Cold Case (2003–2010)
TV-14 | 44 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The Philadelphia homicide squad's lone female detective finds her calling when she's assigned "cold cases," older crimes that have never been solved.
Stars: Kathryn Morris, Danny Pino, John Finn, Jeremy Ratchford
Votes: 31,499
8. Mad Max (1979)
R | 88 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In a self-destructing world, a vengeful Australian policeman sets out to stop a violent motorcycle gang.
Director: George Miller | Stars: Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Steve Bisley
Votes: 222,445 | Gross: $8.75M
9. L.A. Confidential (1997)
R | 138 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
As corruption grows in 1950s Los Angeles, three policemen - one strait-laced, one brutal, and one sleazy - investigate a series of murders with their own brand of justice.
Director: Curtis Hanson | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger
Votes: 617,976 | Gross: $64.62M
10. Happy Valley (2014–2023)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Yorkshire-based crime drama centering on the personal and professional life of Police Sergeant Catherine Cawood.
Stars: Sarah Lancashire, Siobhan Finneran, James Norton, Rhys Connah
Votes: 64,633
11. Zootopia (2016)
PG | 108 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
In a city of anthropomorphic animals, a rookie bunny cop and a cynical con artist fox must work together to uncover a conspiracy.
Directors: Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush | Stars: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate
Votes: 546,504 | Gross: $341.27M
12. RoboCop (1987)
R | 102 min | Action, Crime, Sci-Fi
In a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.
Director: Paul Verhoeven | Stars: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy, Ronny Cox
Votes: 283,209 | Gross: $53.42M
13. Miami Vice (1984–1989)
TV-14 | 48 min | Action, Crime, Drama
-Resplendent with authentic 1980s music, fashion, and vibe, "Miami Vice" follows two undercover detectives and their extended team through the mean streets of Miami, Florida.
Stars: Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas, Saundra Santiago, Olivia Brown
Votes: 30,212
14. Training Day (2001)
R | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A rookie cop spends his first day as a Los Angeles narcotics officer with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears to be.
Director: Antoine Fuqua | Stars: Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Scott Glenn, Tom Berenger
Votes: 473,016 | Gross: $76.63M
15. Unbelievable (2019)
TV-MA | 48 min | Crime, Drama
A teenager is charged with lying about being raped, but two detectives follow the path to the truth.
Stars: Kaitlyn Dever, Toni Collette, Merritt Wever, Blake Ellis
Votes: 119,773
16. CHiPs (1977–1983)
TV-PG | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The adventures of two California Highway Patrol motorcycle officers.
Stars: Erik Estrada, Larry Wilcox, Robert Pine, Paul Linke
Votes: 11,512
17. Kindergarten Cop (1990)
PG-13 | 111 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A tough cop must pose as a kindergarten teacher in order to locate a dangerous criminal's ex-wife, who may hold the key to putting him behind bars.
Director: Ivan Reitman | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Penelope Ann Miller, Pamela Reed, Linda Hunt
Votes: 162,730 | Gross: $91.46M
18. Dirty Harry (1971)
R | 102 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
When a man calling himself "the Scorpio Killer" menaces San Francisco, tough-as-nails Police Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan is assigned to track down the crazed psychopath.
Directors: Don Siegel, Clint Eastwood | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Andrew Robinson, Harry Guardino, Reni Santoni
Votes: 168,331 | Gross: $35.90M
19. Hawaii Five-O (1968–1980)
TV-PG | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The investigations of Hawaii Five-0, an elite branch of the Hawaii State Police answerable only to the governor and headed by stalwart Steve McGarrett.
Stars: Jack Lord, James MacArthur, Kam Fong, Herman Wedemeyer
Votes: 8,192
20. 21 Jump Street (1987–1991)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The cases of an undercover police unit composed of young-looking officers specializing in youth crime.
Stars: Johnny Depp, Dustin Nguyen, Peter DeLuise, Holly Robinson Peete
Votes: 14,090
21. Adam-12 (1968–1975)
TV-PG | 30 min | Crime, Drama
Two regular police officers patrol Los Angeles.
Stars: Martin Milner, Kent McCord, Shaaron Claridge, William Boyett
Votes: 4,990
22. The Wailing (2016)
TV-MA | 156 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
Soon after a stranger arrives in a little village, a mysterious sickness starts spreading. A policeman, drawn into the incident, is forced to solve the mystery in order to save his daughter.
Director: Na Hong-jin | Stars: Jun Kunimura, Hwang Jung-min, Kwak Do-won, Chun Woo-hee
Votes: 82,042
23. Marcella (2016–2021)
TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Marcella Backland left the Metropolitan Police for the sake of her family, only to have her husband leave her. She returns to her job on the murder squad, investigating a case that seems disturbingly familiar to her.
Stars: Anna Friel, Ray Panthaki, Jack Doolan, Jamie Bamber
Votes: 37,262
24. End of Watch (2012)
R | 109 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Shot documentary-style, this film follows the daily grind of two young police officers in LA who are partners and friends and what happens when they meet criminal forces greater than themselves.
Director: David Ayer | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, Anna Kendrick, America Ferrera
Votes: 269,168 | Gross: $41.00M
25. Carnival Row (2019–2023)
TV-MA | 56 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy
A human detective and a fairy rekindle a dangerous affair in a Victorian fantasy world, where the city's uneasy peace collapses when a string of murders reveals an unimaginable monster.
Stars: Orlando Bloom, Cara Delevingne, Simon McBurney, Tamzin Merchant
Votes: 82,377
26. Bad Lieutenant (1992)
NC-17 | 96 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
While investigating a young nun's rape, a corrupt New York City police detective, with a serious drug and gambling addiction, tries to change his ways and find forgiveness and redemption.
Director: Abel Ferrara | Stars: Harvey Keitel, Brian McElroy, Frank Acciarito, Peggy Gormley
Votes: 47,929 | Gross: $2.00M
27. Serpico (1973)
R | 130 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
An honest New York cop named Frank Serpico blows the whistle on rampant corruption in the force only to have his comrades turn against him.
Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Al Pacino, John Randolph, Jack Kehoe, Biff McGuire
Votes: 134,849 | Gross: $29.80M
28. Almost Paradise (2020– )
TV-PG | 45 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A former D.E.A. agent forced into early retirement runs a gift shop in the Philippines.
Stars: Christian Kane, Samantha Richelle, Arthur Acuña, Nonie Buencamino
Votes: 6,685
29. Kojak (1973–1978)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A bald, lollipop sucking police detective with a fiery righteous attitude battles crime in his city.
Stars: Telly Savalas, Dan Frazer, Kevin Dobson, George Savalas
Votes: 8,886
30. BlacKkKlansman (2018)
R | 135 min | Biography, Comedy, Crime
Ron Stallworth, an African American police officer from Colorado Springs, Colorado, successfully infiltrates the local Ku Klux Klan branch aided by a Jewish surrogate who eventually becomes its leader. Based on actual events.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier, Topher Grace
Votes: 291,182 | Gross: $49.28M
31. No Offence (I) (2015–2018)
TV-MA | 42 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Follows a group of police officers on the front line wondering what they did to end up where they are now, on the ugly side of Manchester.
Stars: Joanna Scanlan, Elaine Cassidy, Will Mellor, Paul Ritter
Votes: 6,722
32. The Dead Don't Die (2019)
R | 104 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
The peaceful town of Centerville finds itself battling a zombie horde as the dead start rising from their graves.
Director: Jim Jarmusch | Stars: Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tilda Swinton, Tom Waits
Votes: 85,437 | Gross: $6.56M
33. Homicide: Life on the Street (1993–1999)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Unit.
Stars: Richard Belzer, Clark Johnson, Yaphet Kotto, Kyle Secor
Votes: 14,192
34. Spenser Confidential (2020)
R | 111 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
When two Boston police officers are murdered, ex-cop Spenser teams up with his no-nonsense roommate Hawk to take down criminals.
Director: Peter Berg | Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Winston Duke, Alan Arkin, Iliza Shlesinger
Votes: 97,689
35. Flashpoint (2008–2012)
TV-14 | 41 min | Action, Crime, Drama
The missions and trials of a Toronto police tactical unit.
Stars: Hugh Dillon, Amy Jo Johnson, David Paetkau, Sergio Di Zio
Votes: 18,618
36. Rush Hour 3 (2007)
PG-13 | 91 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
After an attempted assassination on Ambassador Han, Lee and Carter head to Paris to protect a French woman with knowledge of the Triads' secret leaders.
Director: Brett Ratner | Stars: Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Max von Sydow, Hiroyuki Sanada
Votes: 183,346 | Gross: $140.13M
37. Naked (2018– )
22 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A police inspector who wakes up from an eight year coma must adapt to the radical change that everyone living in France is naked. He soon learns that not everyone agrees with the government's mandatory nudity policy.
Stars: Satya Dusaugey, Malya Roman, Joséphine Draï, Brigitte Faure
Votes: 256
38. The Postcard Killings (2020)
Not Rated | 104 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A New York detective investigates the death of his daughter who was murdered while on her honeymoon in London; he recruits the help of a Scandinavian journalist when other couples throughout Europe suffer a similar fate.
Director: Danis Tanovic | Stars: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Famke Janssen, Cush Jumbo, Joachim Król
Votes: 15,703
39. Detroit: Become Human (2018 Video Game)
M | Action, Adventure, Drama
Take control of three androids in their quest to discover who they really are.
Director: David Cage | Stars: Valorie Curry, Bryan Dechart, Jesse Williams, Audrey Boustani
Votes: 22,939
40. Hunter (I) (1984–1991)
TV-14 | 48 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Rick Hunter is a renegade cop who bends the rules and takes justice into his own hands. Partnered with the equally stunning and rebellious Sgt. McCall, he sets out to crack down on L.A.'s slimiest criminals.
Stars: Fred Dryer, Stepfanie Kramer, Charles Hallahan, Perry Cook
Votes: 5,651
41. The Chestnut Man (2021– )
TV-MA | 50 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A figurine made of chestnuts is found at the scene of a grisly murder; from this creepy clue, two detectives hunt for a killer linked to a politician's missing child.
Stars: David Dencik, Danica Curcic, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, Lars Ranthe
Votes: 54,767
42. The Grudge (2019)
R | 94 min | Fantasy, Horror
A house is cursed by a vengeful ghost that dooms those who enter it with a violent death.
Director: Nicolas Pesce | Stars: Tara Westwood, Junko Bailey, David Lawrence Brown, Zoe Fish
Votes: 29,268
43. Colors (1988)
R | 120 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An experienced cop and his rookie partner patrol the streets of East Los Angeles while trying to keep the gang violence under control.
Director: Dennis Hopper | Stars: Sean Penn, Robert Duvall, Maria Conchita Alonso, Randy Brooks
Votes: 29,832 | Gross: $46.62M
44. Starsky and Hutch (1975–1979)
TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Two streetwise cops bust criminals in their red-and-white Ford Gran Torino, with the help of police snitch, Huggy Bear.
Stars: David Soul, Paul Michael Glaser, Antonio Fargas, Bernie Hamilton
Votes: 10,646
45. Dragnet 1967 (1967–1970)
TV-14 | 30 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Police Detective Sgt. Joe Friday and his partners investigate crimes in Los Angeles.
Stars: Jack Webb, Harry Morgan, Don Ross, Marco Lopez
Votes: 3,407
46. Dogs of Berlin (2018– )
TV-MA | 542 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A politically sensitive murder forces two disparate detectives into a battle with the Berlin underworld and a confrontation with their own corruption.
Stars: Felix Kramer, Fahri Yardim, Katharina Schüttler, Anna Maria Mühe
Votes: 14,246
47. The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans (2009)
R | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Terence McDonagh is a drug- and gambling-addled detective in post-Katrina New Orleans investigating the killing of five Senegalese immigrants.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Russell M. Haeuser, Val Kilmer
Votes: 80,912 | Gross: $1.70M
48. Cagney & Lacey (1981–1988)
TV-PG | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two female police detectives cooperate with each other both in their professions and in their personal lives.
Stars: Tyne Daly, Sharon Gless, Al Waxman, Martin Kove
Votes: 5,054
49. Code 404 (2020–2022)
TV-MA | 25 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A British detective killed in action is brought back to life using experimental Artificial Intelligence.
Stars: Stephen Graham, Daniel Mays, Rosie Cavaliero, Anna Maxwell Martin
Votes: 2,443
50. Werewolves Within (2021)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Horror, Mystery
Feature adaptation of the video game where werewolves attack a small town.
Director: Josh Ruben | Stars: Sam Richardson, Milana Vayntrub, George Basil, Sarah Burns
Votes: 25,150