Creator and writer of The Wire TV show, David Simon (Homicide: Life on the Streets) knows about crime dramas after spending twelve years as a reporter at the Baltimore Sun's City Desk. His writing is honest and penetrating as he searches out the dark and seamy side of life that is part of any old and large city lifestyle. The Wire ran for sixty episodes and spanned five seasons with top acting, writing, producing, and high ratings all the while. Episodes covered a wide variety of occurrences and facets of Baltimore including the city's illegal drug trade, corruption in city government, the system within a seaport town, news in print media, and school system issues. The Wire is a crime drama all about a typical large American city and how we each cope with events that make up our lives. Demonstrating how life can be complicated no matter if you are a cop, a lawyer, a judge, a politician, or a low life drug dealer, and how the many institutions involved in our livelihood affect each and every one of us. Cops get the bad guys and the lawyers and judges just turn around and set them free.

Hiring former fugitives to assist the U.S. Marshals with cleaning up the mean streets sounds like a far fetched idea but it works, at least on Breakout Kings. After all who would know better how to outwit the bad guys than former criminals themselves? They don't get off scott free exactly but do receive time off their sentences for aiding in the capture of crooks and as they get one month off their sentence for each criminal they help apprehend it makes sense that they work hard for their eventual release. Most of the "cons" do appreciate the opportunity to reduce their jail time and even get enthused with the prospect of turning over bad guys themselves. Charlie Duchamp (Laz Alonso from Fast & Furious, Avatar) is head of the task force and a previous member of the Criminal Program Analysis Department. A heart ailment kept him tied to his desk job but he still manages to break records getting the criminals reined in. Ray Zancanelli (played by Domenick Lombardozzi from Public Enemies, Miami Vice) lost his Marshals job due to a theft conviction. He works well with the criminal set because he knows the territory so well. Brooke Nevin (Sherman's Way, Infestation) is Julianne Simms, student of law enforcement who has mental issues keeping her from her full potential. This "mixed bag" of law enforcers work well together, keeping criminals in line most of the time.

Lethal Weapon is a TV series based on the popular movie franchise of the same name. It follows two detectives, Roger Murtaugh and Martin Riggs, who are partnered together to fight crime in Los Angeles. Murtaugh is a seasoned detective who is just a few years from retirement, while Riggs is a former Navy SEAL with a troubled past. Despite their differences, the two work together to solve crimes and develop a close bond.

Think of "The Mentalist" as USA Network's "Psych" with prettier people, more money, slightly more upscale locations, and shorter sentences. Working as a consultant to the California Bureau of Investigation, Patrick Jane"”expertly played with appropriate style and savoir faire by Simon Baker"”uses his exceptionally well-honed powers of observation to solve big-time homicides. As the "The Mentalist" series unfolds, we learn more about Jane's con-man past: he once made a spectacular living as a television psychic, who used his command of "tells" or nuances of expression, body language, and intonation to put willing patsies in touch with dead relatives and future lovers. Of course, a life-changing tragedy inspired him to use his (almost) super-powers for good. Summing-up his new-found crime-fighter philosophy, Jane flatly declares, "There's no such thing as real psychics. Anyone who claims to have a sixth sense is either deluded or dishonest." Like all of television's elite criminalists, "The Mentalist" shows that refined powers of observation are at least as rare and valuable as ESP. Best of all, "The Mentalist" always looks wonderfully fashionable as he nabs the bad guy.

True Detective is an American anthology crime drama television series created and written by Nic Pizzolatto. The show premiered on January 12, 2014, on HBO, and it has three seasons, each consisting of eight episodes. The series is set in Louisiana and follows two detectives, Rustin Cohle and Martin Hart, as they investigate a series of gruesome murders.

"Oz" is an American television series that aired on HBO from 1997 to 2003. The show is set in a fictional maximum-security prison called Oswald State Correctional Facility and focuses on the lives of the inmates, correctional officers, and prison staff.