10 Greatest Neo-Noir TV Shows of All Time, Ranked

The neo-noir genre is a modernized version of the classic film noir genre that initially reached its peak of popularity during the 1960s and was established by hit movies such as Cape Fear starring Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck, Martin Scorsese‘s Taxi Driver, and L.A. Confidential. As neo-noir films were favored well by audiences around the world, the genre inevitably made a name for itself on the small screen with shows like Showtime’s Dexter and A&E’s Bates Motel, and continues to be a frequent favorite in the world of television.

Over the years, there have been a slew of successful neo-noir shows that are worthy contributions to the genre, but some series, including David Lynch‘s Twin Peaks, Better Call Saul, and Ray Donovan, embody the core elements and traditional tropes of the neo-noir genre. From the marginalized miniseries, Monsieur Spade starring Clive Owen, to the critically acclaimed anthology crime series, True Detective, these are the greatest neo-noir television shows of all time, ranked.

10

‘Monsieur Spade’ (2024)

Clive Owen stars as Dashiell Hammett‘s private eye, Sam Spade, in the neo-noir miniseries, Monsieur Spade, which takes place twenty years after the events of The Maltese Falcon. The series follows Spade as he travels to France with Brigid O’Shaughnessy’s daughter, Teresa (Cara Bossom), in an attempt to find her father, but what was intended to be a brief trip turns into a permanent stay after Spade falls in love with a local woman. As Spade puts his detective days behind him, his peaceful life is interrupted by the return of Teresa’s father and a series of murders, ultimately forcing Spade out of retirement.

Monsieur Spade is based on Hammett’s novel, Sam Spade, and is a thrilling must-see neo-noir series that takes viewers through a labyrinth of a whodunit mystery. It’s safe to assume that the majority of people are familiar with Spade, who was originally popularized by Humphrey Bogart in one of the best detective film noir movies, The Maltese Falcon. Bogie’s portrayal of Spade presents Owen with some big shoes to fill, but he manages to deliver a sensational performance that effectively aligns with Bogie’s take on Spade while still forging his own interpretation of the legendary private eye.

9

‘Mr. Mercedes’ (2017–2019)

Based on Stephen King‘s novel trilogy series, Brendan Gleeson stars in the gripping neo-noir series Mr. Mercedes as Bill Hodges, a retired Ohio detective who, after being taunted by a serial killer online, finds himself in a tedious game of cat and mouse. As Hodges tries to stay two steps ahead of his tormentor, he soon realizes that his search for the killer comes with a dangerous price that puts everyone he loves in jeopardy.

Mr. Mercedes is a highly overlooked series that embodies the neo-noir genre with a touch of King’s signature madness. Gleeson gives an outstanding performance as a man haunted by his past and forced to come to terms with his personal and professional failures, presenting an underlying mystery to the main plot. The show ran for three successful seasons, but in 2020, it was unexpectedly discontinued with no indication of it being canceled. While the fate of the series still hangs in the balance, Mr. Mercedes still ranks as a top series that every diehard noir fan should check out.

8

‘Sugar’ (2024–)

Colin Farrell stars in Apple TV+’s neo-noir series, Sugar, as a private investigator, John Sugar, who is hired by a Hollywood producer, Jonathan Siegel (James Cromwell), to find his beloved granddaughter, Olivia (Sydney Chandler), whom he believes is missing. As Sugar talks to Olivia’s family and friends, his investigation eventually leads him to uncover family secrets and scandals within the Siegel dynasty as well as crucial information about a mystery from his past.

Sugar is a unique neo-noir series with an unexpected blend of genres and a captivating performance by Farrell that ultimately sets it apart from other shows in the genre. Unlike the majority of other neo-noir series, Sugar features frequent cutaways to clips from classic film noir movies and key props, which contribute to the series’ classic noir aesthetics. One of the most significant references in the show is Sugar’s Chevy Sting Ray, which is the same car Ralph Meeker‘s Mike Hammer drives in the noir classic, Kiss Me Deadly.

7

‘Bates Motel’ (2013–2017)

Bates Motel is a modern prequel and reimagining of Alfred Hitchcock‘s classic thriller, Psycho, which is based on Robert Bloch‘s 1959 horror novel of the same name. Freddie Highmore stars as a young Norman Bates who, after the death of his father, moves with his mother, Norma (Vera Farmiga), to the seaside town of White Pine Bay, where they purchase and run a local motel. They quickly learn that White Pine Bay is far from what it appears to be, and while Norma tries to get the motel up and running, Norman begins to experience strange behavior that his mother tries to keep a secret from their new community.

Aside from its modernized setting, Bates Motel is a clever neo-noir drama that features exceptional performances by the overall cast as well as subtle references to Hitchcock’s film, which give the show a nostalgic touch. Unlike Psycho, Bates Motel provides an intriguing insight into Norman’s mindset and how it is influenced by the puzzling details surrounding his unusually close relationship with his mother. Although the show takes some creative liberties and tailors the story for a more contemporary audience, Bates Motel is still a riveting revival and character study of Norman Bates, who is one of the most fascinating characters in entertainment history.

6

‘Ray Donovan’ (2013–2020)

Liev Schreiber stars in Showtime’s Ray Donovan in the title role as a former Boston thug turned notorious “fixer” for Hollywood’s elite and the go-to guy for anyone who wants to make something or someone disappear. While Donovan has carved out a new life for himself in Los Angeles, he soon realizes that he can’t run away from his past after his recently paroled father, Mickey (Jon Voight), arrives in town to try and reconnect with him.

Even though it shifts between several different genres, Ray Donovan stays consistently within the realm of the neo-noir genre with a gritty blend of family drama and personal high-stakes that ultimately earns the series a spot on the list. Schreiber and Voight are absolute gold together, but both deliver enthralling performances that make the series all worthwhile. Throughout its solid season run, Ray Donovan received an abundance of nominations and awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for Voight. Unlike other shows, Ray Donovan concluded in 2022 with Ray Donovan: The Movie, bringing this epic neo-noir gem to a fitting end.

5

‘The Penguin’ (2024)

Colin Farrell reprises his role as Oz Cobblepot in HBO’s The Penguin, which picks up after the events of Matt Reeves‘ 2022 movie, The Batman. With Gotham in utter disarray and ruin, Carmine Falcone’s son takes over as head of the family, but when he suddenly goes missing, his sister and former patient at Arkham Asylum, Sofia (Cristin Milioti), suspects that Oz is somehow responsible for his disappearance. As Oz meticulously pits the Falcone family against their rivals, the Maroni family, he gradually begins his journey into becoming one of Gotham City’s most notorious villains.

The Penguin is an edgy neo-noir miniseries that features unbelievable performances by Farrell and The Sopranos alumni, Milioti, whose personal vendetta against Oz adds emotional depth and drama to the villain’s origin story. While some may think the show is only appealing to fans of DC Comics, the Batman comics have always been deeply rooted in the world of noir and feature traditional tropes of the genre, such as political corruption, seedy characters, and a crime-ridden city, which are apparent in The Penguin and ultimately solidifies it as a top-notch neo-noir series.

4

‘Dexter’ (2006–2013)

Showtime’s Dexter is a twisted neo-noir crime drama starring Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan, a blood-spatter expert for the Miami police department who not only helps to solve homicides but also commits them. Unlike other serial killers, Dexter sees himself as a vigilante and justifies his sadistic behavior by only killing people who are guilty of unspeakable crimes or slip through the cracks of the justice system.

Dexter puts a gruesome contemporary spin on the classic cynical lawman who, like Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe (minus the murdering part), has a status of legal authority that helps him carry out his own unique brand of justice. Throughout the show’s eight seasons, Dexter won four of its twenty-four Primetime Emmy nominations as well as two Golden Globes in 2010 for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama for Hall and Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for John Lithgow. Despite the show concluding in 2013, there have been several successful spin-off series, including Dexter: New Blood and Dexter: Resurrection, and most recently, Dexter: Original Sin, which is a fascinating prequel series that brings Dexter’s life full circle.

3

‘Better Call Saul’ (2015–2022)

Bob Odenkirk reprises his Breaking Bad role as the unscrupulous lawyer and con artist, Saul Goodman, in Better Call Saul, a legal neo-noir series that alternates between Goodman’s life on the run and his past as Jimmy McGill and the pivotal events that led him to become an attorney for the criminal underworld. Even though the series fills in the blanks for fans about Goodman’s fate after Breaking Bad, it primarily focuses on the character’s past and provides crucial pieces that shed light on Goodman’s former life.

Odenkirk’s performance as Goodman in Breaking Bad is exceptional, but he absolutely shines in Better Call Saul, delivering a complex portrait of vulnerability and ingenuity that, for the first time, puts the misunderstood character in a humanizing light. Character tropes aside, Better Call Saul is engulfed in visual elements and characteristics of the noir genre, utilizing the work of legendary cinematographer John F. Seitz, and the ingenious use of black-and-white, which not only distinguishes between Goodman’s past and present but also establishes a spellbinding and wistful tone.

2

‘True Detective’ (2014–)

Nic Pizzolatto‘s True Detective is a heart-pounding neo-noir anthology series and one of the best Southern gothic shows that follows police detectives as they work on solving unsettling crimes while also struggling with their own personal demons and problems behind closed doors. Out of the show’s four seasons, the first, starring Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey, is by far the best as it effortlessly captivates viewers with its intriguing poetic dialogue, horrific series of murders, and two mesmerizing characters who have their share of flaws and secrets.

True Detective brilliantly incorporates an abundance of neo-noir elements, such as moral ambiguity and imperfect characters, as well as following complex narratives within an atmospheric setting, conveying a tone of intensity and uncertainty. Even though the reception of each season has varied, True Detective does keep things interesting with its vastly different cast of characters and premises, effectively remaining true to Pizzolatto’s original story structure while also distinctly setting each season into its own vision of a detective neo-noir.

1

‘Twin Peaks’ (1990–1991, 2017)

Kyle MacLachlan stars in David Lynch’s surrealist neo-noir series, Twin Peaks, as a special agent for the FBI, Dale Cooper, who is leading the investigation into the brutal murder of a teenage girl in the fictional town of Twin Peaks. Although the series incorporates characteristics from other genres, the narrative is derived from the traditional detective fiction that essentially inspired the classic film noir genre, cementing Twin Peaks as the all-time best neo-noir television show.

Lynch defied the world of television with his innovative neo-noir series, Twin Peaks, which takes a traditional murder mystery and heightens it with an array of characteristics from polar opposite genres that only a visionary talent like Lynch could successfully achieve. MacLachlan, who had previously worked with Lynch on one of the director’s definitive masterpieces, Blue Velvet, gives a compelling performance as a vividly eccentric character whose quirky mannerisms and unconventional techniques set him apart from the more traditional detectives of the neo-noir genre.

NEXT: The 10 Best Neo-Noir Films, Ranked According To IMDb