15 Underrated Crime Dramas You Haven't Heard of but Should Watch

I got you. Here are some of the criminally overlooked shows to sink your teeth into. Trust me, if you start one, you'll want to finish it; they're that good.

1. Terriers (1 Season)

Remember that old saying, It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the fight in the dog? Well, that's Terriers in a nutshell. This one-season wonder follows Hank Dolworth, an ex-cop, and his best friend, Britt Pollack, an ex-thief, as they operate an unlicensed P.I. business. These two underdogs find themselves wrestling with everything from local corruption to homicide. They dig into a conspiracy involving a major land development deal and wind up in more hot water than they ever expected.

2. The Shadow Line (1 Season)

This British crime drama dives headfirst into the aftermath of a drug lord's assassination. We follow two characters on opposite sides of the law: Detective Inspector Jonah Gabriel, who's recovering from a botched operation and memory loss, and Joseph Bede, a drug dealer trying to go clean. They both want to find out who killed the drug lord, but for entirely different reasons.

3. Quarry (1 Season)

Based on a series of novels, Quarry tracks the life of Mac Conway, a Marine sniper who returns from Vietnam only to find himself shunned by society. Unemployed and desperate, he's lured into the criminal underworld of contract killing. As he takes on hits, each code-named for a bird, he finds himself sinking deeper into a life of crime while trying to keep it a secret from his wife.

4. Rectify (4 Seasons)

Imagine being on Death Row for 19 years and then suddenly, you're not. That's what happens to Daniel Holden, convicted of rape and murder as a teenager, then exonerated by DNA evidence. Now he's back in his small Georgia hometown trying to put his life back together, but the past won't let him. Over four seasons, the show follows his reentry into society, while still leaving you guessing: Did he really do it?

5. Boss (2 Seasons)

Okay, you think you know political corruption? Boss takes it to a whole new level. Kelsey Grammer stars as Tom Kane, the Mayor of Chicago, who finds out he has a degenerative neurological disorder. Keeping the diagnosis a secret, he goes about business as usual, which for him involves blackmail, political backstabbing, and even murder. The show ran for two seasons and let's just say, it ain't called Boss for nothing.

6. Top of the Lake (2 Seasons)

In a small, eerie New Zealand town, 12-year-old Tui tries to drown herself in a lake, only to be found pregnant. Detective Robin Griffin takes on the case, but nothing's as straightforward as it seems. The town's full of suspects, including a women's commune and Tui's own father. Over two seasons, we're offered haunting landscapes, disturbing crimes, and mysteries that get under your skin. It's like Twin Peaks but down under.

7. The Fall (3 Seasons)

Gillian Anderson is Stella Gibson, a detective superintendent from London brought to Belfast to catch a serial killer targeting young professional women. The catch? We know who the killer is from the get-go. It's Paul Spector, a bereavement counselor, family man, and oh, casual murderer. It's a twisted psychological game where you're not sure who you want to root for.

8. Bloodline (3 Seasons)

The Rayburns are your quintessential All-American family – charming, affluent, and upstanding members of their Florida community. Or so it seems. When the black sheep, Danny, returns home, family secrets start floating to the surface like corpses in a swamp. Over three seasons, alliances crumble, loyalties shift, and let's just say, it's a steamy, sticky, southern mess.

9. Broadchurch (3 Seasons)

A boy is found dead on a beach in a close-knit British coastal town. Who did it? That's the question detectives Alec Hardy and Ellie Miller grapple with in this emotional rollercoaster of a series. They navigate family turmoil, community paranoia, and media frenzy to catch the killer. Three seasons, and each one opens a new can of worms – er, suspects.

10. Happy Valley (3 Seasons)

Don't let the name fool you; there's nothing happy about this valley. Sergeant Catherine Cawood is a strong-willed police officer in a rural English town. She's dealing with the suicide of her daughter when she discovers the man responsible for her death, Tommy, is out of prison. And he's involved in a kidnapping scheme to boot.

11. Sneaky Pete (3 Seasons)

Giovanni Ribisi plays Marius, a con man who, fresh out of prison, takes on the identity of his cellmate, Pete, to avoid a gangster he owes money to. He weasels his way into Pete's family, who haven't seen the real Pete in years. The twist? The family's in the bail bond business, a dangerous game for a man hiding his past.

12. Animal Kingdom (6 Seasons)

Based on the 2010 Australian movie of the same name, Animal Kingdom is all about crime as a family business. When 17-year-old J moves in with his estranged family after his mom's overdose, he finds out they're a criminal operation under the matriarchal rule of Smurf. As J navigates the perils and allure of a life of crime, family loyalties are put to the test.

13. Hap and Leonard (3 Seasons)

Set in the late '80s in East Texas, this series follows two best buddies, Hap Collins and Leonard Pine. Hap's an ex-hippie just out of prison; Leonard's a gay Vietnam vet. Together, they get roped into a get-rich-quick scheme involving stolen money at the bottom of a river. Of course, things go sideways fast. Over three seasons, these two hapless heroes find themselves in one morally murky dilemma after another.

14. Banshee (4 Seasons)

A recently paroled master thief assumes the identity of the sheriff of Banshee, PA. Why? To reunite with his former lover and partner-in-crime, who has changed her name and is now married to the real (and now late) sheriff. Confused? Just wait. What starts as a simple plot spirals into a labyrinth of crime syndicates, Amish communities, and Native American gangs.

15. Justified (6 Seasons)

U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens is a modern-day cowboy with a penchant for bending the rules. Reassigned to rural Kentucky, his home turf, he finds himself confronting old foes and family demons. With six seasons, this show offers a nuanced take on crime in small-town America, complete with a captivating arch-nemesis in the form of Boyd Crowder, an eloquent but deadly criminal.