Here’s our pick of the new crime shows we watched in 2025 — there were quite a few
Christmas means time to reflect on the year about to end. We watched more programmes than we can readily remember, but the following seven did impress us and we hope for more (and in many cases will be getting more). Hopefully we picked some of your favourites. This list is for new shows we saw in 2025 — there’s another to come for firm favourites returned to our screens.
In alphabetical order, we have…
Our list of new crime shows we enjoyed
In compiling this list, we noted how many of the shows are from Acorn TV and which we watched via UKTV’s U player. Clearly the go to option for crime shows for UK viewers. We have skipped a few shows on Paramount (Wild Cards and Sight Unseeen) so apologies to fans of those two excellent shows. Ditto Cooper and Fry.
A Remarkable Place to Die
Set in New Zealand, this is very much not along the lines of The Brokenwood Mysteries. The synopsis for season 1 reads:
…follows smart and determined homicide detective Anaís Mallory (Chelsie Preston Crawford, Underbelly) as she returns to her hometown of Queenstown, New Zealand, assuming the role of lead detective and hoping to unravel the truth behind the deaths of her father and sister. Mallory has a stellar policing career under way after a secondment to Sydney, but she is forced to confront her strained relationship with her mother and the ghosts of her past, including her ex-fiancé Luke (Charles Jazz Terrier, Wentworth), who is now married to her ex-best friend, Maja (Indiana Evans, Home and Away).
It follows the “crime of the week” format with pieces of a bigger puzzle unveiled slowly, great local scenery and in this case an emotionally flawed hero. Plenty to enjoy and the good news for fans is a longer season 2 has been greenlit.
Art Detectives
One of the cosier of our cozy crime favourites, the show manages to find plenty of reason for an art specialist to get involved in a range of mysteries. It became Acorn TV’s most-watched series premiere of all time when it launched in North America this June, and is centred around the Heritage Crime Unit, a police department consisting of art-loving DI Mick Palmer (Stephen Moyer) and straight-talking DC Shazia Malik (Nina Singh). Together, they solve murders connected to the world of art and antiques, from Old Master paintings to Banksy street art, medieval manuscripts and collectible vinyl.
We fully expect a sequel to be announced (there have been strong suggestions, nothing we can confirm).
Death Valley
The only BBC show on our list, Death Valley was a Sunday evening favourite earlier this year. It was renewed late summer and filming already started in Wales. We suspect the show will return next year. The show stars Timothy Spall and Gwyneth Keyworth as retired actor John Chapel and disarming Welsh detective sergeant Janie Mallowan, alongside regular cast Alexandria Riley (Helen Baxter), Steffan Rhodri (DCI Barry Clarke), Melanie Walters (Yvonne Mallowan) and Rithvik Andugula (DC Evan Chaudhry).
Its launch achieving the largest UK overnights audience for a new scripted show in five years. The series averaged an audience of 4.6 million across 28-days. On BBC One Wales, it was the biggest comedy so far this year, averaging 400,000 viewers. On BritBox North America it was the second most watched show of the year so far, in the first 30 days on the service.
Harry Wild
And now a slight cheat. While new to us via UKTV, the show has in fact been running for several years. So far three seasons are available to watch for free via the U player. Here’s the synopsis for season 1:
Literature professor Harriet “Harry” Wild (Jane Seymour) is adjusting to retirement when she’s mugged. While recovering at the home of her son (Kevin Ryan), a detective in the Dublin police, Harry gleans a clue for his current case. But when she’s rebuffed, Harry decides to solve the crime herself. Recruiting an unlikely young sidekick (Rohan Nedd), she finds a new path as a private investigator….
The show starts a little dark, but brightens up for season 2 (we’re still watching). It’s entertaining and worth checking out.
High Potential
The only US show on our list, High Potential is (like Patience below) a remake of a French show. Written by Drew Goddard (The Good Place, The Martian) and starring Kaitlin Olson, the series follows a single mom with an exceptional mind, whose unconventional knack for solving crimes leads to an unusual and unstoppable partnership with a by-the-book seasoned detective (Daniel Sunjata). Available in the UK on Disney+, it arrived on January 23, so right at the start of the year. The first season was a short 13 episodes (due to Olson’s schedule, we understand) but season 2 (currently arriving in the UK, but on a mid-season break) will consist of 18.
It’s a good mix of police procedural, outsider genius but also a lead character with emotional intelligence and her own problems to solve.
Murder Before Evensong
The most recent entry on our list, and the only show from Channel 5 (apologies again to Cooper and Fry), it’s based on Reverend Richard Coles and stars Matthew Lewis as Canon Daniel Clement, the Rector of Champton, he finds himself unexpectedly entangled in a murder case when a dead body turns up in the church.
Daniel shares Champton rectory with his widowed mother Audrey (Amanda Redman) – and his two dachshunds, Cosmo and Hilda. When Daniel announces a plan to modernize the church, the parish is suddenly divided. And then a body is found dead at the back of the church. As the police move in and the bodies start piling up, Daniel is the only one who can try and keep his fractured community together… and catch a killer.
No word on a second series, but we’re optimistic.
Patience
Our only entry from Channel 4 and our second show adapted from a French original, Patience follows the story of a young autistic woman who’s a self-taught criminologist. Ella Maisy Purvis is Patience Evans, while Laura Fraser plays Detective Bea Metcalf. A second series is in production and hopefully back on our screens next year.
Do look out for our other reviews of 2025 and look aheads to 2026. Happy holidays!