Even as a Brit myself, the cultural reach of the FBI has been all-pervasive. A shorthand for the real deal when it comes to catching criminals (and stalking and harassing civil rights leaders, and anybody who’s ever thought anything mildly anti-establishment) the agency has inspired a raft of content, from countless police procedural novels to an endless stream of television shows and films. Among all the gritty, inspired by real life yet entirely generic stories (and blatant copaganda) there are plenty of great series’ about the Bureau, which show its agents as rounded characters who make mistakes and get put in extreme situations. If you love a good crime case, or want some more action in your daily viewing, then read ahead for our list of the 10 best TV shows about the FBI!
10. Criminal Minds
After a slow start, this CBS police procedural hit a high note with its fifth season. That gripping, brilliant collection of episodes was followed by more addictive television, and as a result the show is still on the air today, and has also launched a whole host of franchises. The original Criminal Minds takes us into the world of FBI criminal profilers, who work in its Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), utilizing their training to profile potential perpetrators based on the nature of their crime. Some story arcs are a single episode, whereas some span seasons, but the main gist is that our team of overworked, cynical profilers are always searching for an unsub (unknown subject), and we see how that effects both their personal and professional lives.
9. Hannibal
Looking at the title of this show, a potential viewer might think the series would be focusing on the horrific eponymous character and his gruesome exploits. However, Hannibal (based on the famous novel series about the genius turned cannibal) focuses mostly on the FBI special investigator who comes into the murderous forensic psychologist’s life, and their ensuing complex relationship. With brilliant displays from its leads, who manage to give complex yet emotionally astute performances, it consistently achieved great critical reviews (the third season, despite being cancelled for low ratings, was truly phenomenal). Also, it has Gillian Anderson in it, which is always a plus.
8. The Blacklist
An intriguing premise that’s well explored is what makes this James Spader vehicle tick. In The Blackist, Spader plays Raymond “Red” Reddington, a former US Naval intelligence officer who turned it all in for a life of crime, quickly becoming one of the most wanted people in America. After years of avoiding capture, Red voluntarily surrenders at the Hoover Building and tells agents that for immunity, he’s willing to help them catch a number of other high profile criminals using a “blacklist” of their information that he’s compiled over the years. However, there’s a catch: he’ll only work with rookie agent and criminal profiler Elizabeth Keen, someone he apparently has no connection to. With ten seasons of quality programming, this mystery thriller has been a critical and commercial hit.
7. Twin Peaks
So, we might be stretching the definition of “about the FBI” here, but the David Lynch mystery/horror/soap opera/comedy/everything in between is so unique and iconic that it needs to be on the list. And, after all, the main character does work for the FBI. Twin Peaks follows special agent Dale Cooper as he’s sent to the town of Twin Peaks to investigate the murder of a local teenage girl named Laura Palmer. What then follows is some truly bizarre yet compulsively gripping television, as mystery melds with unreality to create a world like no other. There’s a reason this series spans several seasons, films, and even books: it’s one of a kind.
6. White Collar
White Collar has a familiar premise, but is launched from being a merely watchable show into something much better by its brilliant portrayal of the relationships between its character. The series follows Neal Caffrey, one of the finest con artists and thieves in the States, just after he’s captured thanks to a three-year investigation by special agent Peter Burke. Caffrey, despite nearing the end of a long sentence, decides to try and escape prison, but is easily recaptured. However, this time, Caffrey offers Burke a deal: he’ll become an FBI consultant and snitch, but only if he’s allowed out of prison. The enemies are soon working together, and as their relationship unfurls both begin to see the other in a different light.
5. Quantico
While much of this show’s action takes place outside the bounds of the FBI, the agency is intrinsically bound to its story and characters. Quantico follows Alex Parrish, a former FBI agent who has become the prime suspect in an investigation into a terrorist attack on Grand Central Station. In a number of flashback sequences, we see her and her peers training at the FBI academy in Quantico, where we learn more about her past and how she ended up on the run. This thrilling mystery series is defined by its fast pace and great cast, fronted by Priyanka Chopra, the first South Asian to lead an American network drama. So, if you’re after something that will have you clicking “play next,” then this is definitely the series for you.
4. The F.B.I
An American classic, this show first aired in 1965 and ran for nine successful seasons. While the show itself is a great example of how simple mysteries can sometimes be the best ones, it was also hated by the agency it was about, giving us some of the earliest examples of how U.S agencies (and even the army) have their claws deep in Hollywood, and how they shape films and shows into more favorable propaganda; J. Edgar Hoover attempted to cancel the show multiple times, and every episode was vetted by his underling, Clyde Tolson, who also looked into actors as he wanted to make sure no “criminals, subversives, or Communists” were associated with the agency. The series was also based on real cases, and some episodes even ended with segment that showed viewers the real most wanted people in the country at that time, blurring the line between the agency and the show portraying it.
3. Bones
Blending comedy and crime isn’t always easy, but Bones, the show about a forensic anthropologist named Temperance “Bones” Brennan and an FBI special agent named Seeley Booth, does it brilliantly. Brennan’s team at the fictional Jeffersonian Institute Medico-Legal Lab collaborates with the FBI, utilizing new scientific tools to try and solve crimes (this relationship is based on the real one between the Bureau and the Smithsonian Institution). Aside from solving crimes together, Brennan and Booth have a great will-they, won’t-they storyline that’s enhanced by some excellent chemistry. A little lighter than other entries on this list, but still dark in parts, and always bingeable.
2. Mindhunter
Criminal profilers are fertile ground for screenwriters, and number two on our list is another example of the trials and tribulations of that vocation being shown brilliantly. Set in the seventies, just as criminal profiling was becoming a tool used by law enforcement agencies, Mindhunter follows three main characters: FBI agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench, and the psychologist Wendy Carr. The series begins as they launch a project to interview convicted and incarcerated serial killers in an attempt to better understand their psychology, in the hope that they can use the information to solve current cases. Fantastic characterization, stunning visuals, and brilliant performances turn this into a must-watch series.
1. The X-Files
Mulder and Scully might just be the two most famous fictional FBI agents of all time thanks to the truly iconic nature of The X-Files. The show follows the two special agents as they investigate the “X-Files,” unsolved cases that allegedly involve paranormal or extraterrestrial phenomena. Scully is the rational doctor, who has to analyze Mulder’s discoveries, whereas Mulder is a criminal profiler who believes in the beyond. The odd-couple pair soon learn they can only trust each other, even as the world around them becomes crazier and crazier. Not just the best show about the FBI, but probably one of the best things to come out of the nineties in general, The X-Files has moved well beyond a cult favorite to becoming a cultural monolith (you don’t get into The Simpsons without some serious social credit, after all).