10 Smartest TV Detectives

The Shield is best known as a brash cop drama, a bruising ride around the mean streets of L.A, big bald cops busting heads to a nu-metal soundtrack. And while there’s plenty of that in there, just as important are the stories of the less viscerally inclined cops.

Perhaps the best of the bunch is Dutch Wagenbach, the socially offputting but professionally brilliant murder cop. Dutch is akin to a crime fighting robot, lacking in people skills but able to read a criminal like a book.

Partnered with Claudette Wyms, Dutch is the antithesis of antihero Vic Mackey. He beats down the bad guys with brains rather than brawn, and for the most part sticks to the rules, but he’s no less effective for it. Some of The Shield’s most exhilarating scenes involve only Dutch, a perp, and an interview room.

Dutch’s one failure is his inability to bust his greatest foe - Vic himself. Their tussle is one of loathing, eventual mutual respect, and then loathing again. Sadly for Dutch, Vic’s ruthless streak means the Barn’s best detective never gets the arrest he truly wants.