Classic TV Detective Shows

1) Dragnet (1951-59)

Sgt. Joe Friday (Jack Webb), and sidekick Officer Bill Gannon (Harry Morgan) in the second version of this series (1967-70}, work out of various branches of the Los Angeles Police Department. This show set the standard for the police shows that followed and is still recognized as a successful model. The show used real cases and "the names have been changed to protect the innocent." Harry Morgan, you probably remember, played Col. Potter in the MASH series with Alan Alda.

2) Mr. and Mrs. North (1952-54)

Jerry North (Richard Denning) and wife, Nora (Barbra Britton), work out of their Greenwich Village apartment to solve crimes ahead of the police. This is a fun series which has Jerry North, a mystery magazine writer and amateur detective, working with his wife to solve various mysteries. This show is in the same vein as The Thin Man movie and the later tv series.

3) San Francisco Beat (1954-60)

Also shown as The Lineup, Inspector Matt Grebb (Tom Tully) and partner, Det. Lt. Ben Guthrie (Warner Anderson), police the streets of San Francisco.

4) Highway Patrol (1955-59)

Chief Dan Mathews (Broderick Crawford) keeps the highways and rural countryside free of crime on a weekly basis in his Ford police interceptor.

5) "M" Squad (1957-60)

Lt. Frank Ballinger (Lee Marvin) leads an elite Chicago Police unit in its constant fight against crime.

6) Richard Diamond, Private Detective (1957-60)

Smooth Private Detective Richard Diamond (David Janssen) is an ex-New York City policeman turned private detective who solves cases in New York before moving to Los Angeles to open his office there. This was a successful series for Janssen before he went on to the even more successful The Fugitive series.

7) The Thin Man (1957-69)

Nick Charles (Peter Lawford) and wife, Nora (Phyllis Kirk), work out of their swanky Park Avenue apartment to solve cases the police are still working on. This series is based on The Thin Man movie (William Powell and Myrna Loy).

8) Hawaiian Eye (1958-63)

Tom Lopaka (Robert Conrad) and Tracy Steele (Anthony Eisley) are private detectives working out of their plush office in the Hawaiian Village Hotel in Honolulu. They are assisted in their weekly adventures by singer/photographer Cricket Blake (Connie Stevens) and taxi driver Poncie Ponce (Kazuo Kim).

9) The Naked City (1958-63)

Lt. Mike Parker (Horace McMahon) and Det. Adam Flint (Paul Burke) work out of the 65th precinct of the New York City Police Department. Nobody's naked here, just good, gritty cop stories.

10) Peter Gunn (1958-61)

"Cool" Los Angeles P.I., Peter Gunn (Craig Stevens), with the help of Lt. Jacoby of the L.A.P.D., solves his client's cases while Henry Mancini's jazz themes play in the background. He spends his leisure time at the jazz club, Mother's, being comforted by his girl, Edie Hart (Lola Albright).

11) 77 Sunset Strip (1958-64)

Stuart Bailey (Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.) and Jeff Spencer (Roger Smith) are private detectives with an eye for the ladies working out of their ritzy Sunstrip Strip office next to Dino's Lodge (actually co-owned by Dean Martin) in the Hollywood/Beverly Hills area of Los Angeles. This was a very good show and, with the addition of Ed Byrnes as the real hip "Kookie" that was a valet for Dino's next door, the show was a smash with the teenagers. Always combing his long locks ("Kookie, Kookie, Lend me your comb!"), and talking with the new, hip slang, he became an icon of the times. Three years after the show ended, Roger Smith married Ann Margret (unbelievably, they are still married).

12) The Untouchables (1959-63)

Special Agent Eliot Ness (Robert Stack) an agent in the Treasury Department, leads a team of Federal agents, "Untouchables", which are assigned to enforcing Prohibition in the 1930's. Based in Chicago, they have to contend with the likes of Al capone, Frank Nitti, and various other lowlifes. Of course, this series was based on the real life agent, Eliot Ness, and it achieved even more reality with famous newsman Walter Winchell as the narrator each week.

13) Checkmate (1960-62)

Jed Sills (Doug McClure) and Don Corey (Anthony George) work out of their exclusive detective agency, Checkmate, Inc., in San Francisco. Helping them with their caseload is British criminologist Dr. Carl Hyatt (Sebastian Cabot).

14) Surfside 6 (1960-62)

Swingin' private detectives, Sandy Winfield II (Troy Donahue) and Ken Madison (Van Williams) live and work out of their houseboat in Miami.

15) The Saint (1962-69)

Simon Templar (Roger Moore) better known as "The Saint" is a bit different than all the rest. Based on the literary character by Leslie Charteris, The Saint is a spy, thief, and detective all rolled into one. Driving his sporty Volvo P1800 around London, he steals loot from criminals and then manages to get them arrested by the police without getting caught himself. Inspector Teal (Ivor Dean), who regards The Saint as just another criminal, is always on his tail. This role prepared Moore for his James Bond stint later.