
25 Best Neo-Noir TV Shows Of All Time

25. Gotham
Gotham shows what the city was like before Batman, and it’s way more chaotic than you’d expect. With standout performances from Penguin, Riddler and a younger Jim Gordon, the show leans into the madness and makes the familiar feel fresh. | © Warner Bros. Television

24. True Detective
True Detective is haunting, slow and heavy in all the right ways. Season one set the bar with two detectives chasing something far bigger than just a killer – and even when the seasons change, that sense of dread and beauty sticks around. | © HBO

23. The Following
The Following is the kind of thriller that grabs you fast and doesn’t let up. Kevin Bacon and James Purefoy go head-to-head in a deadly game of cat and mouse, and even when the plot gets wild, it’s just too fun to stop watching. | © Warner Bros. Television

22. The Americans
The Americans is a tense, slow-burn spy drama at its best, with two KGB agents living like a normal suburban couple while hiding secrets that could destroy everything. Between the lies, the family life and the FBI agent next door, every episode feels like a ticking clock. | © FX Productions

21. Ray Donovan
Ray Donovan dives into the dark side of Hollywood, following a fixer who solves other people’s messes while barely holding his own life together. It’s sharp, brutal and carried by a cast that makes every bad decision feel personal. | © Showtime Networks

20. Broadchurch
Broadchurch hits harder than most crime dramas because it never lets you forget the people behind the headlines. It’s not just about solving a case, this show is about blame, grief and how fast a community can turn on itself when the truth gets messy. | © ITV

19. Pretty Little Liars
Pretty Little Liars hooks you fast with secrets, lies and a mystery that refuses to quit. What starts as a teen drama quickly turns into something darker, with every character hiding something and “A” always one step ahead. | © Warner Horizon Television

18. Terriers
Terriers might’ve been overlooked, but it clicked right away. The two leads feel real from the start. They’re flawed, funny and trying to do the right thing even when they’re clearly in over their heads. | © FX Network

17. Moonlight
Moonlight doesn’t try to shock or explain – this show just lets you sit with one boy’s story as he grows up, struggles and tries to figure out who he is. It’s quiet, raw and full of moments that stay with you without ever needing to shout. | © A24

16. Dexter
Dexter flips the crime drama on its head by making the killer the guy solving the murders. Michael C. Hall plays Miami’s most polite serial killer so well, you almost forget he’s wrapping up bodies in plastic until he does it again. | © Showtime Networks

15. Dead Like Me
Dead Like Me takes the idea of life after death and flips it into something oddly funny, sad and relatable. Following a group of grim reapers stuck in their old lives, the show turns the afterlife into a messy, awkward version of being human. | © Edit Showtime Networks

14. Angel
Angel started as a Buffy spinoff, but it quickly found its voice: darker, heavier and more morally tangled. It's a show about fighting monsters, sure, but also about guilt, redemption and what happens when the line between good and evil gets blurry. | © The WB Television Network

13. So Weird
So Weird was Disney’s boldest supernatural series, especially during the early seasons with Fiona at the center. Smart, eerie and full of strange twists, it gave young viewers a legit dose of mystery before the network decided to play it safe. | © Disney Channel

12. Batman: The Animated Series
Batman: The Animated Series raised the bar for what superhero cartoons could be. With its shadowy look, sharp writing and Mark Hamill’s legendary take on the Joker, it gave Gotham a depth that still holds up today. | © Warner Bros. Television

11. Jessica Jones
More than just a superhero story, Jessica Jones is a sharp, gritty character study built around trauma, power and survival. Krysten Ritter brings real edge to the lead role, but it's David Tennant’s chilling turn as Kilgrave that makes the show truly unforgettable. | © Netflix

10. Broadchurch
In a quiet seaside town where everyone knows everyone, Broadchurch shows how quickly trust can fall apart. As detectives get tangled in the lives of the people they’re investigating, it becomes clear that no one’s past is really buried, and no one here is truly innocent. | © ITV

9. The Killing
Slow, grim and totally absorbing, The Killing helped redefine crime TV by following a single murder across an entire season. With each new case, Sarah Lund sinks deeper into a world where justice is never simple and nothing stays untouched by the darkness. | © AMC

8. Miami Vice
Long before neo-noir became common on TV, Miami Vice was already setting the tone. It may look flashy on the outside, but the stories are gritty, and the detectives are deep in a world where right and wrong don’t stay clear for long. | © Universal Television

7. Veronica Mars
It might look like a teen drama on the surface, but Veronica Mars hits way harder than you'd expect. Sharp-tongued and morally torn, Veronica is no typical heroine, and the show’s sunny setting hides something far darker just underneath. | © Warner Bros. Television

6. Fargo
Twisted crimes, cold landscapes and choices that spiral out of control - Fargo leans hard into the bleak beauty of neo-noir. Each season brings a new cast and story, but the vibe stays the same: dark, sharp and impossible to look away from. | © FX Network

5. Babylon Berlin
Set in the chaos of Weimar-era Berlin, this German crime drama oozes style and grit in equal measure. With its haunted detective, smoky jazz clubs and creeping political dread, Babylon Berlin feels like classic noir reborn in a city on the edge of collapse. | © Beta Film

4. Better Call Saul
We already know where Jimmy McGill ends up, and that’s what makes watching him fall so brutal. As his charm curdles into scheming and his world starts closing in, Better Call Saul slips deeper into neo-noir territory, full of shadows, lies and choices that can’t be undone. | © AMC

3. Twin Peaks
Dark, bizarre and unforgettable, Twin Peaks took the bones of classic noir and filtered them through a surreal small-town fever dream. With crooked cops, hidden sins and shadows that never quite lift, it turned TV into something stranger and more unsettling than anyone expected. | © ABC

2. Ripley
It’s not easy to outdo The Talented Mr. Ripley, but this series pulls it off with style to spare. Shot in stunning black and white and dripping with tension, Ripley nails the noir vibe: every shadow, every lie, every silence feels deliberate. Andrew Scott is cold, calm, and completely unforgettable. | © Netflix

1. The Wire
No show captures urban decay and moral gray zones quite like The Wire. From the corners of West Baltimore to the halls of power, it’s a slow-burn dive into corruption, loyalty, and the cost of doing “the right thing” – whatever that means. | © HBO
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