10 Crime Shows That Got More Twisted With Each Season
Once upon a time, it seemed that crime television existed mainly in the form of police procedural drama, tense yet ultimately reassuring programs that utilized a set formula and episodic stories to comfort viewers with tales of police triumph. Those days are long gone. The 21st century emergence of television as a prestige form of dramatic entertainment has coincided with darker and more daring crime series that probe into the true depravity of humanity and the brutal reality of real-world evil. Offering unflinching, unfiltered, and often uncomfortable examinations of human nature at its worst, these crime series grew progressively more disturbing and twisted with each passing season, making for powerful yet punishing viewing experiences. Ranging from macabre mystery thrillers to disturbing depictions of the criminal underworld, these shows pulled few punches from the outset, and only grew more harrowing as they evolved.
10
‘Peaky Blinders’ (2013–2022)
Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby in Peaky BlindersImage via BBC
A British gangster show that became one of the defining icons of modern television, Peaky Blinders has made its impact on audiences through its sense of style, one that imposes itself through a rugged yet alluring aesthetic and a glamorous cinematic display. However, the story itself is always eager to expand and evolve, following the titular Birmingham-based street gang as, under the leadership of Thomas Shelby (Cillian Murphy), they rise from being small-time thugs and swindlers to one of the most powerful outfits in England’s underworld. At its best, Peaky Blinders is a ravishing spectacle of intoxicating style and confronting violence, one that grows more ambitious and more twisted with each passing season, even getting to the point where, in Season 6, Tommy is navigating English parliament and conspiring against the rise of a fascist movement in politics. It is sometimes excessive and often glorifying, but Peaky Blinders can’t be faulted for not having an audacious endeavor to push boundaries in its examination of power, morality, and ambition in 1920s England.
9
‘Dexter’ (2006–2013)
Decadently sinful in its premise alone, Dexter invites viewers into a world of wicked morality and high-stakes slayings as it follows at-large serial killer Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall). Working as a forensic technician analyzing crime scenes for the Miami Metro Police Department, Dexter leads a volatile double life as, by night, he satisfies his homicidal impulses by targeting heinous criminals who escaped justice in court due to the corruption of the system or legal loopholes. The series has an infectious appeal to say the least, a morbid and macabre treat of divine justice and anti-hero brutality that starts off with a devilish talent for depravity and only grows more twisted as it goes on. Granted, the series may grow too convoluted and ambitious for its own good, with its infamous finale still aggravating fans even more than 10 years later, but its comfort in handling an ultra-violent story and gradually upping the ante as it unfolds is still Dexter’s most defining quality.
8
‘The Shield’ (2002–2008)
Michael Chiklis as Vic wearing sunglasses and holding a gun beside a dusty vehicle on The Shield.Image via FX
As brutal as it is brilliant, The Shield is a scorching depiction of police corruption in modern-day Los Angeles. It centers on an LAPD outfit known as the Strike Team, a task force based in a district where gang violence runs rampant, that, under the command of Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis), seeks to maintain law and order through forceful means and criminal coercion while stealing money and drugs from the crime scenes they work. Making an immediate impression with its stunning pilot episode, The Shield thrives as a compelling and confronting look at the twisted morality and methods of immoral police practices from the outset. The series only grows more harrowing as it evolves, with its seven-season run exploring the full breadth of the Strike Team’s heinous perversions of the law and the callous, self-justified brutality of those who work within the team, offering a bleak examination of police work.
7
‘The Fall’ (2013–2016)
Gillian Anderson follows a suspicious man wearing a balaclava in The Fall.Image via BBC
An underrated gem of 2010s crime intrigue anchored by compelling performances from Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan, The Fall is a rich mixture of criminal investigation, serial killer suspense, and disturbing human connection. Set in Northern Ireland, it covers the duplicitous and psychotic nature of an ordinary family man who satiates his homicidal impulses by targeting working women while also exploring the complicated life and past of the officer investigating his murders. It flips the traditional police procedural formula on its head from the beginning, breaking away from the mold of mystery thrills in favor of a captivating game of cat-and-mouse that dissects the psyche of serial killers, the toll of investigating such criminals, and the twisted dynamic that materializes between cop and criminal. Thrilling, twisted, and tense right up until its shocking final moments, The Fall is a magnetic mixture of human evil and cerebral chills that epitomizes so much of crime television at its most twisted and enthralling.
6
‘Dark’ (2017–2020)
Louis Hofmann standing on a paved road in the woods in Dark.Image via Netflix
A modern marvel of streaming entertainment and one of the most brilliantly audacious stories Netflix has handled, Dark is a mind-boggling marriage of crime mystery and time-warping sci-fi that became a defining triumph of late 2010s television. Launching as a bleak mystery revolving around a spate of missing children cases in the German town of Winden, the international Netflix original evolves dramatically over its run, encompassing time travel as key characters from four central families journey across time to find their loved ones. In their pursuit, the dark secrets tied to the town and its citizens are unearthed, and the threat of an apocalyptic event becomes apparent. Drawing similarities to hit series like Stranger Things and even Twin Peaks, Dark excels as a confounding and complex sci-fi laced with a striking visual display and grounded by a central crime case that is rich with tension and terror. Building on its science-fiction elements through each of its three seasons, Dark boldly expands its scope and its twisted allure over the course of its run, cementing itself as a true icon of modern television with both its cerebral intricacies and its mystery focus.
5
‘The Wire’ (2002–2008)
The cast of The Wire sits around a computer in the officeImage via HBO
Arguably the greatest crime series of all time, The Wire thrives as a gradual exploration of a city’s criminal and legal infrastructure. Over the course of its five seasons, it examines the hierarchy and order of the drug trade while also analyzing the inner workings of the Baltimore Police Department, the corruption of city hall, and the helpless inadequacy of institutions like the resource-starved education system and the morally bankrupt newspaper media. Its air of gritty realism and confronting immorality are present from the series’ very first moments, but The Wire grows increasingly confronting as its scope expands, going from drug-dealing in the projects to smuggling through the docks, the kingpins in the towers, and even how they recruit young soldiers and customers from the school system. Bleak, authentic, and harrowing in its ability to illuminate urgent social issues with dramatic might and artistic punch, The Wire grows increasingly piercing and provocative with each of its five seasons.
4
‘The Sinner’ (2017–2021)
Bill Pullman as Harry Ambrose walks behind a handcuffed Jessica Biel as Cora in The Sinner Season 1.Image via USA Network
A brilliant and somewhat underrated gem of crime mystery drama in the last decade, The Sinner is a perplexing and often disturbing series revolving around the cases investigated by Detective Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman). Running as an anthology series of sorts, each season isolates a different mystery and delves into the nuances and disturbing depths that Ambrose must unearth in order to find the truth and bring closure to the victims. From the outset, The Sinner strikes an arresting tone of twisted depravity and psychological suspense, with Season 1 focusing on issues of suppressed trauma and the impact a history of abuse can have on someone. Ensuing seasons explore disturbing family dynamics and community, cult-like secrecy, large-scale conspiracy, and philosophical intrigue in death, and deep-seated trauma stemming from ritualistic abuse. Through winding stories of amorality and ambiguity, The Sinner evolves intelligently with each of its four seasons, culminating in a dreary and distressing analysis of the dark side of humanity that, save for a hopeful resolution, gets more and more twisted as it unfurls.
3
‘Breaking Bad’ (2008–2013)
Walter White faces Jesse and looks emotional in Breaking Bad.Image via Netflix
One of the most defining triumphs of 21st-century television, Breaking Bad is an enrapturing character study of both profound sympathy and callous corruption following Walter White (Bryan Cranston), a high school science teacher who starts cooking crystal meth to make money for his family when he is diagnosed with terminal cancer. As the series progresses, White’s journey goes from being one of resonant humanity and desperation—even flaunting outbursts of dark comedy—to a depiction of ruthless ambition and criminal evil.
It grows more twisted as its protagonist does, with White going from being a meek and meager man to a complex but mostly likable anti-hero, and finally to being a cruel and calculating villain obsessed with power and capable of committing acts of pure evil to excel. With his descent into amorality accentuated by moments like watching Jane (Kristin Ritter) overdose, imploring Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) to murder a harmless accomplice, orchestrating the poisoning of a child, and siding with a neo-Nazi outfit—in addition to the multitude of domestic horrors he inflicting on Skylar (Anna Gunn)—Breaking Bad grows increasingly sinister throughout its run.
2
‘Better Call Saul’ (2014–2020)
Bob Odenkirk as Saul frowning in a suit in Better Call Saul.Image via AMC
The successor to Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul excels at re-immersing viewers in the high-stakes and absorbing world of the drug trade as the focus shifts to shyster lawyer Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk). Starting as Jimmy McGill, the series follows his descent from being a former con-artist plying his trade as a local defense attorney using his questionable methods to help those in need of a major legal influence, aiding and abetting the activities of a Mexican cartel smuggling drugs into the U.S. Not at all dissimilar to Breaking Bad, the impressive prequel series starts with an accessible irreverence, an air of duplicitous fun that showcases Goodman’s immoral dealings for noble causes. As the series unfolds, however, its appeal becomes more dramatic and twisted rather than outright fun, embracing Goodman as a deeply flawed and compelling protagonist whose slide into the world of international crime is supported by a growing appetite for violence and character-focused drama.
1
‘Hannibal’ (2013–2015)
Dr. Hannibal Lecter wraps his arm around Will Graham in a supportive though imposing fashion in ‘Hannibal’.Image via NBC
Decadence and depravity have seldom met as purely nor as entrancingly as they did throughout NBC’s short-lived hit series Hannibal. Featuring elaborate and astonishing set design, a rich sense of macabre intrigue, a litany of note-perfect performances, and imaginative splendor when it comes to the serial killers and murders being investigated, the series is a vicious medley of twisted and surrealist crime drama and mesmerizing, often gorgeous, gore centering on the relationship between disturbed FBI profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) and Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen), the psychologist tasked with observing and aiding Graham through his difficult job. The series’ twisted magnificence is one of its most defining features, combining with its visual divinity to compel audiences with an enthralling dynamic of extreme violence and suspenseful character dynamics that grow darker with each passing season. As Graham’s mental stability declines, the series’ thematic exploration of manipulation, psychological disturbances, and morality in criminal investigations becomes more pronounced and punishing, making Hannibal one of television’s most twisted treats.
hannibal-tv-series-poster.jpg
Hannibal
Release Date
2013 – 2015-00-00
Publicado: 2025-12-21 20:00:00
fonte: collider.com
