"Like Unforgotten but better”: 10 “underrated” detective dramas to watch now on ITV, Netflix, the BBC and more

There are some detective dramas that, despite being off-the-charts amazing, never quite get the attention - or recognition - they deserve. So, we've decided to take matters into our own hands to bring you the underrated series that might not have earned a loyal fanbase, but are well worth your time - including one Nicola Walker series that's like Unforgotten but better.

From an little-known Agatha Christie adaptation to a fantastic Adrian Dunbar series (it's not Line of Duty) and a brilliant Blue Lights-esque drama, we've got a series to suit to please (almost!) everyone. So, make yourself comfortable, because these are the 10 underrated detective dramas to watch now on ITV, Netflix, the BBC and more.

A Murder at the End of the World

If you fancy something a bit different, head north – to Iceland, to be specific, where tech billionaire Clive Owen has invited a disparate dinner-table of scientists, engineers, activists and others to his retreat-slash-lair. Emma Corrin is as brilliant as you'd expect as the neurodivergent amateur detective who's called upon to unravel the perplexing events at the retreat after someone is murdered. It's undeniably a very conventional vipers den of a country-house murder mystery, but that doesn't make it any less worth watching. Throw in computer hacking, climate-change science and a touch of cosmic philosophy, and you've got a brilliantly chilly series. Available to watch now on Disney+ and ITVX.

Annika

Most Nicola Walker fans will have already seen Unforgotten, but this little-seen but much enjoyed series is the next best thing - or the new Unforgotten, if you like. Set among the officers of Glasgow's Marine Homicide Unit, Walker plays the half-Norwegian Annika Strandhed, who investigates murders on water. The clever drama sees Annika make the audience her confidante, sharing her wry observations on her cases and her life along the way, while managing her brilliant yet unconventional team. It's surprisingly funny for a drama about deaths, plus you get the beautiful scenery of Scotland's west coast thrown in. Available to watch now on U.

Mr Mercedes

Despite making three series of this Stephen King adaptation, it never made a big impact in the UK, largely thanks to its airing in the US on a relatively low-key channel - Audience - that later went kaput. It is, however, rather excellent. Written by a team that includes Big Little Lies legend David E Kelley and Shutter Island's Dennis Lehane, Brendan Gleeson is retired police officer Bill Hodges, who's haunted by an unsolved mass killing. The killer, tech-support worker Brady Hartsfield (Harry Treadaway), is taunting him in a game of cat and mouse that's about to turn catastrophic for Hodges, not least because Hartsfield is quietly turning the justice system against him. Truly creepy viewing. Available to watch now on Netflix.

Giri/Haji

You might know Joe Barton as the man behind Sky's recent Amadeus remake, but this is the series that made his name. While it didn't set the ratings alight, it was critically loved, scorig 100% on the Tomatometer. The story revolves around Kenzo Mori (Takehiro Hira), a Japanese detective who comes to London to find his missing brother, who was presumed dead after crossing the Yakuza. While there, he finds himself, along with British counterpart DC Sarah Weitzmann (Kelly Macdonald), in the middle of a gang war metastasising between Tokyo and London. Amadeus' Will Sharpe puts in an impeccable perforamnce as the acerbic and witty half-Japanese sex worker Rodney, and there's one final-episode moment that's worth tuning in for alone. Available to watch now on Netflix.

Get Millie Black

Acclaimed Jamaican novelist Marlon James, who won the Man Booker prize for A Brief History Of Seven Killings, made his TV writing debut with this HBO/Channel 4 co-production and what a debut it was. Tamara Lawrance plays the titular character, a Jamaican-born cop who's been forced out of Scotland Yard and is now back in Kingston where she's pursuing missing-persons cases. She's also trying to reconcile with her trans sister (now living on the streets) and things get even more complicated when Millie's case crosses over with that of another London cop (Joe Dempsie), who's investigating organised crime. It's a fantastic drama that paints a vivid but desperate picture of a society holding itself together despite multiple fresh wounds and old scar tissue. Available to watch now on Channel 4.

The ABC Murders

Sarah Phelps's Agatha Christie adaptations for the BBC are true works of genius, though this three-parter received less popular acclaim than the likes of And The There Were None or The Pale Horse. A joyous reinvigoration of an old text, it revels in a darkness that Christie was unable to make explicit and gives Hercule Poirot a canon-busting backstory that makes him far more human than any other adaptation has achieved. Expect a fleshy, twilit mystery steeped in old tea, boarding-houses and the post-war smell of damp British unhappiness. A must-watch. Available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.

Ridley

When you think of Adrian Dunbar and crime, you likely think of Line of Duty - but he has, in fact, got another detective show under his belt that isn't to be sniffed at. There are two series of this drama to binge, which revolves around the Yorkshire- and Lancashire-set investigations of former Detective Inspector Ridley (Dunbar), who's now working as a police consultant alongside DI Farman (Bronagh Waugh). Though Ridley retired after a mental breakdown following the death of his family in a fire, he's returned to duty, and when not singing in his own jazz club, he assists his former colleague as they track down the killers, robbers and rapists. Available to watch now on ITVX.

Ellis

If you're a fan of no-nonsense police officers knocking some sense into their younger counterparts, then Ellis is the series for you. Wicked's Sharon D Clarke plays DCI Ellis, who's spent years being overlooked and underappreciated due to being a Black woman on the force, and yet she sorts out failing investigations every time thanks to her determination to do it right. If you haven't heard of it, it might be because the Channel 5 series is often unfairly overlooked too, but you'd be silly not to give it a go. Available to watch now on Channel 5.

Cross

Even if you've never seen Cross, you may well already know the character thanks to film adaptations like Along Came a Spider, Kiss the Girls and Alex Cross. James Paterson's Washington supercop, Alex Cross is a detective and forensic psychologist who's uniquely capable of digging into the psyches of killers and their victims, in order to identify - and ultimately capture - the murderers. He's also grieving a murdered wife and in this baroque world of racists and serial killers, Cross is our classic noir hero. Available to watch now on Prime Video.

Bloodlands

If you loved Blue Lights and are in the mood for more Northern Irish policing, Bloodlands is well worth a watch. The BBC series, which first aired in 2021, uses the ripe historic territory of the Troubles as a launchpad for a contemporary story of buried secrets and paramilitary crime. Leads don't get much better than James Nesbitt, who plays DCI Tom Brannack, alongside a supporting cast of Northern Irish stalwarts including Susan Lynch and Michael Smiley. Only two series of it were made - it was quietly axed in 2023 - but it makes it all the more bingeable. Available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.