Curated and verified by British TV Hub · Streaming and renewal status checked September 2026
Looking for a broader starting point, including the classics? Try British TV Hub's guides to Best British Police Procedurals or Cozy British Mysteries instead. This list is different — every show here is currently airing, has an officially confirmed next season, or has been renewed, so it's built for finding your next watch in 2026 rather than revisiting a finished favourite.
Fast-moving, character-driven crime dramas set in the present day, with new seasons currently airing, filming, or confirmed.
AC-12, an anti-corruption unit, investigates bent coppers from within the force, in one of the most compulsive crime dramas Britain has ever made. Series 7 has already wrapped filming and reunites Vicky McClure, Martin Compston, and Adrian Dunbar in a new post-AC-12 unit.
Blue Lights follows a group of rookie police officers navigating their first year on the beat in present-day Belfast, and has grown into one of the most acclaimed dramas on British TV, winning the BAFTA for Best Drama Series in 2025. Series 4 is expected on BBC One and BritBox in autumn 2026.
Vicky McClure stars as bomb disposal officer Lana Washington in this high-tension thriller from Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio. Series 4 was filmed back in 2025 and is expected on ITV and BritBox later in 2026.
A present-day murder in a former Nottinghamshire mining village reopens decades-old wounds from the 1984 miners' strike, in this acclaimed ensemble crime drama. Series 3 is confirmed and began filming in January 2026.
Britain's longest-running forensic pathology drama follows the Lyell Centre team as they uncover the truth behind the country's most complex deaths. Series 30 — a milestone season — is confirmed and currently in production.
Detectives working remote islands and sun-soaked coastlines, where the scenery is as much a draw as the whodunit.
Detectives police the windswept Shetland Islands, where the landscape is as dramatic as the crimes they investigate. Series 11 is confirmed, with production underway for a late-2026 premiere.
A fish-out-of-water British detective solves impossible locked-room murders on the fictional Caribbean island of Saint Marie. Season 16 has been greenlit, with the BBC confirming the show will run through at least Season 17 in 2028.
The Death in Paradise spin-off follows DI Humphrey Goodman as he swaps Saint Marie for a quiet Devon coastal town, only to find that murder follows him there too. Series 5 is now filming in Devon.
A retired MI6 officer settles into a quiet life in the Umbrian countryside, only to keep stumbling into murder. Season 3 has been renewed and was filmed on location in Lazio and Umbria.
A Death in Paradise spin-off set on the sun-soaked Australian coast, following a detective who returns home after a career-ending scandal in London. Season 2 is currently airing on BritBox, with Season 3 already in development.
Gentle, comforting whodunits set in picturesque English villages — murder rates implausibly high, stakes reassuringly low.
Impossibly picturesque English villages hide an impossibly high murder rate in Britain's longest-running village mystery. Season 26 is officially in production, with no premiere date set yet.
Mark Williams stars as the crime-solving Kembleford priest in one of Britain's most-watched daytime dramas. The show has been renewed for two more seasons, with filming on Season 14 already underway.
An aging Welsh TV detective and a young real-life detective sergeant team up to solve crimes in the Brecon Beacons, blending genuine comedy with genuine mystery. Season 2 arrives on BritBox November 17, 2026.
Three unlikely amateur sleuths in the Thames-side town of Marlow team up to solve murders in this adaptation of Robert Thorogood's novels. Season 3 premieres September 6, 2026 on PBS Masterpiece, with Season 4 already renewed.
A specialist police unit investigates crimes involving stolen and forged art and antiques across Britain. Season 2 has been confirmed, debuting with a Christmas special in December 2026.
Character-driven detective series, from literary adaptations to comic reinventions of the genre, all with new seasons on the way.
Bertie Carvel plays P.D. James's brooding detective-poet Adam Dalgliesh in this atmospheric run of adaptations. Season 4 has been greenlit for 2027 and will include the series' first fully original, non-novel story.
A fresh adaptation of Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley novels, pairing the aristocratic detective with working-class DS Barbara Havers. Season 2 has been renewed with an expanded eight-episode run, currently filming in Dublin.
David Mitchell plays a reclusive puzzle-setter who impersonates his missing twin brother, a police detective, and turns out to be surprisingly good at solving crimes. Season 2 premieres October 13, 2026 in the US, with Season 3 already renewed.
DI Max Arnold investigates crimes among London's wealthy Chelsea set while living modestly on a houseboat and working through his own complicated marriage. Season 4 is currently airing on Acorn TV.
A brilliant but socially awkward criminology professor assists Cambridge police investigations, drawing on his own idiosyncratic methods and personal history. Season 6 is already in development after Season 5 wrapped on PBS.
Adaptations of celebrated crime novelists — Anthony Horowitz, Georges Simenon, P.D. James, and more — still bringing new stories to screen.
The third and final installment of Anthony Horowitz's Susan Ryeland trilogy, following the book editor as she's drawn into another mystery-within-a-mystery involving the Atticus Pünd novels. Premieres September 6, 2026 on PBS Masterpiece.
Mark Gatiss stars as a bookshop owner with a knack for solving crimes in postwar London. Season 2 airs in the UK in August 2026, with a US premiere date still to come and a third season already being written.
Benjamin Wainwright plays a young, present-day version of Georges Simenon's classic Parisian detective, leading La Crim, the city's serious crime unit. Season 2 premieres October 18, 2026 on PBS Masterpiece.
Long-buried cold cases surface with devastating consequences for the people connected to them, in one of British TV's most quietly devastating crime dramas. Season 7 is currently filming, though a premiere date hasn't been set.
John Simm stars as DS Roy Grace, a Brighton detective balancing police work with an unshakeable belief in the paranormal, based on Peter James's bestselling novels. Series 7 has already been renewed and is expected in 2027.
Nearly every show on this page lives on one of three services.
Shetland, Line of Duty, and Blue Lights are among the biggest returning crime dramas in 2026, while The Marlow Murder Club, Ludwig, and Marble Hall Murders bring cozier, character-driven mysteries with new seasons this year.
Most modern crime dramas stream on BritBox. Cozy village mysteries and several Acorn Originals live on Acorn TV. Literary adaptations including Unforgotten, Maigret, and Marble Hall Murders are on PBS Masterpiece. See the Where to Stream section above for the full breakdown.
Shetland is one of the most accessible starting points — atmospheric and character-driven without being too dark. For something cozier, The Marlow Murder Club or Midsomer Murders are gentle, comforting entry points.
Ludwig Season 2 arrives October 13, 2026, Maigret Season 2 premieres October 18, 2026, and The Marlow Murder Club Season 3 premieres September 6, 2026 alongside Marble Hall Murders — both on PBS Masterpiece.
This guide focuses on British mystery and detective series that are currently airing, confirmed for a new season, or actively renewed — rather than beloved classics that have already concluded, like Poirot or Inspector Morse. Looking for those too? See British TV Hub's guide to Best British Police Procedurals.
Affiliate disclosure: British TV Hub is a participant in the Amazon Associates program and earns from qualifying purchases. Some links on this page may be affiliate links to BritBox, Acorn TV, and PBS Masterpiece. This never affects the recommendations — these are genuine editorial picks.
