Thanks your interest in this topic. The poll is now closed, and the episode devoted to the Best TV Detective is now available. Check out which 32 made the bracket and which TV sleuth our panel decided was the best ever!
They solve crimes and captivate our attention. Detectives on TV! Since at least the late 1930s (Inspector Holt, “Telecrime,” BBC) detectives have been a staple of TV shows. Most are procedurals (the “Law & Order” contingent), a bunch are from dramas (“Sherlock”), some are comedies (“Monk”), some are even animated (“Inspector Gadget” counts!). But regardless, there’s something intrinsically fascinating about watch brilliant minds crack cases in an hour or less. And now for Season 7, the Great Pop Culture Debate podcast wants to determine: Who is the Best TV Detective of all time? And we need YOUR opinions to solve the mystery!
Below find a list of just about every prominent fictional TV detective we could think of. (You can also take the poll by clicking here.) We stuck to English-speaking TV series, but they could have aired on any channel/platform and at any point in TV history. Go through and pick your favorites — choose as many as you like! Note that the list randomizes every time you take it, so if you’re looking for a specific dick, use Ctrl+F and type in their name.
Did we miss your favorite gumshoe? Add them to the field below, so that we get a clue — we may discuss them in the episode! Then make sure to send the poll to any of your friends who love crime shows so we can get their list of suspects. The more votes in the poll, the better balanced the results!
The poll will run until Saturday, December 31. Make sure to submit your answer by then!
The 32 top vote-getters will be discussed on Season 7 of the Great Pop Culture Debate podcast. Find out more at greatpopculturedebate.com.