10 Great Crime TV Shows That Have A Touch Of Romance

There are a lot of crime shows which don’t have time for relationship drama, but some great shows have been able to balance these two themes. Any genre of TV show can have a dash of romance added to it, since relationships are a near-universal human experience that so often reflects who people are. Crime shows usually have romantic subplots to humanize their characters and to raise the emotional stakes.

The best crime shows can make room for romance without either letting it crowd out the action or making it seem unnecessary. Romance can be used as comic relief in more lighthearted shows like Only Murders in the Building and Castle, but it can also reflect dark truths about the characters, just as it does in Justified and Fargo. For all these reasons and more, there’s no shortage of crime shows with romance running through them.

10 Better Call Saul

Crime And Romance Both Serve A Purpose In Better Call Saul

The Breaking Bad spinoff had a tough act to follow, but Better Call Saul soon developed its own reputation as one of the best crime shows of the 21st century. As well as tracking Jimmy McGill’s transformation into Saul Goodman, Better Call Saul also follows his relationship with Kim. Fans of Breaking Bad would have known from the beginning that their marriage was doomed, so it’s remarkable that Better Call Saul still makes it feel so lifelike.

Fans of
Breaking Bad
would have known from the beginning that Jimmy and Kim’s relationship was doomed, so it’s remarkable that
Better Call Saul
still makes it feel so lifelike.

Jimmy and Kim’s relationship in Better Call Saul is beautifully written, developing organically over the course of the show’s run, but always heading toward a depressing finale. The relationship is perfectly balanced out with the crime elements of the show, and the romance never feels like a distraction because it’s so closely tied to the corruption of Jimmy’s soul. It helps that Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn are so consistently compelling to watch.

9 Only Murders In The Building

OMITB Blends Cozy Crime With Some Romantic Subplots

Only Murders in the Building is generally more concerned with the unusual dynamic between its three main characters than romance. Each season follows the three mismatched characters solving a new murder, but their love lives are often tangentially related to the cases. Throughout the four seasons of Only Murders in the Building so far, all three characters have had love interests coming into the Arconia, with mixed results.

Only Murders in the Building
repeatedly finds interesting ways to weave the romance plots into the main arc of each season.

Season 4 ends with Oliver marrying Loretta, which constitutes the happiest ending for any of the show’s big relationships. Mabel’s most recent love interest, Tobert, is conspicuously absent from season 4, but at least she’s had more luck in relationships than Charles. Only Murders in the Building repeatedly finds interesting ways to weave the romance plots into the main arc of each season. Only Murders in the Building season 5 could bring Tobert back, and it could also find a love interest for Charles who isn’t a killer.

8 Justified

Justified Never Lets Romance Overshadow Its Gun-Toting Action

The one relationship which holds Justified together more than any other is the one between Timothy Olyphant’s tough lawman and Walton Goggins’ unpredictable criminal. The two get themselves into so many dangerous situations that romance is often the farthest thing from their minds, but Justified gives them both interesting romantic arcs throughout the show’s run. Raylan Givens often has to contend with the fact that his lifestyle is antithetical to his dreams of love and fatherhood.

Raylan’s relationship with Winona is always measured perfectly to bring out different sides of his character.

Raylan’s relationship with his ex-wife Winona never gets in the way of the show’s bigger action, but it’s always measured perfectly to bring out different sides of Raylan’s character and challenge him in ways that can’t be solved using his usual methods. Just as Raylan and Winona’s relationship falls apart because of his inability to live a quiet and peaceful life, his headstrong danger-seeking ways often get him into more trouble than he needs.

7 Castle

Castle And Beckett’s Odd Couple Dynamic Is A Joy To Watch

Castle is a comedic crime procedural much like Monk or Psych, but with more of a romantic focus. The will-they-won’t they relationship between Detective Beckett and her unofficial partner, crime novelist Richard Castle, propels a lot of the show’s drama. They are the classic odd couple, with his fun-seeking immaturity and her Type A personality creating a fiery working relationship.

Castle
is simple but effective in its approach to romance.

Castle is simple but effective in its approach to romance. Some episodes develop the central relationship more than others, but there are always fun moments of banter between the two characters. Most of Castle‘s best seasons come before Beckett and Castle finally admit their feelings for one another, since their odd courtship is so fun to watch. The show also has enough time to explore the love lives of other detectives.

6 Bones

Bones Also Revolves Around A Charming Relationship

Much like Castle, Bones also features a will-they-won’t-they relationship between an analytical and dedicated woman and a more relaxed man. However, Bones drags out the relationship to the extreme, creating one of the slowest slow burns in the history of TV. Bones and Booth grow much closer to one another, but it takes an incredibly long time for them to admit their feelings for one another and start dating.

Bones
drags out the relationship to the extreme, creating one of the slowest slow burns in the history of TV.

Although the show never explicitly states it, Bones has many of the symptoms of ASD. This is just one reason why Booth struggles to understand her at first, but it’s heartwarming to see him putting in the effort to understand her as their relationship blossoms. There has been consistent talk of a potential Bones revival ever since the show’s final season. A reboot could explore Booth and Bones’ married life, while also catching up with the show’s secondary romantic pairings.

5 Fargo

Fargo Explores The Ugly Side Of Human Relationships

The original movie version of Fargo which inspired the show features a man who organizes for his wife to be kidnapped so that he can collect ransom money from his wealthy father-in-law. The show continues this trend of destructive, damaging relationships. For example, season 1 follows a man who accidentally kills his wife and reaches out to a sociopathic hitman to help him cover it up. Romantic relationships in every season of Fargo are often just as disturbing, with very little love on display.

Ed and Peggy’s genuine care for one another is a rarity in
Fargo
, where so many relationships are measured in power, sex and money.

There are some exceptions to Fargo‘s dim view of relationships. Season 2 features real-life couple Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons as two honest civilians who find themselves pulled into a dangerous criminal underworld. Their genuine care for one another is a rarity in Fargo, where so many relationships are measured in power, sex and money. Fargo also inspired some real life romance. Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Ewan McGregor met while filming season 3, and got married a few years later.

4 Based On A True Story

Based On A True Story Shows The Dark Side To America’s True-Crime Obsession

While it’s normal for TV shows to start with two people right at the start of their relationship, Based on a True Story follows a married couple experiencing a lot of tension while they prepare for the birth of their first child. This is a different angle, especially when they discover the identity of a local serial killer and start making a true-crime podcast with him. Their attempts to keep him from misbehaving become a hilarious metaphor for first-time parenting.

It’s a thrilling dark comedy, as the married couple find themselves babysitting a deranged serial killer.

As a crime comedy based on podcasting, Based on a True Story initially drew comparisons to Only Murders in the Building, but the Peacock original is a much different prospect. It’s a darker kind of comedy, as the married couple find themselves babysitting a deranged serial killer while juggling their own personal woes. It’s now a great time to catch up with season 1 before Based on a True Story season 2 comes out in late November.

3 Money Heist

The Spanish Series Has A Few Sizzling Love Stories

Spanish crime drama Money Heist has developed a global fan base, aided by Netflix’s continuation of the series. It’s a classic heist story in some ways, with a genius plan that brings together a lovable group of misfits. One thing that makes Money Heist stand out from similar crime thrillers is the intelligent characterization, as the members of the crew are perfectly designed to rub each other the wrong way.

The major relationships in the show see thieves falling in love with each other, with hostages, and even with the detectives trying to hunt them down.

The characters in Money Heist find time for a bit of romance while they carry out their dangerous robberies, and love can come from anywhere. The major relationships in the show see thieves falling in love with each other, with hostages, and even with the detectives trying to hunt them down. The Professor urges his crew to use code names so that they don’t grow too attached to one another, but even he breaks this cardinal rule.

2 You

You Shows The Dark Side Of Romantic Relationships

You is one of Netflix’s biggest shows, partly due to the captivating presence of Penn Badgley as the serial killer Joe Goldberg. You frequently flips the tropes of romance stories on their head, starting with the meet-cute in season 1 that soon turns into a dangerous obsession. Joe thinks that he’s in love with the women he fixates on, but his version of “love” is more about control and ownership.

You
frequently flips the tropes of romance stories on their head.

You isn’t exactly a romance show, so fans of the genre could well be disappointed, but romance is an important part of You‘s premise. Although any genuine happy relationship in You is invariably destroyed by Joe, the way that the show examines relationships is fascinating. It provides an uncomfortable insight in the way that some men – and not just serial killers – view romantic partnership. You season 5 will wrap up the story, and the big question is whether Joe will be captured or not.

1 The End Of The F***ing World

The British Comedy Has A Romance Like No Other

Jessica Barden and Alex Lawther play out a twisted romance in The End of the F***ing World, a dark British comedy-drama with brilliant writing. Lawther plays a teenager who is convinced that he’s a psychopath, and that the next step in his journey is to become a serial killer. When he picks an antisocial classmate and whisks her away for his first murder, he realizes that he isn’t as closed-off as he thought.

The End of the F***ing World
is based on a graphic novel, and it maintains the same dry humor and stark visual framing.

What starts as an uneasy dynamic between a potential murderer and his victim gradually morphs into something surprisingly sweet. James and Alyssa are both outsiders with nobody at school or at home who understands them. The End of the F***ing World is based on a graphic novel, and it maintains the same dry humor and stark visual framing. Two great lead performances and a shocking script make it a must-watch for fans of British comedy.