20 crime shows you shouldn’t miss in 2019

Tin Star series 2

Currently showing on Channel 4 after debuting on Sky Atlantic, the first series of this Rockies-set thriller followed the adventures of Cockney copper Jim Worth (played by Tim Roth) as he settled (or failed to settle) into life as the sheriff of a small Canadian town. Series 2 picks up where the first left off and should have all the style, flair and idiosyncrasies of the maiden run.

Where? Sky Atlantic
When? 24 January

True Detective series 3

Who knows how this will go? The first series of True Detective was a stone cold classic. Sure, it was a little pretentious and anti-climactic, but it was still excellent. Whereas the star-studded sophomore effort was, well, not a classic (to put it politely). So the jury will be out on this until it airs.

Mahershala Ali is Detective Wayne Hays, with Stephen Dorff as his partner Detective Roland West. Set in the Ozarks over three different time periods, the pair investigate a grim case of missing children. Series writer Nic Pizzolatto directs, alongside Blue Ruin‘s Jeremy Saulnier and The Walking Dead‘s Daniel Sackheim.

Where? Sky Atlantic
When? January

The Widow series 1

This eight-part series from screenwriters Harry and Jack Williams (Liar, The Missing) stars Kate Beckinsale as Georgia Wells, a woman coming to terms with the death of her husband. But just as she tries to move on with her life, she’s drawn back into the mystery. And also into the depths of the Congolese jungle. With the BAFTA-winning Williams brothers on penning duties, The Widow is definitely one to keep a lookout for. Find out more here.

Where? ITV1 / Amazon Prime
When? January

I Am the Night series 1

A-lister Chris Pine stars in this six-part series as a journalist investigating LA gynaecologist and would-be killer, Dr George Hodel. Was the unassuming doctor responsible for the infamous Black Dahlia murder…? He was certainly involved in some of LA’s more sordid, debauched and occult-tinged goings-on at the time. Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins heads things up behind the camera, so it’s no surprise that this looks like it could be a belter.

Where? TNT (USA)
When? January (USA)

Mindhunter series 2

This serial killer thriller is a semi-fictionalised account of the establishment of the FBI’s Behavioural Sciences Unit and features some rather stunning portrayals of some of the 1970’s most infamous repeat murderers. Mindhunter was possibly the best crime drama of 2017, so it’s safe to say that we’re more than a little excited about its return. Especially given it’s due to focus on the always fascinating Charles Manson case and the often-overlooked grimness of the Atlanta Child Murders.

Where? Netflix
When? ‘Early 2019’

Line of Duty series 5

A new series of the twisting police corruption thriller Line of Duty is always a welcome thing. Especially now, after how absurdly good the previous series starring Thandie Newton was. The man behind it, Jed Mercurio, has been kept busy by Bodyguard in 2018, but will firmly refocus his efforts on this fifth season of AC-12 action in order to reveal just who’s under all those balaclavas. And who ‘H’ is exactly. We just hope it’s not Superintendent Ted Hastings.

Series 5 is rumoured to star one of Britain’s greatest living actors in a central ‘bad guy’ role… The incomparable Stephen Graham. Which is pretty amazing news, eh?

Where? BBC One
When? ‘Early 2019’

Deep Water

Fans of Marcella‘s Anna Friel are in for a treat in 2019 as she’s due to star alongside Sinead Keenan and Rosalind Eleazar in ITV’s gripping emotional thriller Deep Water, based on the Windermere novels by Dead Good favourite Paula Daly. The drama takes a modern look at families and the pressure of juggling busy lives, and is an exploration of what it means to be a ‘perfect’ mother. Find out more here.

Where? ITV1
When? Spring

Peaky Blinders series 5

This needs no explanation, does it…? Peaky Blinders is back for a fifth series. Some big names were killed off last year. Replacing them are a bunch of newbies including figures played by Hunger Games actor Sam Claflin and Brendan Gleeson’s son Brian. You don’t really need us to tell you that it’s going to be good.

Where? BBC One
When? Late spring

Bancroft series 2

Sarah Parish returns in this follow-up to the first Bancroft. Set in Manchester, we follow the deadly and borderline psychopathic (and corrupt) Detective Bancroft as she ascends the police ladder. In this second series, she must help her son fight a double murder charge while taking on a bitter enemy. The first run was a surprise smash for ITV, so expect plenty of effort put into this ‘ferocious female-driven tale’, as series creator and writer Kate Brooke calls it. Find out more here.

Where? ITV1
When? TBC

Godfather of Harlem

Written by Narcos co-writer Chris Brancato, this mob tale tells the true story of New York City gangster Bumpy Johnson’s attempt to regain control of the streets from the Genovese family after a decade-long stretch in jail. Forest Whitaker plays Johnson, with the imperious Vincent D’Onofrio (Full Metal Jacket, Daredevil) as his mafia boss nemesis Vincent Gigante. Expect bruising violence in this hard-hitting tale of kingpin rivalry.

Where? Epix (USA)
When? TBC

The Name of the Rose

Umberto Eco’s classic 1980 debut novel was famously made into a movie six years after its publication. In this big-budget miniseries version, John Turturro takes on Sean Connery’s role as the Franciscan monk-turned-sleuth William of Baskerville, with Rupert Everett co-starring. This 14^th century-set crimer should be a seriously classy affair. Think Cadfael x 5.

Where? BBC One
When? TBC

Too Old to Die Young

‘A Nicolas Winding Refn TV series.’ How good is that as a sentence? The man behind Drive, Pusher, Bronson and The Neon Demon is probably the world’s most stylish and exciting director. Starring Miles Teller as a ‘grieving police officer’ and a cast of oddball characters played by the likes of Jena Malone, William Baldwin and John Hawkes, this promises to have it all: Mexican drug cartels, killer teenage gangs, Russian mafia, Yakuza… This could well be a future classic, a kind of modern, urban Twin Peaks.

Where? Amazon Prime
When? TBC

Trust Me series 2

This Jodie Whittaker-starring medical thriller about a woman who poses as a surgeon and lets her lie run away from her was a hit for the BBC back in August. Whittaker is busy being Doctor Who and so it falls to Alfred Enoch to replace her. The cast of Trust Me series 2 is filled out by the likes of TV favourites Ashley Jensen and John Hannah, with the story set to differ from the first run. Enoch plays a recovering war veteran who notices the people on his ward are dying in mysterious circumstances… Find out more here.

Where? BBC One
When? TBC

Vera series 9

A new series rarely gets much of a fanfare, but Vera is quietly one of the most reliable and consistent UK crime shows of the past decade or so. Based on books by Ann Cleeves, a ninth season of the Northumberland-set whodunit hits the airwaves in 2019 and if you’ve never given it a go, well, you must be mad, pet. Find out more here.

Where? ITV1
When? TBC

Dark Mon£y

A dark child abuse drama with a rather flashy title, this sobering four-parter looks set to present the idea that paying off victims is not a wise move in abuse cases. Written by Levi David Addai – the man behind Damilola, Our Loved Boy – this might not be a whole lot of fun, but it certainly looks set to leave a mark.

Where? BBC One
When? TBC

Gangs Of London

Fans of quality action films will celebrate the news that Gareth Evans, director of The Raid and Apostle, has his own ten-part gangland thriller coming up. Starring Joe Cole from Peaky Blinders and Sope Dirusu from Humans, this is a tale of gangs fighting it out to control the capital. Expect high drama and extremely stylised violence.

Where? Sky Atlantic
When? TBC

The Capture

An innocent man is accused of a crime he didn’t commit and finds that doctored security and video footage will likely put him away. This six-part conspiracy thriller looks set to raise some interesting questions around our reliance on technology and its limitations and vulnerabilities. It’s set to star War & Peace’s Callum Turner and Strike’s brilliant Holliday Grainger.

Where? BBC One
When? TBC

The Virtues

Miss This is England? If so, don’t worry. Shane Meadows and Stephen Graham are back for this new four-part series that sees Graham’s character return to Ireland and the care homes of his childhood to confront the people and institutions that abused him in what’s said to be not unlike the brutal revenge tale of arguably his best film, Dead Man’s Shoes.

Where? Channel 4
When? TBC

The Bay

Morven Christie is Detective Sergeant Lisa Armstrong in this ITV six-parter. A fearsome investigator and Family Liaison Officer, she’s caught up in a murky missing persons case in her hometown of Morecambe. The channel, theme and coastal setting bring Broadchurch to mind, though we’re sure it has its own thing going on. The Bay comes from the producers of Trauma and Bancroft, so it’s definitely one to watch out for in 2019. Find out more here.

Where? ITV
When? TBC

Dublin Murders

Based on Tana French’s bestselling Dublin Murder Squad novels, Dublin Murders is set to give us Killian Scott and Sarah Greene as detectives Rob Reilly and Cassie Maddox. It’s due to be an eight-parter with a mostly Irish cast and if it’s anything like the novels (and, well, why wouldn’t it be?), we’ll be in for a treat with this. Find out more here.

Where? BBC One
When? TBC

See? More than a little promising, right? 2019 can’t get here quick enough.

Which of our picks are you most excited to watch? Let us know in the comments below…