police procedural
Detective show genre
A police procedural is a genre of crime fiction that emphasizes the realistic, methodical work of law enforcement—forensics, interrogations, paperwork, jurisdictional friction.
The focus is on process rather than a lone detective's brilliance: The show is a classic police procedural, following cases from crime scene to courtroom.
The term applies to novels, films, and especially television series.
- detective fictionGenre about investigating crimes
- red herringsMisleading clues or information
- investigationFormal examination of facts
- legal dramaFiction set in courts
- Miranda rightsSuspect's custodial advisement
by the book · evidence · criminal profiling · Scotland Yard · beat cop · chain of custody · murder board · prime suspect · interrogation · good cop bad cop · crime drama · neo-noir · squad room · forensic science · clues · locked-room mystery · mystery · murder
- genresaction, comedy, detective fiction, fantasy, horror
- televisionTV, television, broadcast, TV shows, TV series
- crime fictiondetective fiction, murder mystery, detective novels, detective novel, detective
- dramaTV drama, acting, television drama, drama school, playwright
- film genreshorror, comedy, drama, action, romance
- mysteryclue, detective, suspect, clues, sleuth
police proceduralcourtroom drama
Genre featuring trial proceedings
heist film · caper · prison drama · cozy mystery · revenge thriller
police proceduralcozy mystery
Low-violence amateur sleuth genre
noir · true crime · mob story
police proceduralcozy mystery
Low-violence amateur sleuth genre
locked room mystery · whodunit · psychological thriller · supernatural thriller · noir
police, policy, process, procedure, policeman, procession, procedures, policemen, policing