Ask people what their favorite all-time cop show is, and you'll get a hundred different answers. The reason is not only the sheer number of programs produced over the years, but the great variety that exists within the genre itself. Gone are the days of Dragnet, where the police caught the criminal and that was that. This generation has brought shows like Law & Order and X-Files; programs where the criminal sometimes wins and the law is never completely black and white.
The crime drama has given birth to several distinct types of programs - some based on reality, others on fiction. The following are five categories that can be used in classifying "cop TV shows."
One Hour Police Drama (hero-based)
Historically, this has been the most popular type of police drama. It revolves around one main character who is the lead investigator or detective. The character is the show's hero, and is personally involved with each case he/she is trying to solve. There are supporting characters, who may sometimes have the spotlight, but the show always belongs to the main character. There may be a continuing storyline, and sometimes the show may not deal solely with a police case, but for the most part, there is always a distinct beginning, middle and end to each week's episode.
One Hour Police Drama (group-based)
This type of show has recently become the most common type of police drama on the air. These shows consistently revolve around two or more central characters, or an ensemble cast. They tend to have several stories in each episode, instead of one major case and investigator. There is often a continuing storyline, since it is difficult to include all characters in each episode.
One Hour Police Drama (not primarily police-based)
These shows incorporate elements of the previous two categories. Although the main character(s) may not be in law enforcement, the story usually revolves around a crime. Almost any P.I. (Private Investigator) show falls in this category, since they usually work in tandem with police. Shows that are police-based which tend to follow the case into trial or outside of the law enforcement arena, may be in this category. The number of main characters may differ, but this group of programs tends to include some of the more original series in the genre.
Half Hour Police Show (comedy/drama)
Dramas rarely exist in half-hour form (outside of syndication), so most tend to be comedies. There have been a few sitcoms based in police stations and around police officer's lives, and those are the main residents of this category. Of all the types of cop TV shows, these are undoubtedly the rarest. This is the least common type of TV show.
Reality-based Police Show
Unlike the previous categories, which deal with fictional or fictionalized stories, reality-based police shows offer 'true stories' to the viewer, using real footage and real people. A recent pheonemon, reality-based police shows have proven immensely popular with networks and viewers alike. The shows are inexpensive to produce, and rarely deal with anything but the actual arrest or investigation. A hybrid of this style of police show is the crime reinactment show, where actors recreate actual police investigations.
Source: Adapted, with permission, from What is a Cop Show? A definition of the genre by Greg Baerg.
