6 Cop Shows Better Than SWAT

While procedurals and crime dramas are still some of the best shows on TV, there are many that are better than CBS' SWAT, which ran for eight seasons from 2017 through 2025. While SWAT, which will return to the screen with SWAT: Exiles on Starz in September 2026, was a great series in its own right, the CBS show had its limitations. A remake of the 1970s series of the same name, SWAT followed Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson (Shemar Moore) as he led his team, Twenty Squad, through tough cases and missions all over the sometimes dangerous city of Los Angeles.

SWAT, which shared a universe with creator Shawn Ryan's other popular series The Shield, was adapted from the original series along with real-life experiences from police officers. The series takes on an urgent tone, bringing serious cases to life throughout the city with SWAT working in the background to roll in and take care of business. After dealing with consistent issues from the network in its last years, including three separate cancelations of the CBS series, SWAT came to an end with its eighth and final season in 2025. While SWAT is fun, there are cop shows that are better.

6 Hawaii Five-0

A reboot of the 1960s hit, Hawaii Five-0 ran for 10 seasons from over the course of through 2020. A modern reimiagining of the classic hit, CBS' Hawaii Five-0 saw Commander Steve McGarrett (Alex O'Loughlin) working with a task force spearheaded by the Hawaiian governor. Bringing detective Danny Williams (Scott Caan) into the fold, the Five-0 task force also included ex-detective Chin Ho Kelly (Daniel Dae Kim) and his cousin, rookie officer Kono Kalakaua (Grace Park) during the show's early years. A rotating cast made up the rest of the series throughout its run, using a case-of-the-week format each episode.

While the cases on Hawaii Five-0 weren't always the most realistic, it is the most spiritually connected to SWAT in a variety of ways. The series sees a specialized group of officers working together to solve some intense cases, which is the heart of what Five-0's fellow CBS series was about, too. The thing that makes Hawaii Five-0 stand out, however, is the fact that Steve and Danny's friendship is at the core of the series, and as the pair get to know each other, they become more like family. The show's interpersonal stories are often where it truly shines.

5 Chicago P.D.

One of the pillars of the NBC One Chicago franchise, Chicago P.D. has been on the air since 2014 and shows no signs of slowing down. Originally spinning off from one of its fellow OC series, Chicago Fire, P.D. is a dark, complicated procedural that follows detectives and patrol officers of the Chicago Police Department as they work to keep the city safe. With the series following Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) as the chief of the CPD intelligence unit, Chicago P.D. has become a mainstay of the network and is easily the most successful of the trio of Chicago shows.

Created by Dick Wolf, the series has followed different groups as they've moved through the intelligence unit, including officer Adam Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger), detective Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati), and until recently, detective Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer) and dective Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos). The series is a far darker, grittier look at police work than what viewers see on SWAT, often calling morality into question when it comes to the decisions that cops and detectives make. Voight, specifically, can be an interestingly morally gray character whose decisions are often debated – debates that NBC's Chicago P.D. is often reaching for.

4 Southland

Southland, which began its life on NBC in 2009 before running an additional four seasons on TNT from 2010 through 2013, is a raw, authentic series that follows LAPD officers and detectives through their tough work. Although Southland had a rocky start, moving from NBC to TNT after its first season, the series was acclaimed for the way it brought the complexities of law enforcement officers to life. With the show more character-driven than a typical procedural, Southland followed Officer John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz) and his rookie, officer Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie) closely, with an ensemble rounding out the cast.

With the series a darker, grittier procedural than some of the others on the air at the time, Southland didn't shy away from tough topics. Rather than glorifying the actions of the police force, Southland made sure to tell an even-keeled story that depicted those in law enforcement as having different sides. The series took on high-stakes cases, much like SWAT, but with its ensemble including talented cast members like Regina King and Shawn Hatosy, delving into the characters' personal lives was a more important, intentional choice. The show's intensity was its strength throughout the run of Southland.

3 NCIS

A long-running CBS series that follows the Major Case Response Team of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, NCIS investigates and solves cases that directly impact the US Navy. Throughout the show's 23-season run, which will continue in the fall of 2026, the team has seen its fair share of special agents moving through cases and working under the watchful eye of Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), the lead agent until his departure during season 19. The current iteration of NCIS features agent Alden Parker (Gary Cole) leading the series, with a mix of long-running agents and newer NCIS cast members.

Throughout the run of NCIS, which began airing in 2003, the series has had to evolve in an interesting way, pushing technology into its investigative stories and incorporating different strategies, but the core of the series has always been the same. With a strong leader, a great group of agents, and cases that are thought-provoking, NCIS has been able to consistently deliver quality stories on screen. With the show having spun off into various different series, the CBS series is a lot like SWAT in the fact that it stays team-focused throughout. NCIS, however, has longevity on its side.

2 The Shield

A gritty police drama starring Michael Chiklis, The Shield ran for 7 seasons on FX from 2002 through 2008. Chiklis, who starred as Vic Mackey, took on the role of the leader of a corrupt Los Angeles police department, with stars like Catherine Dent, Walton Goggins, CCH Pounder, and Michael Jace. SWAT and The Shield share more than other shows. On top of sharing a creator, Shawn Ryan, and a universe as a result, Kenny Johnson played tough detective Curtis "Lem" Lemansky for the first five seasons of The Shield, then played officer Dominique Luca on SWAT for seven seasons.

The Shield focuses on an experimental division of the LAPD that deals with a crime-riddled district in hopes to find ways to keep the peace. With the Strike Team, led by Mackey and other detectives, at the acclaimed show's core, The Shield follows its central characters as they use less-than-legal tactics to coerce criminals into giving them information before making arrests. While the series is always clear that the way its portraying law enforcement isn't right, it does gives space to stories that are realistic all the same. The Shield is one of the best crime dramas of all time.

1 Bosch

Based on the novels of Michael Connelly, Bosch is Prime Video's crown jewel and one of the best crime dramas in the modern streaming era. Following LAPD detective Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver), the series and its spinoff, Bosch: Legacy see the main character as he deals with present day cases that he works through meticulously, some of which have tried to drive a wedge between Bosch and his principles. The Army veteran, who served in the first Gulf war and Afghanistan, has a strict personal code that he doesn't waver from, despite the work he does sometimes asking him to.

Although the series isn't always quite the same as a standard procedural, SWAT and Bosch have a commonality in their casework being important, and their location being in LA. Bosch, which follows the titular character more closely than any of the other shows on this list, sees viewers getting the chance to move through the meticulous nature of his investigations. Bosch turns things over time and time again, working through a case in a methodical way rather than running through it in a quick manner, like other procedurals can. Bosch is a true gem in the evolving crime drama genre.