My friends are tired of me repeatedly raving about these shows to them, so I will recommend them to you instead. As an enthusiastic criminology student, I enjoy binging crime shows to test my knowledge about law. Below are my favourite investigative crime shows that I have watched, hopefully it will give you ideas for your next TV binge.
1. Law School (2021)
This is the show that got me into investigative Korean dramas. The story revolves around a group of law school students who try to solve an on-campus murder of a professor, with the help of another professor. Many secrets are revealed along the way and it makes you try to piece information together the same way the students are doing in the show. Watching the studying scenes also made me feel motivated to study instead of procrastinating by watching the show. Unfortunately my procrastination won this time.
2. Only Murders in the Building (2021–ongoing)
This is by far the most rewatchable American crime show I have ever seen in my opinion because it is comedic and mysterious, two of my favourite show genres. The story revolves around three tenants of a building who have very different personalities, who end up co-hosting a crime podcast together where they privately investigate the murder of another tenant. Each episode reveals unforeseeable secrets and plot twists that compelled me to practice critical thinking as much as my term papers require me to. I have been impatiently waiting for season three the moment I finished season two.
3. Juvenile Justice (2022)
Juvenile crimes are seldom portrayed in mainstream crime shows, so as soon as I saw this on Netflix I had to check it out. The show revolves around a female juvenile court judge who appears ruthless, until the truths behind each crime is revealed and you begin to understand her decisions. Watching the workaholic judge once again makes me motivated about my studies, but binging the show is technically productive procrastination because it makes you ponder the nature versus nurture debate that is often discussed in criminology courses.
4. The Mentalist (2008–2015)
Who doesn’t love a “mind-reading” protagonist in a crime show? This story revolves around an ex-con-artist who helps law enforcement catch culprits of various crimes with his brilliant people-reading skills. The protagonist basically conducts cons to lure out the culprits into incriminating themselves for an arrest. I am not going to pretend that I did not start to intensely people-watch after watching the shows and using the protagonist’s “tips” to see if I can ever be a mentalist.
5. Lawless Lawyers (2018)
There is something satisfying about manipulating the law to bring justice to corruption within the criminal justice system. This story revolves around two lawyers whose dark pasts motivated them to use legal underhanded methods in exposing corruption and injustices within the legal system. There is also romance in the show which is the cherry on top in my opinion. The themes of power imbalance and judicial independence make the show suitable for when you want to procrastinate and justify it by thinking about course materials.
I hope you found a new show to binge as we all productively procrastinate together by incorporating course materials into our leisure activities. Comment down below if you have seen any of the shows and your thoughts about them. Maybe I will make a part two and you guys can be my justification for procrastinating?