The Cop Show is an idealised representation of police work, justified by the Rule of Cool. Morality is very black and white, being a cop is far more dangerous in this genre than it really is, shoot-outs and standoffs are common, as are car chases and Serial Killers. The protagonist is often a Cowboy Cop who often get their man (even if not the first time). Of course, they don't forget the niggling details of the job, either.

Specific variants: Buddy Cop Show.

The more realistic representation of police work in fiction is a Police Procedural.

See also and compare with: Criminal Procedural, Detective Drama, Forensic Drama, Law Procedural.

Examples of Cop Shows

• 8 Man (1963)
• 9-1-1
  • 9-1-1: Lone Star
  • 9-1-1: Nashville
• 21 Jump Street (1987)
• Action Deka
• Active Raid
• Adam-12
• Allegiance (2024) (sometimes with Police Procedural)
• Almost Paradise
• Angie Tribeca
• Annika (2021)
• APB (2017)
• Arne Dahl
• Ashes to Ashes (2008)
• Alarm für Cobra 11
• Alert: Missing Persons Unit
• Alien Nation
• Almost Human
• Ang Probinsyano (2015)
• Aquarius
• Baby Mentalist
• Baghdad Central
• Ballard
• Battle Creek
• BG: Personal Bodyguard (Partially present because of the presence of the TMPD's SP)
• Black Cat Detective
• Bloodlands (2021)
• Blue Bloods
  • Boston Blue
• Blue Heelers
• Blue Lights
• Blue SWAT
• Bluey (1976)
• Boomtown (2002)
• Bookhunter
• Bosch
  • Bosch: Legacy
• Brave Police J-Decker
• Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Sitcom-slash-Cop Show)
• Brooklyn South
• B: The Beginning
• Burke's Law
• Burn Up!
• Cagney & Lacey
• Case Closed (Partially as some of the significant characters are either from the TMPD/prefectural police forces)
• The Case Files of Yakushiji Ryoko
• Chicago P.D.
• CHiPs
• Continuum, partially
• Counterpart (2018)
• Copper
• Cop Craft
• The Cops
• Cops: L.A.C.
• Countdown (2025)
• Cracked (2013)
• Criminal Minds
  • Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior
  • Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders
  • Criminal Minds: Evolution
  • Criminal Minds (South Korea)
• Crisis (2017) (Somewhat)
• The two CSI spinoffs below combine this with Forensic Drama (but not the original, since its characters are not detectives):
  • CSI: NY
  • CSI: Miami
• Dark Blue
• Dead Lucky
• Deputy
• Death Note; partially
• Dennou Keisatsu Cybercop
• Dept. Q
• Detroit 1-8-7
• The District
• Dog
• Dog and Cat
• Double Decker
• D.I. Ray
• D.☆P. (Partially from the military police perspective)
• Due South
• Dragnet
• Dublin Murders
• Disney also made a send-up of this with Fillmore!, which follows the adventures of a middle-school safety patrol.
• The Fall (2013)
• Flashpoint
• Flikken Maastricht
• Future Cop
• G-Men '75
• Gang Related
• Get Millie Black
• Ghost in the Shell: Arise
• Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, to an extent.
  • Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society
  • Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045
• Golden Boy
• Graceland
• Grimm
• Hashoter Hatov
• Hawaii Five-O
  • Hawaii Five-0
• Hero≠Mask
• Highway Patrol
• Hill Street Blues
• Hometown (2021)
• Hudson and Rex
• Hunter (1984-2003)
  • 1984 Series
  • Everyone Walks in L.A.
  • Return to Justice
  • Back in Force
  • 2003 Revival
• Identity
• The Indian Detective
• Kamen Rider Drive
• Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger, specifically the Patranger half.
• Keishichou Nasi Goreng-ka
• Kidou Keiji Jiban
• Kidnapped
• Killer and Healer
• LA Heat
• Lethal Weapon (2016)
• Life on Mars (2006)
• Life on Mars (2008)
• Low Winter Sun
• Magnum P.I. (2018)
• Mann & Machine
• Memphis Beat
• Miami Guns
• The Millionaire Detective - Balance: UNLIMITED
• Mindhunter
• Mob City
• Mobile Police Patlabor
  • Mobile Police Patlabor: The Early Days
  • Patlabor: The TV Series
• The Mod Squad
• Moonbeam City
• Moonlight Mask
• Nash Bridges
• NCIS
  • NCIS: Hawaiʻi
  • NCIS: Los Angeles
  • NCIS: New Orleans
  • NCIS: Sydney
  • NCIS: Origins
• 19-2
• NUMB3RS
• NYC 22
• NYPD Blue
• OCTB
• On Call
• Onihei Hankachou (Law enforcement franchise set in Edo Japan)
• Pacific Blue
• Paradise PD
• Patlabor
  • Patlabor: The Movie
  • Patlabor 2: The Movie
  • WXIII: Patlabor The Movie 3
  • The Next Generation -Patlabor-
• Police Squad!
• Police Story (1973)
  • Police Woman
• Power Rangers S.P.D.
• Psycho-Pass
  • Psycho-Pass: Sinners of the System
  • Psycho-Pass 3: First Inspector
  • Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness
  • Psycho-Pass Providence
• Rejseholdet
• Republic of Doyle
• Rizzoli & Isles
• Robot Detective
• Rookie Blue
• Rush (2008)
• Rush Hour
• Safe House
• Saint-Pierre
• Saving Grace
• The Sentinel
• Sight Unseen (2024)
• Shades of Blue
• The Shield
• SOKO Potsdam
• Special 7: Special Crime Investigation Unit
• Starsky & Hutch
• Stalker (2014)
• Stan Lee's Lucky Man
• The Streets of San Francisco
• Seibu Keisatsu
• Sledge Hammer!
• SP: Security Police Franchise
  • SP: Security Police - A Japanese police show which centered on the Metropolitan Police's Security Police Division
  • SP: Security Police - The Show's film adaptation series.
  • SP: Security Police - The Manga.
• Stumptown (2019) (Partially)
• S.W.A.T. (1975)
• S.W.A.T. (2017)
• The Sweeney
• Tiger Cubs
• Taiyo Ni Hoero
• Tokkei Winspector
• Tokusou Exceedraft
• Tokusou Robo Janperson
• Tokusou Saizensen
• Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger
• Tokkyuu Shirei Solbrain
• Tokyo Vice (partly because of arcs involving the TMPD/NPA)
• T.J. Hooker
• Training Day
• Trigger Point
• True Detective
• Turks
• Turner & Hooch (2021)
• Unforgettable (2011)
• Unforgotten
• The Untouchables
• The Unusuals
• Van der Valk
• Vegas (2012)
• Walker, Texas Ranger
• Whitechapel (2009)
• Will Trent
• You're Under Arrest!
• Your Forma