10 Best Crime Shows Streaming On Netflix Right Now

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The crime genre has been a staple on television since the earliest days of the medium and that tradition remains true in the streaming era. Netflix has a particularly robust library of crime shows, with its genre selections ranging from psychological thrillers to police procedurals for subscribers to watch. This includes some of the best TV crime dramas of all time and long-running franchises that have entertained genre fans for years. With that in mind, there are some series currently available on Netflix that stand out from the rest and are definitely worth a watch.

We've narrowed it down to the wide range of crime series on Netflix to a handful of absolute masterpieces to check out. Given the tonal malleability of the genre, we're including everything from serial killer thrillers to neo-noir stories. We're also bringing in acclaimed crime series from various parts of the world showcasing how other countries approach the genre. These are the 10 best crime shows streaming on Netflix right now in the United States ready to become your next binge.

One of the best AMC TV shows of all time, "Breaking Bad" stands as one of the most tightly crafted series ever made. The show opens with high school teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston) diagnosed with terminal cancer and desperate to provide for his family. White teams up with local drug dealer Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) to produce crystal meth, with White's scientific acumen creating a particularly popular version of the drug. However, as the duo become more involved in Albuquerque's criminal underworld, and get really rich in the process, they find themselves increasingly in danger.

Created by Vince Gilligan, "Breaking Bad" grows into a sweeping saga of one man steadily sacrificing his morals for the power and respect he secretly craved all along. The show boasts a stellar ensemble cast headed by Cranston and Paul, growing more complex as the five-season story progresses. Gilligan also weaves a healthy dose of dark humor into his rise and fall narrative, even as the stakes grow bolder and deadlier each season. One of the best TV shows to binge-watch right now, regardless of genre, "Breaking Bad" deserves all of the hype and accolades it's received.

Shows like "The X-Files" and "Twin Peaks" highlight that there's just something about the Pacific Northwest that's ripe for unsettling stories. The 2011 series "The Killing" takes advantage of that distinction with its tale of a shocking murder in the Seattle metropolitan area. Police detectives Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos) and Stephen Holder (Joel Kinnaman) are paired together to investigate the murder of local high schooler Rosie Larsen (Katie Findlay). This investigation takes up the show's first two seasons, with the second two seasons featuring different mysteries that Linden and Holder get uncomfortably close to.

A remake of the 2007 Danish television series of the same name, "The Killing" turns Seattle into a neo-noir playground. The rapport between Enos and Kinnaman carries the show, with Kinnaman delivering a star-making performance for American audiences. But even in extending the saga of discovering who killed Rosie Larsen into two seasons, the show adeptly manages to hold the viewers' attention. An appropriately dark and moody crime thriller, "The Killing" provides an engrossing, multifaceted murder mystery with emotional weight.

The 2013 British crime drama "Broadchurch" revolves around a shocking murder of a young boy in the titular English coastal town. Police detectives Alec Hardy (David Tennant) and Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman) investigate the case, overcoming their pronounced interpersonal friction and professional differences to solve the mystery. In the meantime, the victim's family is left reeling and caught in the middle of media scrutiny, with their grief and unresolved issues subjecting them to intense strain. The show's third season introduces a different mystery for Hardy and Miller to solve while the community continues to reconcile with their lingering trauma from the prior murder.

A central acting duo of David Tennant and Olivia Colman is a virtual surefire success and "Broadchurch" doesn't disappoint on that score. They are matched by supporting actors Arthur Darvill and Jodie Whittaker, each helping bring this small and complex town to life around the mystery. Like "The Killing," this is a story that thoroughly explores the wider impact that a murder has on a community, really underscoring the emotional fallout. "Broadchurch" is one of the best British crime drama series of all time, with the main cast firing on all cylinders.

The turbulent aftermath of the First World War in the United Kingdom serves as the backdrop for the 2013 series "Peaky Blinders." Picking up in 1919, the series follows WWI veteran Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) who returns to his hometown of Birmingham, England after serving in the war. Tommy resumes control of the local street gang, the Peaky Blinders, who plot increasingly bold schemes to grow in power and influence in England. This places the gang against the authorities and other criminal outfits from all over the world while Tommy contends with his inner demons.

"Peaky Blinders" grows more ambitious with each passing season, with the constant, unequivocal source of quality being a commanding performance from Cillian Murphy. The show matches him with plenty of rotating supporting actors, including Sam Neill, Tom Hardy, and Helen McCrory as various allies and enemies. The show has since received a continuation movie, with Netflix and the BBC also ordering a two-season sequel series. An immersive look at organized crime in England in between its world wars, "Peaky Blinders" is a terrific period piece drama.

The United States' longstanding war on drugs in Colombia takes center stage with the 2015 crime drama "Narcos." The show chronicles the rise of and fall of drug lord Pablo Escobar (Wagner Moura) as he maneuvers the cartels in the production and distribution of cocaine. This is juxtaposed with DEA agents Steve Murphy (Boyd Holbrook) and Javier Peña (Pedro Pascal) coordinating with Colombian authorities to dismantle the cartel. After the show's first two seasons conclude with Escobar's downfall, the third and final season depicts Peña taking on other drug lords trying to fill the subsequent kingpin void.

After making a splash when it debuted over a decade ago, "Narcos" feels like one of those great Netflix shows that nobody talks about anymore. What the series brings to the table is a thrilling blend of true crime inspiration, high-octane action, and escalating drama with '80s Colombia as its backdrop. While the show may play fast and loose with some of the historical details, the broader events are recreated for the story. After the original series' conclusion, it received a spin-off, "Narcos: Mexico," which also ran for three seasons and premiered in 2018.

Just as "Breaking Bad" features a seemingly ordinary family man building a criminal empire, the 2017 series "Ozark" expands this distinction to an unassuming married couple. The show revolves around Marty (Jason Bateman) and Wendy Byrde (Laura Linney), who launder money for a powerful drug cartel. After enduring sizable embezzlement from a trusted associate, the Byrdes look to make amends to the cartel by relocating their operation to central Missouri. This places them on a collision course with the local criminal outfits in the region as the Byrdes try to expand their criminal enterprise.

Bateman, who also executive produces and occasionally directs episodes of the series, delivers the performance of his career in "Ozark." He's matched by the always superb Linney and Julia Garner, with the latter playing local crook Ruth Langmore. The plot steadily grows more complex as the show progresses and delves into especially darker directions for its main characters. A sharply crafted crime drama that never outstayed its welcome, "Ozark" is another Netflix original classic.

John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker's 1995 true crime book "Mindhunter" directly inspired the 2017 Netflix original series by Joe Penhall. The show follows FBI agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) working with psychologist Wendy Carr (Anna Torv) to better understand the minds of serial killers. This involves the agents getting uncomfortably up close and personal with incarcerated murderers for interviews regarding their origins and motivations. Based on this research, the agents are able to apply this data to their investigations of serial killers on the loose in the late '70s and early '80s.

With prolific thriller filmmaker David Fincher as the series' executive producer, showrunner, and director of seven of its episodes, "Mindhunter" carries a distinctly cinematic flair. This adds to the show's undercurrent of suspense and a generally ominous mood that elevates this true crime story. Given its emphasis on psychological profiling, there is a strong character focus rather than just the usual grisly activity seen in serial killer stories. While "Mindhunter" appears dead at Netflix with hopes dashed for a Season 3, the two seasons that we did get make for excellent crime television.

Speaking of serial killer stories, Caroline Kepnes' line of thriller novels, "You," was adapted into a popular television series starting in 2018. The show centers on Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley), a handsome young man who obsessively stalks women that he develops amorous feelings for. This consistently culminates in Joe's fixation growing murderous as he eliminates anyone that he feels is obstructing his romantic prospects. To maintain his serial killer double life, Joe regularly takes on assumed identities and relocates to destinations around the globe.

Originally airing on Lifetime for its inaugural season before pivoting to Netflix for its subsequent four seasons, "You" places audiences in the murderer's perspective. Throughout the series' run, Badgley chillingly portrays his charismatic killer with aplomb, cold and calculating before he inevitably claims new victims. While the divisive "You" series finale has its own fourth wall-breaking message to viewers, it fares much better than the original "Dexter" series finale did with its own serial killer protagonist. A lethal look at a merciless murderer at large, "You" delivers all the charm and bloody thrills audiences expect and more.

One of the best K-dramas streaming on Netflix right now is the 2021 revenge thriller limited series "My Name." The show begins with Yoon Ji-woo (Han So-hee) overhearing her father's brutal murder and vowing to avenge his death. Using her dad's organized crime connections, Ji-woo trains diligently in martial arts while joining the police force under an assumed identity. Using the police's resources, Ji-woo searches for information about her father's killer as she serves as a mole for local crime lord Choi Mu-jin (Park Hee-soon).

"My Name" telegraphs its big twist regarding the killer's identity relatively early on but the real appeal here is a magnetic starring performance from Han So-hee. The obsessive intensity that she brings to Ji-woo carries the show forward and fuels the story's emotional stakes. Beyond the strong acting, the series boasts impressive action set pieces in virtually every episode, superbly choreographed and staged in their brutality. An essential K-drama for beginners when it comes to South Korean television, "My Name" is a tautly delivered revenge tale.

The "Leaphorn & Chee" novels by author Tony Hillerman have been adapted for the AMC series "Dark Winds," premiering in 2022. Set in the 1970s to reflect its literary source material, the show has veteran police officer Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) lead law enforcement efforts in Navajo County. With Leaphorn's jurisdiction on reservation land, he has to keep his community safe without federal assistance, often enduring scorn from racist officials. Joining Leaphorn are his young partners Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) and Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten), with the trio forming a tight team.

"Dark Winds" is a crime show that thrives on its atmospheric mood and sun-soaked American Southwest setting, which is filmed gorgeously. The threats that Leaphorn and his team take on thrillingly are changed up each season, running the genre gamut from deadly bank robbers to a scheming domestic terrorist. "Dark Winds" also features a secret cameo from Robert Redford in what would become the late actor's final on-screen appearance as a fun extension from his executive producer role. A neo-noir with a strong central cast and some of the sharpest crime writing in recent memory, "Dark Winds" is an intense masterclass on every level.