1. The Wire
The best crime dramas are never about the crimes themselves; there's a reason Benedict Cumberbatch is hyped as one of the greatest actors of his generation, and that's because his performance as Sherlock Holmes is more intriguing, more mercurial and more watchable than any case he has to solve. Likewise, The Wire was never about the end result for McNulty; it was about the city of Baltimore, the people involved in these cases, and the meticulous realism invested in this extraordinary show. And The Wire starts exactly how it means to go on. The blue and red of the police lights shine upon the victim's blood that's trickled down the road; McNulty chats to a witness, joking over the victim's nickname, Snot, whilst trying to understand why Snot would even be accepted by his gang if he always stole money. It's a beautifully shot scene and it's juxtaposed with the final shot; the focus shifting from McNulty and the witness to the victim, eyes open, laid flat across the pavement. The Wire would become one of the greatest television shows of all time. It didn't need time to warm up, and it captured the essence of what makes a great detective story straight from the start; it focussed on the people and the connection they have with each other; that's what's fascinating.