Your Favorite Cop Show
Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com
A few years back Officer.com ran a poll question on what the readers’ favorite cop television show was. Times change. Since then there are new ones and the older ones are hard (at best) to find. Still, it seemed appropriate to run that poll again (thanks, Tim!). I have to wonder about the results.
Now I know that not every visitor to our site is a law enforcement professional. We have a pretty good number of students, police family members, other media representatives, etc that come to Officer.com. Of all of the visitors who come to the site, though, about one fourth of them voted for the television show COPS as their favorite. My experience tells me that not too many actual police officers really like the show, so I have to attribute the large number of those votes to non-law enforcement visitors. I freely admit that may be an incorrect assumption to make.
Listed in order of votes, this is how the choices broke down:
- COPS: 26%
- The Shield: 12%
- The Wire: 8%
- NYPD Blue: 8%
- Hill Street Blues: 7%
- Other: 7%
- Adam 12: 7%
- Law & Order: 6%
- NCIS: 6%
- Miami Vice: 4%
- Dragnet: 3%
- CSI (all flavors): 3%
- Barney Miller: 2%
- Homicide: Life on the Streets: 2%
It bothers me, for whatever reason, that the two top voted shows don’t reflect (in my opinion) cops performing at their professional best.
I find it interesting that two shows which focus on forensics - so popular to watch if we believe the mainstream media - are actually so far down on the list (6% and 3% of the votes).
I’ve never watched Homicide: Life on the Streets so I can speak about it intelligently. However, I assume it a relatively recent show and if it’s only as popular as a show as old as Barney Miller then the producers may want to rethink what they’re doing.
I confess that my favorite is NCIS (only because Walker, Texas Ranger isn’t on the list).
Thanks to everyone who voted. If anyone would care to comment on what they perceive as the strengths, weaknesses or attraction of their favorite cop shows, we’d love to read the comments!
Stay safe.
While “COPS” is well-produced with camera crew who can keep up with the action, I think many of us tire of the lengthy attempts to geta suspect to confess after capture. When an officer on “COPS” starts browbeating a suspect as to why he won’t “tell us what’s really going on”, I’m tempted to yell at the screen “Because he doesn’t want to go to jail.” I find my appreciation of a “COPS” episode varies with how many officers waste time trying to get the suspect’s “side of the story” for the camera.
Frank, you owe it to yourself to pick up “Homicide: Life on the Streets” at your local big-box store. “HLOTS” ran from the early to mid nineties and is set in the Baltimore City Police Department. David Simons’ book (on which the show was based) is still in print.
Look at it this way, the top 2 account for only 38% of votes, which means 68% of people DIDN’T pick COPS or the shield.
I like the Shield (even though it’s about bad cops), but NCIS is my perosnal fav to, because it’s funny and because it’s about a little known agency, not because of it’s accuracy (no cop show is very accurate, gotta suspend disbelief to watch any of them).
Sorry, I mean 62%, not 68
Homicide: Life of the Street is probably the most realistic show made about detective work. It demonstrated that investigations is not drama and action as other shows would have you believe. It followed detectives spending time on several different cases at a a time, not just one as TV portrays now. Also, it showed a human and personal side to each of the detectives, which I think also made it stand out alot from many of today’s cop shows.
“The Shield” for most entertaining, “Barney Miller” for most realistic and “Adam-12″ and “Dragnet” for best nostalgic show.
I’m actually sick of COPS now, I prefer Street Patrol or Inside American Jail.
“Street Patrol” is film from “COPS” that got left on the cutting room floor. I almost prefer it to “COPS” because we don’t have nearly as many “tell me what’s going on” interrogations.
Like Mike H, I have to give props to “NCIS”. While I suspect the show does not exactly depict a day in the life of the average NCIS special agent, it is well-written, funny, somewhat off-beat, and has Ziva David in it.
Okay, now tell me WHY the Andy Griffith show wasn’t listed? Andy was the best TV cop EVER!
John: She does add something to the show.
Matthew: Mental lapse on my part.
Adam 12 for best nostalgic and semi realistic cop show and The Wire for entertainment value.
As a “non-cop visitor” I have to agree with most of your critiques of COPS - although I must admit I get a kick out of the suspects who deny they know anything about the drugs, guns, etc found on their person or in their car!
I watch CSI - but as a retired molecular biologist I want to barf at most of their techniques (their pipetting for instance would contaminate the vast majority of the procedures they do). My fav shows are The First 48, and Crime 360.
I’m not a big fan of cops. After 28 years as a police officer, it’s my humble opinion that not every officer has a quip, smart-assed comment to make after every arrest nor is something like that appropriate. It looks to me like the officer are hamming it up for the camera and, in turn, they look foolish and unprofessional. Just do your job the way you were taught and be professional — even if you do have to chase the perp. If COPS really wanted to be realistic, they would also include the hours of mundane, boring paperwork combined with the hours of doing nothing but riding around patroling in an effort to keep crime from happening. Just a thought……….
That’s okay any of us could only hope to be as good (you know, cop wise) as Andy Griffith! Yet, its so forgettable as a “cop show.”
DEA is on Spike, nice reality. Other one is the First 48 on A&E, also real word show…
A.
I used to watch COPS before I got into the law enforcement career. I used to enjoy the stuff that happened on the show and thought the guys were doing a pretty good job. But now after the training I have, plus being able to armchair quarterback, I find myself screaming at the TV about the tactics or officer safety issues or something that is said that should not be said around listening ears. I have found that the remote can break a TV if COPS is watched for too long.
Southland is not to be missed! NCIS is fantastic because of the humor, but I truly enjoyed Southland. It’ll be interesting to see how the new season pans out.
It’s time that reality cop shows are taken off the air. COPS, Dallas SWAT (and the other agencies featured), the DEA and US Marshal shows, etc etc etc shows are ALL a risk to officer safety. If you don’t believe that the bad guys watch these shows and take notes, you have another thing coming! These shows are nothing more than entertainment for the meek, and “how to” reference material for the criminal element. Local governments and police administrators need to STOP permitting these programs to ride-along and film. It’s out of control, and these shows promote a serious risk to safety of police officers everywhere.
Jacked: Auto Theft Task Force and Bait Car are my favs, along with First 48. I wish they had a show dedicated to air support stuff, that would be awesome.
Where is Hawaii 5-0? Come on.
Well my choice would be Baywatch! While they are not cops they do enforce laws on occasion…
I prefer the show “Speeders” ….Ernie “the Hammer” is the best Cop ever!
Did anyone like Third Watch…I enjoyed it so much!
How about rookies? what happened to that show?
There was a show in the mid to late 90s called High Incident…this was a pretty good show. It didn’t last long. But I do agree with many of you about COPS. It was the original reality show, but like all the rest, it has gotten old. I really enjoy NCIS because it is a little different than all the rest.
“Rookies” was a pretty good show, it just kind of faded away. I saw a few episodes and that was it. I was a fan of Dallas SWAT, but now I like Jacked: ATTF, The First 48 and Crime 360.
I think that the first 48 is one of the best out there. Realistic, shows real demeanor and excellent investigative skills.
Your all WRONG!! Barney was the best cop ever. My Chief says I am just like him!!
First 48
Very well put Jay; http://www.officer.com/interactive/2009/08/10/your-favorite-cop-show/#comment-15958.
For me, I would have thought Hill Street Blues would make the top 3. But I guess that’s because it is my favorite.
My fav was on A&E called “Rookies” it was fun to laugh at thier mistakes as we have all done them. It also but a reality spin on it when ne of the “Rookies” was shot to death at a domestic.
CAR 54
Hey, what about the Andy Griffith show? Andy and Barney always get their man. And nip it in the bud.
How about Dexter on Showtime?:) he is not a cop but he works in forensics! and is a serial killer. good show
Southland is the show that feels real, but I watch TV to escape so I don’t enjoy it.
What? None of you remember Brooklyn South? It was only on 1 season but was a good show.
I have to go with that or Homicide though I now find myself watching First 48 and NCIS all the time.
After 21 years the last thing I want to watch is real life “Cops” especially since our dept has adopted the saying ” I have him at gun point” really if you already said your out on a bad guy and its that dangerous that you have him at gun point why are you taking one hand off your hand to announce this as well as your focus? Any way back to the subject ” Life ” and ” South land ” would have been my first choises, cannot go wrong with Sgt Friday or the old Adam 12 car… Stay safe brothers.
NCIS for all the above stated reasons….Don’t have television but when I did Reno 911 was a real kick. I still call uniform shorts “Dangles”.
“first 48″ has some good interrogation tips and techniques. Reno 911 has it’s moments.
Homicide: Life on the Street and the Wire! the most realistic cop shows. The writer (Ed Burns) is a retired Baltimore Cop. The gritty aspects of The Wire put The Shield in its place.
I prefer Robot Chicken and Family as my favorite cop shows. More truth in them than any cop show.
Family Guy that is…
My favorite cop show is COPS. I know it is not well liked by regular cops and I know why. When I was a deputy sheriff our training department used snippets from the shows to instruct us on what not to do. Cops do not like the show because it does not show cops at the professional best in many cases. It shows them doing what they always do. many of the other shows out there which show videos of officers in action are often filled with beeps and cutouts due to officers swearing. Having been a deputy I know officers have a tendency to swear during arrests. Maybe the officers should watch the show and use it to help correct their mistakes
Does anyone remember when Mark Harmon played in 240 Robert? Where he was an LA Sheriff Deputy?? That was a good show also. I grew up watching that.
What? Where’s Cop Rock?
I’ve loved the Shield.. But.. NCIS is pretty good.
I loved watching Barney Miller with my dad. Other TV Shows: Car 54, Dragnet, SWAT Charlie’s Angels, TJ Hooker, Rockford Files. Movies include some of the same and of course Colors from 1988! Nothing with Steven Segal!!!!
I see no mention of Miami Vice, starsky and hutch. But NCIS seems to keep my interest, even though all shows are some what off the wall, NCIS should be used for Sexual Harassment, But the team works together when needed, really shows in a way how close 1984 really is.