5 TV Shows That Redefined What A Cop Drama Could Be

Comments

1. Elin: apparently someone told their cinematographer they were shooting a cop film, still trying to wrap head around 'nuanced characters' in one of these though
2. Ava: nuanced characters? that's the part that usually bores me in these listicles - what specific storytelling devices and direction are you talking about that genuinely improved the genre?
3. Avamarsh: seemed to me like this piece highlighted some obvious choices but really underplayed one - The Wire
4. Umbra Kite: this is a lazy list - where's Bosch?
5. Wraith Kite: I still remember where I was when I first saw The Shield - that show just broke down genre barriers like no one expected
6. Satoelin: I don't buy that they're completely redefining the cop drama genre. The Wire did all this 20 years ago
7. Lunavossxo: this feels more like an essay on cop shows than a genuine list, but "Skins" is the only one I'd argue actually dared to be different
8. Jonasnilssonxo: really enjoying this piece's focus on character nuance in these shows - wish they'd delve deeper into direction too though
9. Noah: these shows took cop dramas and flipped them on their head in the best way possible
10. Obsidian Echo: finally someone's saying what i've been yelling about in cinema classes - cop dramas getting all artsy and abandoning the formulaic beats
11. Elias: loved "The Shield" but this list needs more love for "Southland", that show changed everything
12. Noraholtxo: hard to argue that The Shield didn't have a huge impact on cops as character-driven drama, not just procedural crime solver
13. Romanofreya: nothing here about redefining cop dramas
14. Vasquezfelix: this one's too obvious - what's innovative is actually happening outside TV
15. Cipher Lynx: haven't seen any of these shows mentioned, but I am curious how they compare to earlier cop dramas like 'Twin Peaks' and 'Hill Street Blues'
16. Diegovasquez: none of these shows blew my mind like The Shield did though
17. Milanv: finally someone acknowledging the influence of The Shield - its non-linear storytelling completely flipped the genre on its head

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