The 15 best TV shows about the FBI

Nobody can outrun the cultural reach of the FBI.

A shorthand for the real deal when it comes to catching criminals (and stalking and harassing civil rights leaders) the agency has inspired a raft of content, from countless police procedural novels to an endless stream of television shows and films.

Among all the gritty, inspired by real-life yet entirely generic stories (and blatant copaganda) there are plenty of great series’ about the Bureau, which show its agents as rounded characters who make mistakes and get put in extreme situations. If you love a good crime case or want some more action in your daily viewing, then read ahead for our list of the 10 best TV shows about the FBI!

Criminal Minds

After a slow start, this CBS police procedural hit a high note with its fifth season. That gripping, brilliant collection of episodes was followed by more addictive television, and as a result the show is still on the air today, and has also launched a whole host of franchises.

The original Criminal Minds takes us into the world of FBI criminal profilers, who work in its Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), utilizing their training to profile potential perpetrators based on the nature of their crime. Some story arcs last a single episode, whereas some span seasons, but the main gist is that our team of overworked, cynical profilers are always searching for an unsub (unknown subject), and we see how that affects both their personal and professional lives.

Hannibal

Looking at the title of this show, a potential viewer might think the series would be focusing on the horrific eponymous character and his gruesome exploits. However, Hannibal mostly follows the FBI special investigator who comes into the murderous forensic psychologist’s life, and their ensuing cat-and-mouse relationship. With brilliant displays from its leads, who manage to give complex yet emotionally astute performances, it consistently achieved great critical reviews (the third season, despite being cancelled for low ratings, was truly phenomenal). Also, it has Gillian Anderson in it, which is always a plus.

The Blacklist

This James Spader vehicle is a compelling premise, excellently pulled off. In The Blacklist, Spader plays Raymond “Red” Reddington, a former US Naval intelligence officer who turned it all in for a life of crime, quickly becoming one of the most wanted people in America. After years of avoiding capture, Red voluntarily surrenders at the Hoover Building and tells agents that for immunity, he’s willing to help them catch a number of other high-profile criminals using a “blacklist” of their information that he’s compiled over the years.

However, there’s a catch: he’ll only work with rookie agent and criminal profiler Elizabeth Keen, someone he apparently has no connection to. With ten seasons of quality programming, this mystery thriller has been a critical and commercial hit.

Twin Peaks

So, we might be stretching the definition of “about the FBI” here, but the David Lynch mystery/horror/soap opera/comedy/everything in between is so unique and iconic that it needs to be on the list. And, after all, the main character does work for the FBI.

Twin Peaks follows special agent Dale Cooper as he’s sent to the town of Twin Peaks to investigate the murder of a local teenage girl named Laura Palmer. What then follows is some truly bizarre yet compulsively gripping television, as mystery melds with unreality to create a world like no other. There’s a reason this series spans several seasons, films, and even books: it’s one of a kind.

White Collar

White Collar has a familiar premise, but the relationships between its characters is what makes it tick. The series follows Neal Caffrey, one of the finest con artists and thieves in the States, just after he’s captured thanks to a three-year investigation by special agent Peter Burke. Caffrey, despite nearing the end of a long sentence, decides to try and escape prison, but is easily recaptured. However, this time, Caffrey offers Burke a deal: he’ll become an FBI consultant and snitch, but only if he’s allowed out of prison.

Quantico

While much of this show’s action takes place outside the bounds of the FBI, the agency is intrinsically bound to its story and characters. Quantico follows Alex Parrish (Priyanka Chopra), a former FBI agent who has become the prime suspect in an investigation into a terrorist attack on Grand Central Station.

In several flashback sequences, we see Parrish and her peers training at the FBI academy in Quantico, where we learn more about her past and how she ended up on the run. This thrilling mystery series is defined by its fast pace and great cast, fronted by Chopra, the first South Asian to lead an American network drama. So, if you’re after something that will have you clicking “play next,” then this is the series for you.

The F.B.I

An American classic, this show first aired in 1965 and ran for nine successful seasons. While the show itself is a great example of how simple mysteries can sometimes be the best ones, it was also hated by the agency it was about. J. Edgar Hoover attempted to cancel the show multiple times, and every episode was vetted by his underling, Clyde Tolson, who also looked into actors as he wanted to make sure no “criminals, subversives, or Communists” were associated with the agency.

The series was also based on real cases, and some episodes even ended with a segment that showed viewers the real most wanted people in the country at that time, blurring the line between the agency and the show portraying it.

Bones

Blending comedy and crime isn’t always easy, but Bones does it brilliantly. The show is about a forensic anthropologist named Temperance “Bones” Brennan and an FBI special agent named Seeley Booth, and their relationship is a huge aspect of what makes the show so popular.

Brennan’s team at the fictional Jeffersonian Institute Medico-Legal Lab collaborates with the FBI, utilizing new scientific tools to try and solve crimes. Brennan and Booth have a great will-they, won’t-they storyline that’s enhanced by some excellent chemistry. A little lighter than other entries on this list, but still dark in parts, and always bingeable.

Mindhunter

Criminal profilers are fertile ground for screenwriters, and this show uses that to full effect. Set in the seventies, just as criminal profiling was coming into its own, Mindhunter follows three main characters: FBI agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench, and the psychologist Wendy Carr. The series begins as they launch a project to interview convicted and incarcerated serial killers in an attempt to better understand their psychology, in the hope that they can use the information to solve current cases. Fantastic characterization, stunning visuals, and brilliant performances turn this into a must-watch series.

The X-Files

Mulder and Scully might just be the two most famous fictional FBI agents of all time thanks to the truly iconic nature of The X-Files. The show follows the two special agents as they investigate the “X-Files,” unsolved cases that allegedly involve paranormal or extraterrestrial phenomena.

Scully is the rational doctor, who has to analyze Mulder’s discoveries, whereas Mulder is a criminal profiler who believes in the beyond. The odd-couple pair soon learn they can only trust each other, even as the world around them becomes crazier and crazier. The X-Files isn’t just a great show about the FBI, but probably one of the best things to come out of the nineties in general.

FBI: Most Wanted

This high octane CBS series follows a group of agents who track down those on the infamous FBI most-wanted list. Originally a spin-off of Dick Wolf’s FBI, it has gained a devoted fanbase over its run, and when you watch an episode it’s easy to see why. Compelling plots, incredible characters, and plenty of action keeps viewers glued, even if it sometimes strains believability.

The Americans

The bureau might not be the main focus of this show, but they play a vital part in it, so we think it belongs on this list. Plus, The Americans is just such great television, it’s well worth watching in general.

The series follows the Jennings’, a seemingly normal American family who live in a Virginia suburb of D.C. However, the parents Elizabeth and Philip are undercover KGB spies. Their neighbor Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich) plays an FBI counterintelligence agent, and we get a lot of insight into his role at the agency during the show’s run.

Fringe

This spiritual successor to The X-FIles gained a cult following during its run, and falls under the category of shows that may have been ahead of their time. It follows a group of agents who look into fringe scientific theories, and includes elements of the paranormal and supernatural, as well as a mythology that’s as well built out as Game of Thrones. A must-watch for those who like genre-bending shows.

Manhunt (2017)

This anthology series portrays a pair of the most interesting and infamous FBI cases of all time in its two seasons: the search for the Unabomber and the attempt to find the man behind the Centennial Olympic Park Bombing in Atlanta.

Brilliant performances, cinematography, and plotting make both seasons incredibly bingeable. The only problem with this series is that there’s so little of it!

FBI

It might have the least imaginative name on this list, but Dick Wolf’s FBI is anything but generic. Episodes have wide-ranging plots that will glue you to the screen, and each member of the ensemble cast brings something special to their characters. There’s a reason the series spawned so many spin-offs, after all.