Best Classic American TV Police Shows

The cop show has long been a staple of American television. But before there were global cable channels that showed nothing but "CSI" and "Law & Order" 24 hours a day, there were classic police dramas with no-nonsense cops that kept the peace during a changing American landscape. Most "best" lists of series go back only to the '80s, but for what it's worth, here is my list of the shows that paved the way in the earlier days of television, and created iconic characters and oft-imitated classic lines:

1. Dragnet, 1951-59
   Dragnet [revival], 1967-70
2. Hawaii Five-0, 1968-80
3. The Untouchables, 1959-63
4. Naked City, 1958-63
5. Kojak, 1973-78
6. Columbo, 1971-90
7. Highway Patrol, 1955-59
8. Ironside, 1967-75
9. The Streets of San Francisco, 1972-77
10. McCloud, 1970-77
11. The Mod Squad, 1968-73
12. The F.B.I., 1965-74
13. Adam-12, 1968-75
14. Starsky and Hutch, 1975-79
15. Barreta, 1975-78
16. Police Woman, 1974-78

Honorable mention

• Barney Miller, 1975-82
• Bat Masterson, 1958-61
• Burke's Law, 1963-66
• Car 54, Where Are You?, 1961-63
• Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, 1955-58
• Sky King, 1951-62
• The Andy Griffith Show, 1960-68
• The Fugitive, 1963-67
• The Saint, 1962-69
• The Wild Wild West, 1965-69

To index of lists