Fans of crime drama have a lot to look forward to this year. As days are passing by, the genre is changing quickly because audiences want darker stories with better characters. Audiences do not want basic police series anymore. They want famous actors with great storyboards. The series releasing in the summer of 2026 look very promising. Most of the big projects are finally ready for the audience to watch.
Shows like The Blame, The Whisper Man, Scarpetta, Dustfall, and I Will Find You will captivate the hearts of many people. Some famous stars are also returning to TV after a long time. There are also new shows based on books that might surprise you. If you like tense and stylish shows, you will love the list mentioned below.
Disclaimer: This article reflects the author’s opinion. Reader discretion is advised.
Top 5 crime drama shows of 2026
The Blame
It is an upcoming British crime drama releasing this year with six parts. The series will star Douglas Booth and Michelle Keegan. It is expected to premiere on ITV1 and ITVX. The filming of this show ended in late 2025. The show is written by Megan Gallagher of All Her Fault.
Booth and Keegan will play DI Tom Radley and DI Emma Crane. These two characters are two detectives who will work on a murder case and will fall in love with each other until one of them is suspected of the crime. This TV show is based on Charlotte Langley’s debut novel.
The Whisper Man
This crime drama is based on a widowed crime writer who lost his wife and lives alone with his young son. According to the plot, someone kidnaps the 8-year-old boy. The desperate father asks his own father for help. This man is a retired police detective who has not spoken to his son for a long time. Together, they start searching for the boy and find a connection between a famous serial killer and the kidnapping.
James Ashcroft directed this series. The writers are Chase Palmer and Ben Jacoby. The series cast includes Robert De Niro, Adam Scott, Michelle Monaghan, Michael Keaton, John Carroll Lynch, and more.
Scarpetta
This crime drama was released this month on the eleventh exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. It is based on the story of Kay Scarpetta (played by Nicole Kidman), who is a brilliant forensic pathologist. Kay uses advanced forensic technology for unravelling mysteries and solving crimes.
Jeff Russo and Perrine Virgile created the music for this show. The tone of the series feels dark and polished and has a lot of detail. Fans of this book will like this show, and new viewers will also find it fresh and interesting.
Dustfall
It is an upcoming Australian crime drama which will be released on ABC. The show is produced by Soapbox Pictures and Moonriver Productions. On November 20, 2025, the cast was announced. The series stars Anna Torv, Juliet Stevenson, Lila McGuire, Peter Fenton, and many more.
The story is based on Detective Tig Pollard, who comes back to her hometown after many years. She finds a dangerous group behind drink spiking and attacks. When one of the main suspects is found dead, Tig digs deeper and follows the trail of secrets to listen to the stories of the people whose lives have been broken.
I Will Find You
This crime drama is also an upcoming TV miniseries made for the streaming service Netflix. The story has been adapted from the 2023 novel by Harlan Coben. The show is based on a man who is wrongly imprisoned for his son’s murder. Later, he receives information that his son may still be alive.
This crime drama cast includes Sam Worthington, Britt Lower, Milo Ventimiglia, Erin Richards, and many more.
Follow Soap Central for more updates on crime drama TV shows.
Edited by Ritika Pal