Procedurals are back, baby. In an era of 10-hour “movies” and twisty limited series, the case-of-the-week has quietly evolvedgetting sharper, funnier, and a lot more stylish. From clever whodunits to high-octane manhunts and brainy legal puzzlers, here are the post-2019 procedurals that actually earn your weeknight attention.
How We Chose
- Premiere window: New or newly revived series that premiered in 2019 or later.
- Procedural DNA: Consistent case-of-the-week or case-of-the-arc structure (not one long movie split into episodes).
- Reception and staying power: Critical acclaim, awards buzz, fan momentum, renewals/ratings where relevant. We checked trusted U.S. outlets and industry trackers.
1) Poker Face (Peacock)
Rian Johnson’s modern, road-tripping riff on the Columbo formula gives Natasha Lyonne a signature role: human lie-detector Charlie Cale, who stumbles into murders like most of us stumble into stationery aisles. Season 2 doubled down on the show’s “howcatchem” vibe and kept critics on board, making it one of the decade’s most confident mystery engines.
Why it works
Case-of-the-week structure + playful guest stars + Lyonne’s bone-dry delivery = comfort TV with teeth. If you grew up on classic detective TV, this is the glow-up. (And yes, there are explicit nods for Columbo die-hards.)
2) Elsbeth (CBS)
From the universe of The Good Wife/The Good Fight comes Carrie Preston’s delightfully askew attorney-turned-sleuth, Elsbeth Tascionia pastel-clad human truth serum who dismantles killers with kindness. The series quickly earned multiple renewals and grew into a reliable case machine for CBS.
Why it works
It’s comfort-procedural meets character study: a sunny, Columbo-style “we know who did it” dance where the fun is watching how Elsbeth gets there. Even mixed critics agree on its cozy, “murder-of-the-week” bones.
3) Tracker (CBS)
Justin Hartley trades Pearson family drama for boots-on-the-ground bounty work as survivalist tracker Colter Shaw. The show blasted off with a huge post-Super Bowl premiere and has continued to draw massive broadcast audiences through subsequent seasons.
Why it works
Each episode is a mini-thriller: find the person, follow the clues, face the wilderness (literal or urban). It’s also the rare modern procedural that wins both middle-of-the-country households and genre nerds.
4) Will Trent (ABC)
Based on Karin Slaughter’s novels, this Atlanta-set crime series mixes empathy with razor-edged plotting. Strong ratings growth earned it more runwayand it’s only gotten sturdier with time.
Why it works
Case files that matter, a leading man you root for, and a steady rotation of mysteries that push the ensemble without breaking the procedural promise.
5) The Lincoln Lawyer (Netflix)
Michael Connelly’s wheeling-and-dealing Mickey Haller became a streaming-era legal-procedural juggernaut, stacking seasons and renewals while adapting successive novels. It’s glossy, fast, and understands that the best courtroom dramas hinge on brilliant lawyering and a killer B-plot.
Why it works
Each case is a puzzle box: prep the motion, flip the witness, spring the trap. It’s bingeable precisely because the procedural gears keep turning.
6) Bosch: Legacy (Freevee/Prime Video)
Harry Bosch graduates from the LAPD to private work without losing an ounce of procedural rigor. The legacy spin-off wrapped its run with a final season in 2025, after a steady diet of meticulous investigations and LA grit.
Why it works
No filler, just processinterviews, timelines, paper trailsand a city that feels like a character.
7) Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Is it a comedy? Yes. Is it a procedural? Also yeseach season is a new, tightly structured investigation with red herrings, reveals, and satisfying resolutions, plus genuine awards heft. (The ensemble even nabbed a SAG Award for comedy series.)
Why it works
A perfect hybrid: puzzle-box mysteries built to the beat of a weekly procedural, but dressed up with Broadway guest stars and podcast satire.
8) Accused (FOX)
This anthology flips the script: each episode starts in court, then rewinds to show how an “ordinary” person ended up on trial. It launched strong, earned renewal, and keeps delivering moral quandaries within a procedural frame.
Why it works
Case-of-the-week with different defendants and perspectives provides built-in freshness; the verdict is never just legalit’s human.
9) Evil (Paramount+)
A skeptic-believer team tests miracles, exorcisms, and unexplained phenomena with the rigor of a case file. The series ended with a four-season run in 2024but its “monster-of-the-week” fused with procedural inquiry set a high bar for genre hybrids.
Why it works
It treats the supernatural like evidence: interview, test, debunkor don’tthen live with the fallout.
10) CSI: Vegas (CBS)
The lab-coat GOAT came back with updated tech and some familiar faces, closing the case after three seasons in 2024. Even in revival mode, it remained a model for forensic procedural storytelling.
Why it works
The “follow the science” engine still purrs: trace evidence, timelines, and a final lab-bench “gotcha.”
11) Found (NBC)
Nkechi Okoro Carroll’s missing-persons procedural centered survivors hunting for the forgotten. It ran two seasons and earned attention for thorny, character-driven cases before ending in 2025.
Why it works
It reorients the procedural compass toward neglected victimsand wrestles with messy ethics along the way.
12) Alert: Missing Persons Unit (FOX)
Fast-paced searches, emotive family stakes, and Philadelphia grit powered three seasons before cancellation in 2025. It still delivered reliable, propulsive “race-the-clock” cases.
13) The Irrational (NBC)
Jesse L. Martin headlined as a behavioral-science expert who reverse-engineers human impulses to solve crimes. The show paired a classic case structure with pop-psych hooks across two seasons.
14) NCIS: Hawai‘i (CBS)
The first female-led entry in the franchise put paradise on the procedural map from 2021–2024 and built a loyal audience before its cancellation. Its imprint on the NCIS universe is already baked into the franchise’s lore.
Trends That Make Modern Procedurals Click
- Comfort + craft: Shows like Poker Face and Elsbeth embrace classic structures but write with 2020s confidencepunchier dialogue, stylish direction, and A-list guest stars.
- Standalone episodes that reward binging: Only Murders packages a seasonal mystery into weekly beats that still satisfy on an episode level.
- Ratings still matter: Broadcast hits like Tracker prove big-tent procedurals can dominate live viewership.
- Format flexibility: Anthologies (Accused), revivals (CSI: Vegas), and universe spin-offs (Elsbeth) show how elastic the procedural can be.
Quick Watcher’s Guide
- Want clever sleuthing with humor? Try Poker Face, Elsbeth, or Only Murders.
- Crave chase-and-rescue adrenaline? Queue up Tracker, Alert: MPU, or Found.
- Prefer law-and-order from the courtroom side? The Lincoln Lawyer and Accused scratch the itch.
- Longing for classic “follow the evidence”? Bosch: Legacy and CSI: Vegas keep it rigorous.
The Bottom Line
The new wave of procedurals respects your time: a juicy mystery, a satisfying reveal, and characters you want to spend 42 minutes with. Start anywhere above and you’ll find a case worth catchingno casebook required.
Conclusion
Procedural dramas didn’t just survive prestige TVthey evolved. Whether it’s the swagger of Tracker, the brainy charm of Elsbeth, the puzzle-box delights of Poker Face, or the courtroom acrobatics of The Lincoln Lawyer, the post-2019 crop proves the format can be fresh, funny, and wildly addictive. Happy sleuthing.
sapo: Wondering which modern procedurals are actually worth your time? This guide spotlights the smartest, most addictive case-of-the-week shows since 2019from clever whodunits like Poker Face and Elsbeth to ratings monsters like Tracker and fan-pleasers such as Only Murders in the Building. We break down why each one works, who should watch, and where the genre is heading next.
of First-Hand Viewing Tips & “I’ve Tried Everything” Advice
Rotate by mood, not network. Treat procedurals like a playlist. On nights when you want comfort-food sleuthing, hit Elsbeth or Poker Facethey’re built to reset your brain in under an hour. When you want a cathartic chase, Tracker scratches the itch with propulsive rescue missions and the occasional wilderness set piece. If your brain craves debate, The Lincoln Lawyer and Accused deliver tidy legal puzzles that still leave you with “what would I do?” afterthoughts.
Don’t skip the “middle” episodes. In modern procedurals, episodes 4–8 are often where creative teams experimentstructural gambits, point-of-view flips, or genre riffs. That’s where Poker Face gets especially playful and where Only Murders sneaks in bold character work beneath the clue-hunting.
Let guest stars be your guide. One sneaky joy of procedurals is the rolling red-carpet of guest actors. Before starting a new show, search the episode list for performers you love and begin there. You’ll get a self-contained story, a flavor of the writing staff’s voice, and a low-risk entry point. Poker Face is practically a guest-star festival; Elsbeth too, often casting against type to keep you guessing.
Make peace with resets. Part of the charm is that cases end. If you want a single mystery to marinate, pick a show that does “case-of-the-season” (e.g., Only Murders) and supplement with one-and-done episodes elsewhere. That mix keeps things from feeling formulaic.
Use procedurals as social TV. Want a show you can watch with roommates, family, or on a casual date? Procedurals are tonally consistent and conversation-friendly. Pause after the cold open and call your killer. Whoever’s right does dishes; whoever’s wrong has to explain their wildest theory. Instant ritual.
Notice the craft. The genre’s “invisible” pleasures live in editing rhythms and reveal choreography. Watch how CSI: Vegas uses lab montages to compress time without short-changing logic. Or how Will Trent stages interviews so a character beat doubles as a clue. Once you tune into that timing, procedurals become even more satisfying.
Don’t be a completionist (unless you want to be). Because these shows are structurally modular, you can cherry-pick acclaimed runs or seasons. Start Bosch: Legacy from the first spin-off season if you’re Bosch-curious, then go back to the original Bosch if you fall in love with the vibe. You’ll lose zero clarity and save hours.
Expect cancellationsand enjoy the ride anyway. The 2020s have been chaotic for scheduling and renewals. Great procedurals sometimes wrap early (Found, Alert: MPU, The Irrational), and fan-favorites can be sunset despite solid creative runs (NCIS: Hawai‘i, CSI: Vegas). Don’t let that stop you. The beauty of procedurals is that most episodes give you a beginning, middle, and end. Completion optional; satisfaction likely.
