The 9 best crime shows on Peacock for when you want to be a detective

Crime! Don’t do it. Seriously, you’ll get in trouble. If you’re interested in it, live through other people who do crime fictionally or literally. On the fictional end, there are great TV shows with lady detectives, spooky serial killer beginnings, and dramatizations of sordid real-life events. For those whose interest in the macabre trends towards realism, there’s true crime, which is spooky, horrifying, and captivating in a way that will lead you down a Wikipedia rabbit hole faster than you can say “ongoing investigation.”

Please, we’re begging you, if you like crime, stick to watching it on TV. Just to get you started, here are the best crime shows streaming on Peacock.

1. Bates Motel

BATES MOTEL
Credit: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Alfred Hitchcock invented the slasher genre with his delightfully gory masterpiece Psycho. For over 60 years, the film’s chilling surprise villain, Norman Bates, has been the blueprint for disturbed horror baddies. Bates Motel asks the questions about Norman’s backstory that went unanswered in Psycho. Why is a grown man dressing up as his mother and stabbing women in the shower? How did he get both so good and so bad at taxidermy? And would it be possible to clarify the depths of incest we’re talking about here? Freddie Highmore plays young Norman alongside Emmy-nominated Vera Farmiga as his (still alive) mother Norma — and all of those questions get their answers.

How to Watch: Bates Motel is streaming on Peacock.

2. Dr. Death

The true story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a surgeon who intentionally maimed, paralyzed, and otherwise destroyed the health of his patients instead of treating them, is a horrifying stain on the medical profession. Dr. Death is a miniseries that retells Duntsch’s story with Joshua Jackson in the title role. Christian Slater and Alec Baldwin play Randall Kirby and Robert Henderson, two doctors who witnessed Duntsch’s callous disregard for human life and worked to have his medical license revoked — even going so far as to describe their colleague as a sociopath to the Texas Board of Health. Perhaps don’t watch this one if you have any upcoming surgeries scheduled. But any other time should be fine.

How to Watch: Dr. Death is streaming on Peacock.

3. Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story

For those who prefer their true-crime shows in documentary format, Peacock doubled down on Dr. Death with a companion miniseries that delved into Christopher Duntsch’s crimes without the layer of dramatization. His former co-workers, victims, and even the district attorney, who pursued justice on behalf of the lives Duntsch ruined, are all interviewed in Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story. Their harrowing recollections of his crimes are proof that real life is often much scarier than fiction.

How to Watch: Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story is streaming on Peacock.

4. One of Us Is Lying

One of Us Is Lying
Credit: Nicola Dove/Peacock

In One of Us Is Lying, four high school students find themselves under suspicion of murdering their classmate, the hilariously terrible Simon Kelleher. As you could probably guess, one of them is lying. Actually, they all kind of are. The combined drama of murder and hormones places One of Us Is Lying firmly in the quintessentially teen show category, complete with pep rallies, high school stereotypes, and emotional indie music needle drops. If that’s up your alley, so is this show.

How to Watch: One of Us Is Lying is streaming on Peacock.

5. The Fall

Since Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty, many an eccentric detective has tracked down a nefarious antagonist, who is their foul foil. But rarely has this dynamic been as hot yet chilling as The Fall. In this sensational series set in Northern Ireland, Gillian Anderson stars as Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson, who is on the hunt for a serial killer that targets young professional women. While her steely exterior covers a passionate soul, the lady-killer she seeks masquerades as a loving family man (Jamie Dornan). The game of cat-and-mouse in this Allan Cubitt-created show plays with sexual taboos in a way that raises pulses and leaves nerves frayed.  — Kristy Puchko, Deputy Entertainment Editor 

How to Watch: The Fall is streaming on Peacock.

6. The Capture

Even though this co-produced miniseries aired on the BBC, it’s easily Peacock’s most solid original series to date. An American soldier accused of war atrocities walks free after his lawyer points out a flaw in the video footage of his crime. The next day, video footage of the soldier beating and kidnapping that same lawyer surfaces, even though he has a vastly different memory of what happened. What follows is a fast-paced thriller that marries crime and conspiracy in a twisty series that keeps its characters and audience on their toes for the entire show.

How to Watch: The Capture is streaming on Peacock.

7. Murder, She Wrote

Murder, She Wrote
Credit: CBS via Getty Images

Imagine if Agatha Christie were asked to solve real murder mysteries. That’s essentially the premise of this heralded, long-running crime series. Four-time Golden Globe winner Angela Lansbury stars as Jessica Fletcher, a mystery novelist who turns amateur sleuth when called upon. Over 12 seasons and 264 episodes, this clever widow was called upon quite a lot. Lucky for us, each time she brought her unique blend of cheeky wit, warm charisma, and keen intellect to the homicide mystery at hand. Running from 1984 to 1996, Murder, She Wrote masterfully blended dark material with a jaunty charm to create a bevy of wild and entertaining misadventures for a little old lady, who was never to be underestimated. — Kristy Puchko, Deputy Entertainment Editor 

How to Watch: Murder, She Wrote is streaming on Peacock.

8. John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise

Though this six-part miniseries failed to deliver the fresh revelations its marketing promised, John Wayne Gacy: Devil In Disguise is a solid primer to one of the most heinous serial killers in American history. Featuring striking archival footage — namely a telling 1992 interview with Gacy himself — this portrait of a killer isn’t especially artful but it is thorough and brutal. — Alison Foreman, Entertainment Reporter

How to Watch: John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise is streaming on Peacock.

9. Ray Donovan

Ray Donovan
Credit: Barbara Nitke/SHOWTIME

While it’s not a traditional crime show, there’s lots of crime-y goodness in Showtime’s Ray Donovan. The titular Ray, played by Liev Schreiber, is the go-to guy when the rich and famous don’t want to get their hands dirty with their undeniably dirty work. Nothing is off-limits for this Hollywood fixer. For seven seasons and an upcoming movie, his back-alley dealings have kept a dedicated audience at the edge of their seats.

How to Watch: Ray Donovan is streaming on Peacock.