The Top Five Detective Shows of All Time on Satellite TV
The way detective dramas unfold, you're left guessing about what will happen until the final minute of the episode. The style has enchanted so many viewers over the years that there are entire networks devoted to the form. To see the best detective shows of all time, dial up satellite TV networks like Sleuth and revel in the taut drama. Here are the top 5 shows of the modern era.
5. Colombo. Peter Falk starred in this 1970s detective series which followed Colombo and his unorthodox pursuit of the criminals. Featuring a clueless approach, the slow-moving detective always seemed to step in and make his play when everyone least expected it. Still running on satellite TV's classic TV channels, it's a unique opportunity to see a film star employ his charm on a long-running basis.
4. The X-Files. Successfully marrying FBI police procedurals with a taste for unexplainable phenomena, The X-Files was all the rage in the 90s. Starring David Duchovny as Fox Mulder, the series is surprising for the lack of skepticism from Agent Mulder concerning the paranormal. He's often the object of ridicule on the show, but his persistence and quiet diligence always prove there's something else to see. This winning formula is in regular revival on satellite TV networks.
3. Twin Peaks. Sometimes lost in the shuffle of a dynamic series like Twin Peaks is the fact that it was a great detective story. Forget about the soap opera element and the comedic look at rural police work — watch FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) trace the leads and inch closer to the dark heart of the Laura Palmer murder mystery. David Lynch's fascination with film noir informed Twin Peaks, which was an influence on both The X-Files and films like Fargo.
2. NYPD Blue. This long-running show initially featured the excellent David Caruso in a starring role before coming more of an ensemble cast-oriented program featuring stars like Dennis Franzen and Jimmy Smits. Tracking the routines of a tough New York crime squad, this show had everything Law & Order did plus an added grittiness. Its amazing run has ended, but remains on the air on FX's HD network.
1. Miami Vice. A defining moment in 1980s television and one of the greatest series of all time, Miami Vice found a way to combine fashion, police work and a heady tropical atmosphere in one detective drama. With performances from many rising actors like Bruce Willis and Dennis Farina, Miami Vice was a star-studded affair, with Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas driving the action as Crockett and Tubbs, under the direction of uber-tough Lt. Castillo (Edward James Olmos). Still playing nightly on satellite TV on the Sleuth network, Miami Vice is the standard in style and substance for detective series.
If youve got a yen for a whodunit, check out the amazing lineup of detective dramas on a DIRECTV program guide. By the way things look on DIRECTV shows like Miami Vice, you'd think the killer never gets away — maybe until the end of Part II, when the biggest climax finally hits.
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