Who are your favourite and least favourite TV detectives?

[CanapeJane]

I love Father Brown though I have to admit that he can be rather annoying at times. I also love Shakespeare and Hathaway and Poirot and really enjoyed Luther.

I’ve just started watching Vera and I can’t quite decide which category she’s going to fall into. I like the show so far but is she always so shouty and irritable?

Who are your favourite detectives?

She’s a sergeant. She wears a police uniform, she’s not a detective!

I agree. John Hannah completely wrong. But even though Ken Stott is better, still not right. So I don't watch the TV version. Just read the books

I think she was and got demoted or asked to be demoted before the beginning of series one, cant remember why

Inspector Montalbano!!

How could I forget his bandy legged awesomeness.

Best is Colombo.
Change my mind.

Best
Dalziel
Scott & Bailey
Cassie in Unforgotten

least
John Hannah as Rebus
Annie Cabot in Banks

Jimmy McNulty in The Wire.
Lennie Briscoe in the original Law and Order.
Columbo.
Mark Sloan in Diagnosis Murder, technically a doctor but he solved more crimes than the police and I love Dick Van Dyke!

Cho in the mentalist
Strike and Robin
Vera
Gordie in Granchester
Father Brown
Scott & Bailey
Jimmy & Tosh (including Billy as well) in Shetland
Cassie & Sunny in Unforgotten.

Sandy in Shetland is annoying

I’m not a fan of detective stories, maybe I’m lacking an inquiring mind…
But I binge-watched Monk during Covid after picking up on Tony Shalhoub (sp?) as the father in Mrs Maisel.

Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys have a soft spot in my heart.

More recent years, it has to be Sherlock.

Christopher Foyle (Michael Kitchen). Absolute favourite.

The original crew from New Tricks, especially Jack Halford (James Bolam).

Frank Jefferson from In the Red - another great Alun Armstrong role.

Robbie Lewis (Kevin Whately).

Didn't like the character in The Singing Detective at all, only watched the first episode.

Didn't like Morse, he was a bullying creep to Lewis much of the time. I did like Fred Thursday in the first series of Endeavour (only one I watched).

Used to like Columbo and Kojak, but that was when I was a kid and I haven't seen them for decades.

Love:-

Vera.
George Gently.
Endeavour.
DCI Banks.
Dalziel and Pascoe.
Scott and Bailey.

Can't stand:-

Taggart.
Lewis.

Not a TV detective, but Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes is my favourite iteration of that character, though I really loved the Benedict Cumberbatch ones as well.

I also love David Suchet's Poirot - I adore the time period these are set in. Would love a reboot.

Sherlock
All the detectives in The Wire
Rowan Atkinson's Maigret