The Best Movie and TV Detectives of Film and Television (Who Aren’t Sherlock Holmes)

When it comes to pop culture detectives, no one tops the man at 221B Bleeker Street, one Sherlock Holmes and his partner Dr. Watson. But even without taking Holmes into consideration, mystery fans will still find several sleuths fit to don his deer stalker hat in movies and on television. From procedurals to sci-fi flicks to comedies, detectives of every shape and size have graced the screen, including these standouts. Meet the best movie and  TV detectives who are not Sherlock Holmes.

1. Special Agent Dale Cooper (Twin Peaks, 1990-1992, 2015)

On February 24, 1989, FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper came to Twin Peaks to investigate the murder of Laura Palmer and the attempted murder of Ronette Pulaski. Played by Kyle MacLachlan, Cooper secured his place in the pop culture canon, thanks to his indefatigable optimism and his unusual methods. Following the lead of writer and director David Lynch, who co-created Twin Peaks with Mark Frost, Cooper used dream logic and meditation to uncover the clues of Laura’s killer, a mystery that led him out of the titular northwestern town into other dimensions, as explored in the prequel film Fire Walk With Me and the sequel series Twin Peaks: The Return. 

2. Jessica Fletcher (Murder, She Wrote, 1984 – 1996, 1997-2003)

Save for the brief period during which Twin Peaks captured the public’s attention, Jessica Fletcher ruled as network television’s premier detective in the 80s and 90s on Murder, She Wrote. Played with unending charm by Angela Lansbury, mystery writer Angela Fletcher did not seek out trouble as much as it found her and her Maine home in Cabot Cove, thrusting her into caper after caper. Throughout it all, Fletcher’s keen eye and open mind made her a better detective than the professionals who resent her meddling…as one of the most famous TV detectives.

3. Lester Freamon (The Wire. 2002 – 2008)

“Natural police.” That’s how Baltimore PD’s Jimmy McNulty describes his colleague Lester Freamon, portrayed by Clarke Peters on the influential HBO series The Wire. Freamon first enters the series as a tired detective with no interest in taking cases, spending his time making doll house furniture while waiting for his pension to kick in. But when the reckless McNulty recruits him as part of a drug bust crusade, Freamon reveals a sharp mind that almost went to waste in endless government bureaucracy. Even when Freamon participates in an outrageous serial killer plot in the show’s uneven fifth season, he retains a sense of dignity that no plot contrivance can dull. 

4. Lt. Frank Columbo (Columbo, 1971 – 1978, 1989 -1990, 2003)

With his rumpled looks and forgetful demeanor, Lieutenant Frank Columbo does not seem like an intellectual titan. But that exact unassuming presentation makes him such a powerhouse. In every episode or TV movie, Columbo stumbles onto the screen long after viewers have seen how the crime occurred and spends most of the episode listening to the killers’ lies or accepting their alibis. And then, right before he walks away, Columbo says “one more thing” and asks an incisive, penetrating question, decimating the baddie’s defense with a single sentence. He may not be the flashiest detective on this list, but Columbo always gets the bad guy. At least, that’s what he tells his wife. 

5. Batman and Robin (Batman, 1966-1968)

“Pretty fishy, what happened to me on that ladder,” says Batman, stroking his chin. “Where there’s fish, there could be a penguin,” responds Commissioner Gordon. “But wait, it happened at sea,” continues Robin. “C for Catwoman!” This little bit of deductive reasoning from 1966’s Batman: The Movie shows why Batman deserves his title, the Dark Knight Detective, and how his sidekick Robin earned the title Boy Wonder. The dynamic duo of the campy 1960s series dealt with conundrums that would break the average mind, but they followed the nonsensical clues to uncover the criminal at the end, keeping Gotham City safe again and again. Comic lore holds Batman up as the World’s Greatest Detective. That also includes one of the best TV detectives.

6. Hercule Poirot (Agatha Christie’s Poirot, 1989 – 2013)

Many actors have portrayed Agatha Christie’s mustachioed sleuth Hercule Poirot, most recently Kenneth Branagh in a trio of films he directed. Although audiences debate the merits of Branagh’s take, most place David Suchet at the top. Suchet starred in 13 series of Agatha Christie’s Poirot, produced by England’s LWT and ITV Studios. For many, Suchet embodied the key elements of Christie’s creation, not just his ostentatious facial hair, but a fastidiousness that paired with his unassuming nature. Suchet’s Poirot listened to travelers on the Orient Express or the Karnak, divining the truth from their conflicting stories. 

7. Benoit Blanc (Knives Out, 2019, and Glass Onion, 2022)

With his ridiculous Southern accent and often irritable attitude, Benoit Blanc cuts a striking figure on American cinema screens, making his debut film Knives Out and the sequel Glass Onion fan favorites. Like the best detectives, Blanc allows himself to appear overmatched by his subjects, whether it be the bickering Thrombey family or the self-important interrupters of Glass Onion. However, such accouterments do not impress Blanc, which allows him to see the truth within the lies of his powerful enemies.  

8. Perry Mason (Perry Mason, 2020 – 2023) 

Created in 1933 by writer Erle Stanley Gardner, Perry Mason garnered enough popularity to star in 83 novels and a popular television series starring Raymond Burr in the title role. Whatever the pleasures of these entries, they did not often stem from the character Perry Mason, imagined as a devoted defense lawyer and little else. The 2020 reboot, which ran for two seasons on HBO, sought to correct that error by casting Matthew Rhys as a downtrodden and tired Mason. Despite his self-destructive behavior, Rhys’s Mason pursues the truth, making him not just a remarkable detective but also a heroic lawyer. 

9. Will Graham (Hannibal, 2013 – 2015)

As portrayed in the TV series Hannibal, Will Graham’s abilities are an affliction. Graham’s radical empathy makes him a valuable profiler for the FBI, as he can feel every desire and intention of even the most bizarre killer. At the same time, it leaves him vulnerable to manipulation, which draws the attention of cannibal/psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter. Created by Bryan Fuller and based on the book series by Thomas Harris, Hannibal makes good use of actor Hugh Dancy’s gift for playing raw emotions, exploring the chemistry between Graham and Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen’s seductive take on Lecter. 

10. Easy Rawlins (Devil in a Blue Dress, 1995)

Ezekiel Rawlins, better known as “Easy” has a long literary history, anchoring 15 novels by Walter Mosely. But he’s best remembered as portrayed by Denzel Washington in the 1995 film Devil in a Blue Dress, directed by Carl Franklin. Franklin’s film captures the hard-boiled approach of Mosely’s novels while letting Washington play up the character’s irresistible charm. Like Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade before him, Easy has it rough after getting fired from his day job at an aircraft company. But that downtrodden position makes him more trustworthy to vulnerable people in his community, giving him an edge when uncovering wrongdoing by the city’s elite. 

11. Olivia Benson (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)

Since 1999, Olivia Benson, played by Mariska Hargitay, has investigated the most sensational and disturbing crimes imaginable. As the lead of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Benson must offer comfort to victims who have experienced the unimaginable and get into the minds of those who do the unthinkable. Despite these extreme stakes, Hargitay retains humanity to her cop, never letting her heart harden into cynicism. 

12. Mystery Inc. (Scooby Doo, Where Are You?, 1969 – 1970)

A couple of preppy teens, a nerd, a hippie, and his dog. No one would trust this lot to crack mundane cases, let alone mysteries involving the supernatural. And yet, that’s just what Scooby-Doo and the members of Mystery Inc. have done for decades, in cartoons, comic books, and live-action films. Some might point to bespectacled sweater enthusiast Velma as the gang’s detective, as she gets to do the Agatha Christie-like explanation for each episode. But as she always admits, it takes the strengths of the entire gang to crack the case. That’s why the catchy theme song declares, “If we can count on you, Scooby-Doo, / I know we’ll catch that villain!”

13. Nick and Nora Charles (The Thin Man, 1934)

If they had their way, the beautiful and bickering couple Nick and Nora Charles would spend their days drinking in their apartment and playing with their dog Asta. But author Dashiell Hammett, who based the duo’s repartee on his banter with playwright Lillian Hellman, forces them into action in his 1934 novel The Thin Man, made into a movie that same year starring William Powell and Myrna Loy. The two may not be the most effective detectives on this list, but they are the most fun to watch, even as the Powell and Loy sequels stretch far beyond Hammet’s original book. 

14. Charlie Cale (Poker Face, 2022)

With her raspy voice and guileless attitude, Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) combines the best of Columbo and Jessica Fletcher. And with good reason, as Knives Out director Rian Johnson created Poker Face as a modern update on those classic TV series. A human lie-detector, Cale can see whenever anyone is lying, a skill that makes her the enemy of a mobster after she crosses his scheming son. Time and again, Cale tries to find a nice, safe home for herself, just to slip into another mystery, when a fibbing killer almost gets away with murder. 

15. Sam Spade (The Maltese Falcon, 1941)

In retrospect, it boggles the mind to think that Sam Spade launched the entire hard-boiled genre of fiction. As described by Dashiell Hammett in 1930’s The Maltese Falcon, Spade cares about himself and no one else, to the point that has an affair with the wife of his partner Miles Archer and shows no remorse when the guy gets killed. The film adaptation by John Huston retains that flinty worldview, depicted when Spade orders Archer’s name removed from his office door right after the funeral. But Humphrey Bogart brings a well-worn dignity to the character, earning the audience’s sympathy despite his callous deeds. 

16. Frank Pembleton (Homicide: Life on the Street, 1993 – 1999)

Before The Wire, there was Homicide: Life on the Street, based on the book of the same name by crime reporter and future creator of The Wire, David Simon. The series won countless accolades, with most going to actor Andre Braugher and his portrayal of Baltimore Detective Frank Pembleton. Based on real-life Detective Harry Edgerton, who would also inspire the character Lester Freamon, Pemberton often raised eyebrows with his eccentricities. But his tireless pursuit of the truth, through the failures of the modern police force, make him one of the most awe-inspiring figures on this list. 

17. John Shaft (Shaft, 1971)

Even the most casual moviegoer knows John Shaft as “the man that would risk his neck for his brother man.” But those who have heard the Isaac Hayes theme but have never seen Shaft barely understand the streetwise sleuth. Richard Roundtree puts his ample charisma to a man who must walk the line between the police who despise him and the community who doesn’t trust him, revealing the difficult truth that others would ignore. Samuel L. Jackson and Jessie T. Usher have both attempted to play Shaft’s descendants, but no one can touch the original article. 

18. Shawn Spencer (Psych, 2006 – 2014)

All of the detectives on this list have their peculiarities, but none match Shawn Spencer’s (James Roday Rodriguez) gift for annoying everyone he meets on the TV show Psych. The son of a demanding father who drilled into him the principles of observation and deduction, Shawn possesses a talent for detection outmatched only by his resistance to responsibility and hard work. With the help of his best friend Gus (Dulé Hill), Shawn works as a psychic for hire, assisting the police force and hiding his skills under outrageous mystical nonsense. 

19. Barton Keyes (Double Indemnity, 1944)

Double Indemnity may be one of the greatest noirs of all time, but it does not feature a detective. Rather, the central sleuth of Billy Wilder’s adaptation of the James M. Cain novel is insurance adjuster Barton Keyes, played with bulldog tenacity by Edward G. Robinson. Once Keyes hears about the death of his client Dietrichson through salesman Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray), he suspects foul play. With a twinkle in his eye and a sneer across his lips, Keyes interrogates Neff and Dietrichson’s wife, Phyllis (Barbara Stanwyck), never letting them go until he learns the truth. 

20. Philip Marlowe (The Long Goodbye, 1973)

Inspired by Hammet’s Sam Spade, writer Raymond Chandler adds a contemplative side to the hard-boiled detective with his character Philip Marlowe. However, most of those who portrayed the character, including Humphrey Bogart and Robert Mitchum, emphasize the character’s flintier aspects, leaving the depths aside. Not so in Robert Altman’s offbeat take The Long Goodbye, which stars Elliot Gould as a rambling, babbling Marlowe. Altman follows Chandler’s lead in paying little attention to the convoluted plots and instead lets Gould mutter along the trail of his mystery, revealing a rich, if comical, inner life. 

21. DCI John Luther (Luther, 2010 – 2019)

Detective Constable Inspector John Luther could be one of London’s best cops — if he could just get his anger under control. The hero of five series produced by BBC One and a 2023 movie Luther: The Fallen Sun, Luther possesses all of the qualities of a stellar detective, including an eye for detail and a gift for interrogation. However, these attributes come with a burning anger toward crimes real and imagined, making him a pain to his superiors and a target for alluring serial killer Alice Morgan (Ruth Wilson). Idris Elba’s control of the screen keeps Luther within the viewers’ good graces, without ever toning down the character’s simmering rage. 

22. Bones Brennan (Bones, 2005 – 2017)

Temperance “Bones” Brennan did not pursue a career as a detective. As a forensic scientist working for the Smithsonian, she uses her training in anthropology to study remains of the past, earning her a reputation as a leader in the field and her skeletal nickname. But at the behest of FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) in the series premiere of Bones, Bones puts her training to work in an advanced research lab, where she and her colleagues pick up clues criminals didn’t even realize that they left behind. This new gig may not suit her complete lack of social skills like the life of an academic, but it makes her the scourge of anyone who thinks they can bury their wrongdoing. 

23. The Fringe Division (Fringe, 2008 – 2013)

When the FBI encounters a crime that defies all scientific explanation, they bring in the Fringe division. Headed by Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) and based around extreme scientist Walter Bishop (John Noble), as handled by his prodigal son Peter (Joshua Jackson), the heroes of the sci-fi series Fringe work the strangest cases imaginable. Even when these investigations bring them into parallel universes, Agent Dunhman, Peter, and Walter keep a clear head on their shoulders. 

24. The Dude (The Big Lebowski, 1998)

Shambling along in the footsteps of Philip Marlowe of The Long Goodbye comes Jeff Lebowski, better known as the Dude (that or His Dudeness, Duder, or El Duderino, if you’re not into the whole brevity thing). The easy-going hippie played by Jeff Bridges may seem like a poor choice for this list, but writers and directors Joel and Ethan Coen deploy him as the protagonist in a mystery. The Big Lebowski borrows from a different Marlowe story, The Big Sleep. But unlike Bogie in that Howard Hughes-directed adaptation of the Raymond Chandler novel, the Dude shows even less urgency when looking into the disappearance of trophy wife Bunny (Tara Reid), preferring to keep his mind limber with a chemical regiment and regular bowling sessions. 

25. Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully (The X-Files, 1993 – 2002)

When it comes to the unexplainable, nobody can beat FBI Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. The two have explored every manner of paranormal case that comes to their attention, from leechmen to shapeshifters to an alien conspiracy. So why does The X-Files team rank so low? Because despite all of the strange phenomena she witnesses with her own eyes, it takes years before Scully finally accepts that the paranormal exists. That’s a mark against the good doctor’s detective skills.