THROUGH THE DECADES

TELEVISION DETECTIVES

Since the inception of television, the portrayal of crime and justice has been a central feature on our screens. Some TV detectives, such as Joe Friday, Columbo and Kojak transcended the genre and became enshrined within popular culture.

Sometimes referred to as a ‘police procedural’, the police drama is a staple of television programming. Shows featuring police officers, detectives and other law enforcers outnumber virtually every other drama subgenre being broadcast, and are among the most-watched series on TV.

Over the past five decades, the genre has evolved with the times. Certain core elements, however, have remained constant. Whatever the tone of the show: dark and gritty, stylish and slick, or lightweight and nostalgic, they all have at their heart a perplexing crime, fascinating characters, red-herrings and plot twists – and they keep us tuning in as the mystery is revealed week after week.

The detectives at the heart of the best procedurals believe that the they are the last hope for justice in a compromised world, and won’t stop until they have succeeded in their quest.

1950s & 60s

Sweeping changes within society have resulted in shifting portrayals of the police and detectives on television. Early shows of the 50s and 60s had a sharply defined sense of right and wrong. Unlike modern crime drama, there was no blurring of the boundaries between good and evil. The police were moral agents: ethical and honourable champions of justice and fairness, whose sole purpose was to serve the public and protect the innocent.

DIXON OF DOCK GREEN
Jack Warner as PC George Dixon, 1955-76.

Image of Ralph Bellamy in Man Against Crime

MAN AGAINST CRIME
One of the first television programs to feature a detective, it starred Ralph Bellamy as a tough private eye and ran in the U.S. from 1949 to 1954.

COLONEL MARCH OF SCOTLAND YARD
Boris Karloff starred as Detective Colonel March, 1955-56.

Image of Bruce Seton as Detective Robert Fabian

FABIAN OF THE YARD
Bruce Seton (right) as Detective Robert Fabian, 1954-56.

Image of TV Times cover featuring No Hiding Place

NO HIDING PLACE
Raymond Francis (left) as Superintendent Tom Lockhart, 1959-67.

DRAGNET
Jack Webb as Sgt. Joe Friday, 1951–59 & 1967-70.

With its realistic depiction of police procedure, Dragnet has a strong claim to be the original template from which all later crime shows drew inspiration. It started as a radio play in 1949 and made the successful transition to TV in 1951.

Image of Frank Windsor as DCI John Watt and Stratford Johns as DCS Charlie Barlow

SOFTLY SOFTLY
Frank Windsor as DCI John Watt and Stratford Johns as DCS Charlie Barlow, 1966-69.

Image of Francis Matthews as private detective Paul Temple

PAUL TEMPLE
Francis Matthews as private detective Paul Temple, 1969-71. One of the first shows to be broadcast in colour on BBC1.

1970s

The 1970s represented the first golden age of police TV drama, with an influx of U.S. cop shows that can often be described as gimmicky. Detectives appeared as super-cops who could single-handedly fight corruption and achieve justice. Storylines were largely formulaic, but the lead characters were engaging, the action compelling, and viewers lapped them up.

The audience was increasingly exposed to a different kind of criminal: increasingly dangerous, unpredictable, and violent. As such, the crime fighter had to be tougher, more violent and obsessive to keep pace with them. Many crime shows from this decade became fondly remembered TV classics which provided us with some of the most iconic detectives of the genre – and catchphrases!

Image of Telly Savalas as Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak. Quote reads "Who Loves Ya Baby?"

KOJAK
Telly Savalas as Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak, 1973-78. The series started life as a made-for-TV movie based on a real life murder case.

Image of David Soul as Detective Kenneth “Hutch” Hutchinson and Paul Michael Glaser as Detective David Starsky

STARSKY AND HUTCH
David Soul as Detective Kenneth “Hutch” Hutchinson and Paul Michael Glaser as Detective David Starsky, 1975-79. The show’s red Gran Torino car become a much-loved icon of the show and of the decade in general.

Image of John Thaw as Detective Inspector Jack Regan and Dennis Waterman as his partner, Detective Sergeant George Carter

THE SWEENEY
John Thaw as Detective Inspector Jack Regan and Dennis Waterman as his partner, Detective Sergeant George Carter, 1975-78. Both Thaw and Waterman went on to star in further successful police dramas, Morse and New Tricks respectively.

Image of James Garner as private detective Jim Rockford

THE ROCKFORD FILES
James Garner as private detective Jim Rockford, 1974-80.

Image of Karl Malden as Detective Lt. Mike Stone and Michael Douglas as Inspector Steve Keller

THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO
Karl Malden as Detective Lt. Mike Stone and Michael Douglas as Inspector Steve Keller, 1972-77.

Image of Angie Dickinson as undercover detective Sgt. “Pepper” Anderson

POLICE WOMAN
Angie Dickinson as undercover detective Sgt. “Pepper” Anderson, 1974-78. Shown in the U.S., this was the first TV police series to feature a woman in the title role.

Image of Jack Lord as Detective Captain Steve McGarrett. Quote reads "Book 'em Danno!"

HAWAII FIVE-O
Jack Lord as Detective Captain Steve McGarrett, 1968-80. The show was the longest-running crime show on U.S. TV until Law & Order surpassed it in 2002.

Image of Peter Falk as detective Lt. Frank Columbo. Quote reads "Just One More Thing..."

COLUMBO
Peter Falk as homocide detective Lt. Frank Columbo,1968-77, 1989-2003. Lt. Columbo’s dishevelled appearance, and bumbling absent-minded nature made the character a TV favourite, and helped the show become a much loved, all-time classic.

Did you know? The first episode of the first season, filmed in 1971, was directed by a young Steven Spielberg!

1980s TO PRESENT