Top 10 British Detective Shows Streaming on PBS

Published on June 28, 2024 by Julia Pryor

From the bustling streets of Victorian London to the quaint villages of 20th-century Cambridgeshire, British detective shows have captivated audiences from all walks of life.

From classic whodunit mysteries like Sherlock and Vienna Blood to modern crime dramas like Annika and D.I. Ray, PBS has it all. Follow these British detectives in their investigations to discover the truth.

Explore more binge-worthy picks in PBS' collection of Mystery and Crime Shows, featuring global dramas from Finland, Germany, France, Canada, and many more.



Miss Scarlet and The Duke

From Masterpiece: Kate Phillips (Peaky Blinders) stars as headstrong Eliza Scarlet, the first-ever female detective in Victorian London, who won’t let naysayers stop her from keeping her father’s business running. The cast also includes Cathy Belton (Philomena) as Ivy, housekeeper and mother figure to Eliza, and Felix Scott (The Crown, Grantchester) as Patrick Nash, another private eye whom Eliza crosses paths with, among others.

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Grantchester

From Masterpiece: There’s no shortage of murder, mystery, and mayhem in the seemingly quiet 1950s Cambridgeshire village of Grantchester—and police detective Geordie Keating (Robson Green) and the resident vicar (played by James Norton, Tom Brittney, and Rishi Nair, respectively) are always on the case. There’s a real warmth to this period crime drama, set in a picturesque location with central characters who’ve formed their own version of a family.

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Broadchurch

When a young boy is murdered, this small town of Broadchurch in Dorset suddenly becomes the focus of a major event in the full glare of the media spotlight. DI Alec Hardy (David Tennant) and DS Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman) lead the investigation, as one by one the community of Broadchurch are drawn into the police inquiry, starting with the immediate family, and then radiating outward.

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Annika

From Masterpiece: Nicola Walker (Unforgotten, Last Tango in Halifax) stars as DI Annika Strandhed, the wry, speedboat-driving head of Glasgow’s Marine Homicide Unit, who juggles baffling cases and a rebellious teenage daughter. A police procedural with wit, Annika has delighted critics. “The dialogue is so droll and the performances so charming I’m in for what fisherfolk call the long haul,” enthused The Guardian (UK) about Season 1.

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Vienna Blood

1900s Vienna is a hotbed of philosophy, science and art. Dr. Max Liebermann's (Matthew Beard, Magpie Murders) extraordinary skills of perception and Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt's (Juergen Maurer) determination lead them to some of the city's most mysterious and deadly cases.

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Magpie Murders

From MasterpieceMagpie Murders is a beguiling mystery-within-a-mystery adapted from Anthony Horowitz’s bestselling book by the author himself. With a solution that will both astonish and shock viewers, the plot of Magpie Murders revolves around the character Susan Ryeland, an editor who is given an unfinished manuscript of author Alan Conway’s latest novel, with little idea of how it will change her life.

Moonflower Murders, a sequel to Magpie Murders, will premiere on Sunday, Sept 15, 2024. 9/8c.

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COBRA

In times of national emergency, a team comprised of Britain’s leading experts, crisis contingency planners and the most senior politicians assemble under the name COBRA (taken from its meeting place in Whitehall’s Cabinet Office Briefing Room A) to form the committee entrusted to protect the people of Great Britain. COBRA hurls us both into the corridors of power in Westminster and the eye of the storm in the worst-hit areas of the country.

Season four will premiere on July 25, 2024, 9 p.m. ET.

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D.I. Ray

When D.I. Rachita Ray, a British Asian policewoman new to homicide is assigned to investigate the suspected honor killing of a young Muslim man, she quickly realizes the suspects can't be guilty. The evidence against the two brothers from a British Hindu family is flimsy at best. Her attempts at conveying this to her superiors and her colleagues fall on deaf ears, hidden biases and a keenness to wrap the case up mean no one is listening to her.

That is until her probing leads the team to a much more sinister crime. In this four-part drama, D.I. Ray goes on a journey that sees her uncover a complex web of deceit within organized crime, whilst laying bare the wounds deep within herself that she's spent a lifetime ignoring. Wounds that are born from a desperate desire to "fit in," despite not looking the part.

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Unforgotten

From Masterpiece: This award-winning cold case crime drama follows veteran London detectives who uncover the truth behind tangled, complicated murders from the past. The deeper the truth lies, the bigger the emotional toll for the suspects, the families left behind, and for the detective inspectors themselves.

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About the Author

Julia Pryor is an Editorial & Brand Engagement intern at PBS. She studies Magazine, News & Digital Journalism and Marketing Management at Syracuse University.