Ted Danson at a bar in A Man on the Inside. Image via Netflix By Jennie Richardson Published Jun 19, 2026, 12:07 AM EDT Jennie Richardson is a TV Features and Lists Writer for Collider, and a graduate student pursuing an MFA in Fiction Writing. In other words, she really loves stories. Sign in to your Collider account Add Us On follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap The detective show is one of the most entertaining TV genres . Whether it be a procedural with weekly mysteries or a series with one ongoing mystery per season, these shows draw viewers in with compelling storylines and shocking plot twists . Detective procedurals see one main character – either a detective, a police consultant, or a private investigator – using their unique skills or experience to solve crimes each week that nobody else could.
Meanwhile, other detective series with ongoing storylines will slowly entangle an overarching mystery over the course of each of their seasons. Great detective shows balance exciting mysteries with a focus on their characters , particularly their crime-solving protagonist and the complications of their job or unique skill. These are the detective shows that are 10/10, no notes.
Kaitlin Olson as Morgan Guillory looking surprised with Daniel Sunjata as Karadec in High Potential Image via ABC Based on the French-Belgian series HPI , High Potential follows Morgan Gillory ( Kaitlin Olson ), a woman with High Potential intellect. Morgan is a mother with three kids, and she works as a night cleaner for the LAPD. One night, while cleaning the Major Crimes division, Morgan notices an inconsistency in the murder board. Unable to let it go, she fixes the issue herself, which leads to Major Crimes bringing her on as a full-time consultant .
One of the best subgenres of the detective show is the type where a quirky consultant with a unique skill that helps them solve crimes in a way that the police can't. High Potential takes this concept and runs with it in the best way. Each week, Morgan solves a murder or other major crime alongside her partner, Detective Adam Karadec ( Daniel Sunjata ). Every weekly murder mystery is compelling on its own, and ends in a shocking murder reveal. The series also has a major overarching mystery : 15 years before the start of the series, Morgan's boyfriend and the father of her first child suddenly disappeared. Now, with the LAPD on her side, Morgan is determined to find out what happened to him.
Julie and Charles in 'A Man on the Inside' Season 2. Image via Netflix A Man on the Inside is a hilarious and heartwarming dramedy series that follows Charles Nieuwendyk ( Ted Danson ), a widower and retired professor. Charles is only becoming more isolated with each passing day, and his daughter, Emily ( Mary Elizabeth Ellis ), is concerned about him. At the same time that Emily suggests that Charles get a job or a hobby, he stumbles upon a newspaper advertisement from Private Investigator Julie Kovalenko ( Lilah Richcreek Estrada ). Julie is looking for someone who can go undercover as a resident in a retirement community , and Charles turns out to be just the person for the job.
Charles has neither the experience nor the personality type to be a spy , but his outside perspective winds up benefiting him on the job. A Man on the Inside is a hilarious fish-o…