NEWER DETECTIVE SHOWS

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KingKC
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NEWER DETECTIVE SHOWS

#1 Post by KingKC »

Since MPI, Simon and Simon and Moonlighting (and a few miscellaneous others) ended their respective runs in the late 1980s I have been trying to think of a more recent private detective show that was successful for at least 3-5 years and was a "true" private detective show. By "true" I mean a show where the PI has an office and primarily takes private cases that walk in the door. That genre seems to have disappeared and replaced with other motifs. I know there have been a lot of "true" type shows that lasted maybe a year or so and a few others that have lasted several years but, in my opinion. weren't "true" shows.

Murder She Wrote was classic, to say the least, but she was a mystery writer solving crimes not a private investigator with an office taking walk-ins.

Monk and Psych each had a private detective agency but almost all of their cases were consulting with the police. Mentalist was a pure consultant. Diagnosis Murder, which I liked solely because of Dick Van Dyke, was doctors consulting with the police.

Jake and the Fatman was pretty good, mostly because I liked William Conrad and Joe Penney, but Jake was a private detective taking criminal cases from a prosecutor.

I know very little about Veronica Mars but what I have read shows it close to a true private detective agency but with the twist that she was working with a father that owned the agency. Others may have much more to comment intelligently on than me.

I tried watching Burn Notice as the main character does some "unofficial" investigative work but the theme seems to be finding out why he was burned by the government and I tired of that pretty quickly. Leverage was investigations but seemed to concentrate only on corporate stuff like graft, corruption and some espionage.

I liked one called King and Maxwell that made it one short season and there is a new one now called Catch that I have watched the first two episodes.

Have I missed any? Do you have a favorite that you wished had made it longer? Heck, do you have an idea for a new one? I think the "true" private detective shows must be out of favor.

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Last edited by KingKC on Sat Apr 02, 2016 5:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Steve
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Re: NEWER DETECTIVE SHOWS

#2 Post by Steve »

Although not a detective show per say, I have been getting into reruns of Person Of Interest. Maybe because I am a big Jim Caviezel fan but also of the great story lines and other great cast members. I just wish they hadn't killed off Taraji P. Hensons character so she could be on that gosh awful show Empire...........Hope it comes back for more seasons!

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Re: NEWER DETECTIVE SHOWS

#3 Post by MagnumsLeftShoulder »

I've been lamenting the lack of PI shows, too. There were so many of them in the eighties. Now it's all about the cops and their surveillance gadgetry, and DNA. I think that says something about the current role of government. :cry:

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Re: NEWER DETECTIVE SHOWS

#4 Post by terryfromkerry »

Steve wrote:Although not a detective show per say, I have been getting into reruns of Person Of Interest. Maybe because I am a big Jim Caviezel fan but also of the great story lines and other great cast members. I just wish they hadn't killed off Taraji P. Hensons character so she could be on that gosh awful show Empire...........Hope it comes back for more seasons!
Hey Steve,

I did watch the 1st season and really liked it. Always intended to get back to it. Still hope to. Like you I like this actor. Don't shoot the messenger but I just read the show has been cancelled. I recently watched him star in the pilot of The Prisoner ( a reboot of a '60's TV series ). Check it out. :)
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Re: NEWER DETECTIVE SHOWS

#5 Post by eagle »

Yes, I think you are correct. I watched Monk, Psych, and Burn Notice, and I watch Castle and Blue Bloods, but those are not PI shows.

I still watch Magnum PI, Simon & Simon, and CHiPs, mostly because it's hard to find good TV these days.

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Re: NEWER DETECTIVE SHOWS

#6 Post by BWheelz54 »

I think this is a really interesting thread. I think the gumshoe PI with his or her own office has fallen victim to cheap and easy gimmickry that just seems to make any kind of creative medium sold these days so mediocre. I miss stories when the PIs had to use their brains, and they had to look into the characters, which motivated me to look deeper into characters and motives as I watched the tv. It sure seems to me that all tv investigation these days is all about bringing out the machines that go "bing." (To steal a line from Monty Python there). And I fear tv producers just want a neat gimmick so they can just recycle the same plots over and again. I wonder if producers are too afraid of having a failure, so that they rehash their tried and true templates over and over again. They might never get a big hit again, but maybe they're happy as long as they miss having a flop.

But my wife and I have kinda talked about this. I think there's a reason why the shows we really enjoy - such as Mad Men, or Breaking Bad, for example - are being made by non-traditional outlets. My wife loves Game of Cards on Netflix. I think those outlets are trying to do some creative things again, even if they fail from time to time. That gives me hope that another good PI show will come along soon rather than later. And I think the time is coming when some of these producers and execs who have pushed such stale stuff for so long are going to be pushed out.

I couldn't think of single detective show after the 80s. Is my brain just constipated?

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Re: NEWER DETECTIVE SHOWS

#7 Post by MagnumsLeftShoulder »

I guess Elementary with Lucy Liu and Jonny Lee Miller is technically a private investigator show. They have clients come to them with cases some of the time, but they always consult with the police. The two cops on the show are the only other regular characters besides Sherlock and Joan and every case ends with the gang at the precinct with the guilty party being interrogated. I love the characters on it, but it can get a bit dry and depressing and the politics are pretty left wing.

Here's a list of PI tv shows: http://www.thrillingdetective.com/trivia/tvchron.html Most of the ones from the 1990s on were short lived. I've heard Republic of Doyle is good, but it's Canadian and difficult to find in the U.S.

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Re: NEWER DETECTIVE SHOWS

#8 Post by eagle »

BWheelz54 reminds me of the Netflix show "Bosch." I've only seen the pilot, but I have read several of the books, and while it isn't exactly the same thing as Magnum, p.i., it might be as close as we can get today.

MagnumsLeftShoulder: great list!

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Re: NEWER DETECTIVE SHOWS

#9 Post by KingKC »

Has anyone actually known a private investigator?? I knew and worked with one guy in the seventies that was a former FBI agent/lawyer that went into private investigations for a short time and he said it was pretty boring work and not very profitable. He specialized in civil lawsuits involving personal injury and surveillance of alleged injured people who turned out not to be injured all that bad. (He said you would not believe how easy it is to follow someone and never be detected. He also said if you are not running from the law, you are pretty easy to find, even back then). He said he had to supplement his practice with service of process on civil suits that the local sheriff/court had given up on. He did some "bounty hunter" work chasing bail jumpers. He said that he got paid by some parents to find out if there son was using drugs and another family paid him to follow the daughter on a few dates to see if she was sleeping with her boyfriend. He said a lot of his other work was background/employment checks and some occasional missing heirs and a not too frequent cheating spouse case.

I would love to hear any stories others might have.

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Re: NEWER DETECTIVE SHOWS

#10 Post by eagle »

After reading this post, I decided to try The Catch on Hulu. We watched the first episode last night, and it was okay, but it's also going to be another serial drama. It seems to me that ever since ABC had success with Lost, they are moving to more serial shows and fewer episodic shows.

Unfortunately there don't seem to be any other current-run shows, so I guess I'll just keep watching my Magnum DVDs, and Remington Steele/S&S on Hulu. :magnum:

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Re: NEWER DETECTIVE SHOWS

#11 Post by KingKC »

CATCH is slowly growing on me but the "jury is still out."

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Re: NEWER DETECTIVE SHOWS

#12 Post by BWheelz54 »

Hey Eagle,

Thanks for recommending Bosch to me on Netflix. I will try that out! Netflix now has one of my favorite shows with "Longmire," which I got to thinking probably doesn't count as a gumshoe detective story as Longmire is a lawman. But Netflix is doing some fun stuff, so thank you for mentioning Bosch to me.

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Re: NEWER DETECTIVE SHOWS

#13 Post by terryfromkerry »

Hi guys,

While I know this thread concerns detective / pi tv shows, please look out for a new " indie " movie called "THE AMERICAN SIDE" (2016). Its a story about a "gumshoe" ( who even has his own office ! ). Its set in Buffalo and features stunning visuals of the Niagara falls. It has a nice retro feel and reminded me of the 70's & 80's pi shows and movies we all loved. For me it evoked several memories of " The Rochford Files ". Its so rare to see something like this today. I enjoyed it and would love to know what you guys and gals think. :) :magnum:
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Re: NEWER DETECTIVE SHOWS

#14 Post by ConchRepublican »

I like a lot of the "easy" escapist type shows that usually don't have a long shelf life.

I LOVED the spinoff of Bones, The Finder, but it lasted only one season. It's on Netflix, give it a look if you get the chance. Maybe start with the backdoor pilot, Bones season 6 episode 19. Fun show.

I also got into The Glades on Netflix, a former A&E show that ran for 4 seasons.

Hint, they both take place in South Florida, so the locales are easy on the mind.

Through recommendations from some on this site I got into Burn Notice (Florida again!) which was also really enjoyable.

Looking for something new that will fill in that fun to watch, easy scenery, like able characters, no need to take notes due to a complicated continuing plot type series hole in my viewing schedule. I seem to be dropping more shows than adding them.
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Re: NEWER DETECTIVE SHOWS

#15 Post by terryfromkerry »

Hey Conch,

I did watch the full season of The Finder and loved it. I was disappointed it was cancelled.

I got hooked on Burn Notice immediately while watching the pilot. I completed all seasons. I particularly enjoyed taking note of Bruce Campbell's several new "Tommy Bahama" shirts in every episode.

I liked The Glades initially but became irritated with the central character's imo escalating abrasiveness.

I agree of course the Florida locations are so exotic. :) :magnum: :higgins:
"Oh Jonathan !....oh Jonathan, come quickly ...... your hot cross buns are smoking".

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