7 Crime Shows You Need To Watch, According To Michael Connelly

Published Sep 19, 2026, 5:30 PM EDT Angel Shaw is a Lead Writer and Critic on ScreenRant's TV team, covering new-release and classic TV shows across all major streaming platforms. She has been a writer with ScreenRant since 2022 and specializes in Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and fantasy. Angel holds a bachelor's degree in language interpreting and is passionate about all things culture and communication—especially in how it relates to popular media throughout history (from Shakespeare to Friends to Game of Thrones). When mystery author Michael Connelly says that a TV show is worth the watch, we would all be wise to listen. Connelly is the brilliant mind behind the character Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch, and has continued to claim consistent success as works like The Lincoln Lawyer find screen adaptations. The novelist has a way with crime and mystery, especially when it comes to constructing characters who will pick the details to pieces through law and order. Connelly has published more than 42 novels and 74 million copies worldwide, but writing isn't where he draws the line of entertainment. Back in 2011, Connelly shared with TV Guide some of his favorite TV shows at the time, and it should be no surprise that each and every one of these has held up. The author really knows how to pick them, selecting projects that either centralize the writing process, dive into the mind of crime and deduction, or feature truly excellent character work and performances from top-tier actors. It's now been more than a decade since Connelly pointed his fans in the direction of these projects, but that's no less a reason to give them your attention today. Kojak Credits: MovieStillsDB Among Connelly's picks was the classic crime drama series Kojak, which ran for five seasons and 118 episodes from 1973 to 1978. The author explained that he regularly watched Kojak with his father back in the day, calling it "great bonding time." Connelly owes some of his work today to this series, stating that his father "loved shows where the stakes were high. Life and death, justice prevailing, things like that. I think that helped set me on the path to what I do now." Kojak established many of the tropes and trends that crime dramas use today, so the cultural impact of this series can hardly be limited to Connelly's works. The series follows the incorruptible Lieutenant Theophilus "Theo" Kojak, played by Telly Savalas. Though quirky in a variety of ways, this character is precisely the sort of witty, rule-bending officer the modern genre loves today. Add in all those iconic catchphrases, a fascination for dum-dums, and unapologetic honesty, and it's no real mystery why Connelly felt inspired. Castle Credit: MovieStillsDB Once again, it should be no real surprise that Connelly would recommend Castle, since he personally guest starred in the mystery police procedural a total of four times throughout its eight-season run. It's pretty easy to see why such a series would appeal to him, as the plot follows Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion), a mystery novelist who begins to shadow homicide detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic), turning her into his muse. Connelly describes Castle as a "fantasy version of what I do!" The series centers on mystery writing through its bored, blocked protagonist, whose works are duplicated by a copycat murderer in New York City. There's certainly a thrill to the idea, but it's that developing chemistry between Castle and Detective Beckett that really makes this project an undisputed winner. Californication From 2007 to 2014, the comedy-drama TV series Californication was all the rage, and Connelly was right there in on all the hype. He describes this show as the "dark side of the Castle fantasy," referencing the troubled novelist Hank Moody (David Duchovny), who handles his writer's block in an entirely different way from Richard Castle. Hank's life is overflowing with sex and drugs, making Californication a sort of gritty exploration of that place between fame, luxury, and excess. Californication is a great pick for anyone with a passion for rock music and culture. Connelly was never given the opportunity to guest star (that we know of), but the series does feature a variety of guest and cameo appearances rooted in the musical world. RZA, Rick Springfield, Steve Jones, Tim Minchin, Tommy Lee, Zakk Wylde, and more made memorable appearances before the last episode of Californication aired on Showtime in 2014. Veronica Mars Like a lot of people, Connelly didn't discover the masterpiece that is Veronica Mars until long after the series came to a close. This one is a neo-noir-style mystery drama that stars Kristen Bell as the titular character. Veronica Mars is a student (first high school, then college) who works as a private investigator on the side under the guidance of her detective father. The show premiered in 2004 and was canceled after three seasons in 2006, but fans of Veronica Mars have never been able to let it die. Connelly explained in 2011 that he missed out on watching Veronica Mars while it aired, but that he and his daughter had become addicted to reruns. Since then, Veronica Mars has returned for a film sequel in 2014 and a fourth season on Hulu in 2019, both largely funded by Veronica Mars' passionate fans. Perhaps Connelly himself was one of them. Justified The TV show that Connelly called his favorite in 2011 is a rather fitting one. Justified, which ran from 2010 to 2015, is a neo-Western crime drama starring the likes of Timothy Olyphant, Nick Searcy, Erica Tazel, Walton Goggins, and more. Set in the Appalachian Mountains. Justified follows Olyphant's Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, a loose-cannon officer with an unconventional approach to upholding the law. Justified is based on the works of Elmore Leonard, whose storytelling style particularly appeals to Connelly. He called Justified a "perfect realization" of the author's works, adding that he would "love to work on it." That opportunity never presented itself, but as Justified maintained near-perfect critical reception throughout its six seasons, we can certainly assume Connelly continued to enjoy the series until it came to a close. Dexter via MovieStillsDB The discussion around Justified bpromptedConnelly to talk about some of his favorite stars, among them blyphant. Another is Jennifer Carpenter, who played Debra Morgan, the sister of Michael C. Hall's Dexter, in the psychological crime thriller Dexter. Connelly went on to praise all the characters of this series, as well as the "uniqueness of the show." It's precisely this uniqueness that made Dexter such a hit between 2006 and 2013, as the series centers on a psychopathic vigilante serial killer who would generally be at the other end of Connelly's own creative works. Dexter is another series that has continued in the years since it was supposed to have been all wrapped up, with spinoffs like Dexter: New Blood, Dexter: Original Sin, and Dexter Resurrection all hitting the scene in recent years. NCIS MovieStillsDB Another of Connelly's favorite TV performers is Mark Harmon, who plays Jethro Gibbs in the CBS procedural NCIS. The author praises the actor for making Gibbs "relentless and reliable," characteristics that Connelly himself hopes he embodies as well. NCIS first kicked off in 2003 and has remained a hit ever since. Harmon's Jethro Gibbs isn't always at the center of things these days, but a significant contributor to NCIS' success is the deliberate nuance weaved into each of these characters. While the central NCIS show is still ongoing, there have been several meaningful spinoffs, including JAG, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS New Orleans, NCIS: Hawai'i, NCIS: Sydney, NCIS: Origins, NCIS: Tony & Ziva, and NCIS: New York. Performers like Harmon have come and gone from the franchise, but they never seem able to separate themselves for good. It's just another testament to the sort of quality Connelly was talking about. Source: TV Guide