There’s something uncanny and adventurous about law breakers. Someone who breaks boundaries and puts their life at risk is courageous. For the law-makers, this is a violation and for the viewers, this is a chase. 

The victory of good over evil is a universal end. But the series also focus on how different people think. There is always a psychotic angle, super intelligent evil mafia kings and good-looking men and women.  The slick-talking, charming thieves normally end up wooing the audience and they all want him to reform or do something more unreachable and challenging. Trust is always an issue and the line between friendship and enmity is thin. There is love and there hate and there is violence and there is heartbreak. Relationships are complicated and guns are aplenty. I guess I watched these series for a roller coaster armchair adventure ride: 

White Collar (Season 1-6, 2009-2014)

This American police procedural TV series was created by Jeff Eastin and is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. It is a high-flung pacy thriller with a very stimulating lead. It stars Tim DeKay as FBI Special Agent Peter Burke and Matt Bomer as Neal Caffrey, an intelligent con artist and thief, who wears an anklet and works as Burke’s criminal informant and FBI consultant.  There are many heists, forgeries and treasure hunts in this series.

Why I like it: The slick plot, the dialogue, the messy relationships and the locations, that is Manhattan in New York.  I loved Mozzie, aka late actor Willie Garison with his comic timing and literary dialogues.I watched all the seasons in one week.

The Mentalist (Season 1-7, 2009-2015)

Before I went headlong for Neal Caffrey in ‘White Collar’, I was a huge fan of Patrick Jane from ‘The Mentalist’. A con man turned police consultant; Patrick Jane begins to work for the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The unit is based in Sacramento, California., and Jane helps them solve murders. He has a turbulent past and is looking for a serial killer, Red John, who murders wife, Angela Ruskin Jane, and his daughter, Charlotte Anne Jane. He posed as a psychic medium and enjoyed near-celebrity status before this incident. He is skilled in cold reading, hypnosis, picking pockets, is very intuitive, has a striking insight into the human psyche and witness behaviour.

Why I like this: Mentalism can be learnt. The skill is about understanding the mind, how to manipulate a person’s thoughts, reading their unspoken words, understanding body language and non-verbal language.

Will Trent

The new series started streaming on Disney+Hotstar in January 2023. It is based on Will Trent novel series by Karin Slaughter. This series has been picturised a little differently—the lead roles are defined as slow and articulate, rather than slick and smart. The protagonist is dyslexic, but manages to find his way out of the toughest situations. Abandoned by his parents. Will Trent grew up in the Atlanta foster care system.

Despite the odds, he is now a Special Agent in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). With an eye for detail, he is subject to peer animosity and also from Atlanta Police Department (APD) officers. The two departments operate from the same building. However, he has full support of his boss, Amanda Wagner, who assigns a disgruntled APD officer, Faith Mitchell, as Trent’s partner.

Trent is in a relationship with APD Homicide Detective Angie Polaski, his childhood friend from the foster care system. It’s an intricate world with messed up emotions, addictions, kidnappings and murders.

Why I like it: A messy childhood becomes the base of a messy adult life and that is portrayed well in this. Will is a sensitive cop, who has empathy for all the victims.

NCIS

This is among the longest running scripted and most watched series in the US. It premiered in 2003. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is a federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of the Navy. Based at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C, it investigates criminal activities involving the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps and their families.  With a combination of military drama and police procedural genres, this has many exciting moments.

Why I like it: Though fictional, it does give international audiences a peek into the naval enforcement agency and the crimes that are never brought to light.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
(Season 1-24)

I saw this series on Facebook, abbreviated SVU. And it’s very popular in America. This crime drama series was created by Wolf Entertainment, Dick Wolf’s own production company. Starring Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler and Mariska Hargitay as Detective (ultimately promoted to Captain) Olivia Benson, the series focus on sexually abused victims. It takes us into the dark world of Brooklyn, New York. The focus is investigations related to rape, child sexual abuse and domestic violence. Not everything ends in murder in this series, there is rehabilitation and mental health care also. Mariska Hargitay won the Emmy Award for this.

Why I like this: The plot repeats itself in each episode, but there is scope for justice and improvement. It also brings to light the plight of the orphaned, the abandoned and the fragile. 

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This post is part of #BlogchatterA2Z 2023 challenge

You read the previeos posts here: A, B