5 Shows Like Blue Bloods Cop Drama Fans Need To Watch

Ever since it started airing in 2010, CBS' police drama "Blue Bloods" has been one of the most popular dramas on network television. Focusing on the Reagan family, "Blue Bloods" centers itself around the Irish Catholic clan, all of whom work in law enforcement in some regard. Tom Selleck leads the series as the Reagan patriarch Frank, who works as the New York City police commissioner, and he's joined by his on-screen children Donnie Wahlberg (Danny, a detective), Bridget Moynahan (Erin, an assistant district attorney) and Will Estes (Jamie, a police officer). Len Cariou also appears in a leading role as Frank's father, Henry Reagan — the previous police commissioner. The series, known for its full-cast dinner scenes, uses its title to refer not just to the Reagan family's high-ranking status in New York, but the fact that they all "bleed blue" as law enforcement professionals.

So, let's say you've already watched all of "Blue Bloods" several times over. What's next? Well, luckily for you, there's a whole host of police procedural dramas out there, from prestige HBO shows to projects created by showrunner Dick Wolf. Here are some series you should check out if you love "Blue Bloods."

The first-ever "Law & Order" spin-off and a rare one that surpassed its parent show in both popularity and longevity, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" is one of the biggest series in television history. After a whopping 24 seasons, "Law & Order: SVU" became the longest-running live-action primetime show in history, and if you've ever watched it, you know why it remains so popular after all these years. Mixing case-of-the-week procedural stories with overarching storylines, the show is still led by original cast members Mariska Hargitay and Ice-T, who play Olivia Benson and Odafin "Fin" Tutuola, respectively.

Focusing on crimes involving, as the famous introduction puts it, "sexually-based offenses," "Law & Order: SVU" marries stories that the writer's room rips from the headlines as well as original stories. Sure, it can be a tough watch from time to time, but with Benson as the show's beating heart, you're always rooting for the cops within the Special Victims Unit to catch the bad guy (which breaks your heart even more in the episodes where they don't). It's very possible that you've already seen "Law & Order: SVU" if you're a fan of "Blue Bloods," but if not, there's probably a marathon of it playing on some random channel right this very second. 

Created by Dick Wolf — the man behind the "Law & Order" franchise — "Chicago P.D." is one of multiple shows in his "One Chicago" universe. This series, which arrived on NBC as a mid-season replacement in 2014, has crossovers pretty frequently with the other Chicago shows and has actually had crossovers with "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" as well, even though that show is pretty famously set in New York.

Specifically focusing on the (imaginary) 21st District in the Windy City, which is home to the city's Intelligence Unit, "Chicago P.D." is led by Jason Beghe's character Hank Voight, who has appeared on all 10 seasons so far as the unit's leader. Actors like Sophia Bush and Jon Seda — who played detectives Erin Lindsay and Antonio Dawson, respectively — left the show in earlier seasons, but Hank is still joined by intelligence officers Adam Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger), Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati), and Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins). "Chicago P.D." is solid all on its own, but if you want the fullest picture, pair it with one of Wolf's other Midwestern-set shows.

When it comes to procedurals that aren't produced by Dick Wolf, "NCIS" looms large as one of the longest-running and most popular procedurals on television ever since it launched in 2003. Originally a spin-off of "JAG," "NCIS" has led to its own spin-offs throughout the years, set in locales like Los Angeles, New Orleans, Hawaii, and even Australia.

So what does NCIS even stand for if you're not familiar with the show? Well, it stands for "Naval Criminal Investigative Service" and focuses on special agents working within the military police force (much like "JAG," which was also a military-based procedural). A lot of "NCIS" fans likely associate the show with actor Mark Harmon, which does make sense considering that he played team commander Leroy Jethro Gibbs for almost 20 seasons. Much like other long-running procedurals, cast members have come and gone on "NCIS," but a few have stuck around, like Sean Murray (who plays Timothy McGee). Regular "NCIS" isn't your speed? Check out one of the many and equally popular spin-offs.

Whenever there's a list of the best TV shows ever made, it's a safe assumption that HBO's "The Wire" will make the cut. Set in Baltimore, Maryland, the show focuses on both police officers and the suspects they're tracking, presenting a more nuanced, gritty, and realistic portrait of policing in America. Famously, the show frequently pitted homicide detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West) and drug kingpin Russell "Stringer" Bell (Idris Elba) against one another. But beyond the show's constant game of cat-and-mouse, it made sure to humanize the characters on the "wrong side" of the law alongside the cops. 

Boasting incredible performances from West, Elba, a young Michael B. Jordan (simply say the name "Wallace" to a fan of "The Wire" and watch them get emotional), and the late Michael K. Williams and Lance Reddick, the David Simon-created series is one of the most critically beloved in recent TV memory. Despite low ratings and a significant lack of love from awards shows like the Emmys, "The Wire" easily earned its spot as an all-time great drama series. Have you been saying that you'll "eventually" watch "The Wire" for a while now? Here's your sign to start.

A lot of cop shows position the on-screen police officers as unfailing yet conflicted "good guys," but that's where "The Shield" takes quite a pivot. Set in a fictional area of Los Angeles known as "The Farm" that's characterized by tons of crime and drug activity, "The Shield" focuses on what's called "the Strike Team," made up of Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis), Shane Vendrell (Walton Goggins), Curtis "Lemonhead" Lemansky (Kenny Johnson), and Ronnie Gardecki (David Rees Snell).

The issue with the Strike team is that as they operate out of a building they call "The Barn" where they use ... extremely questionable methods to get information out of their suspects. At the end of the pilot, Mackey even shoots and kills a potential fifth addition to the Strike team, kicking off the series with an event that will haunt these crooked detectives for quite some time. Cop procedurals can be straightforward; "The Shield" is complicated, but certainly worth a watch.