Love Shetland? 10 best Scottish crime dramas you must watch including 'dark and twisted' series compared to Luther
'There's been a murder!'
Shetland is back on BBC One – hallelujah! – and, if you’re anything like us, you might just find the seven days between new episodes of the Scottish crime drama harder to stomach than a grisly discovery in a morgue…
So we’ve conducted an investigation for you of the best series based in Scotland. And some of them might just be new to you. Here’s a rundown of the best Scottish crime dramas on TV, and where you can watch them.
Here’s our top 10 Scottish crime dramas if you love Shetland.
Best Scottish crime dramas: Irvine Welsh’s Crime on ITV
Adapted from the bestselling novel by Irvine Welsh, Crime starred Dougray Scott in Emmy Award-winning form as Detective Ray Lennox.
The intense – if occasionally OTT – series also featured the likes of Angela Griffin, Gordon Kennedy, and Ken Stott within the cast.
The “thrilling” crime series followsed DI Ray Lennox and his partner DS Amanda Drummond as they investigated the disappearance of Edinburgh schoolgirl Britney Hamil. All while Ray confronted his own past trauma and in-fighting within the police department.
Series 1 landed on ITV in 2021, followed by series 2 in 2022. At the time, The Guardian’s Leila Latif called it “as dark and twisted as Luther”. Meanwhile, The Independent’s Sean O’Grady called it “as sharp, sardonic and grim as you’d expect”.
It has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 83% which is not too shabby!
Watch series 1 and 2 of Irvine Welsh’s Crime on ITVX here.
Karen Pirie on ITV
The first series of Karen Pirie in 2022 starred Lauren Lyle as a young DS looking into a cold case concerning the murder of a barmaid. Unsurprisingly, ITV commissioned it for a series two which landed in 2025.
Based on the novels by Val McDermid, the gritty series had the brilliant Lauren Lyle to partly thank for its success. And she had the same effect in the brilliantly tense thriller The Ridge recently, which was filmed between Glasgow and New Zealand.
When reviewing the series, The Guardian’s Lucy Mangan said: “Humour, confidence and charm are perfectly blended in this suspenseful adaptation of Val McDermid’s bestseller. As its young female detective tackles a cold case it really belts along.”
The I Paper said: “Karen Pirie is one of the best TV detectives in years.” Meanwhile, Rotten Tomatoes gives it a whopping 95%.
Series 1 and 2 of Karen Pirie are available to watch on ITVX here.
Taggart on ITV
Now we’re talking about a classic Scottish crime drama, which ran from 1983 to 2010.
Even with necessary cast changes due to the tragic death of lead actor Mark McManus in 1994, Taggart found high audiences on ITV for nearly three decades.
Grittier than a sandbag, the enduring phrase most associated with the series – “There’s been a murder!” – was never actually uttered by the show’s DCI Jim Taggart.
Taggart was The OG Scottish crime drama, and still holds up to this day. Watch out for a stream of young actors, making their debuts, too.
The world’s longest-running cop show was decades ahead of its time, with the brilliant Mark McManus playing one of the most distinctive TV roles. A fan on Reddit called Mark “one of the finest TV actors”.
Although Taggart originally went out on ITV, episodes are now available to watch on Channel5.com.
Scottish crime dramas: Hamish Macbeth on BBC
Robert Carlyle – fresh from the success of Trainspotting – came in for plenty of plaudits as his role as PC Hamish Macbeth.
Accompanied by his West Highland Terrier Wee Jock, Hamish kept the peace and investigated crimes in the fictional west coast of Scotland town of Lochdubh from 1995 to 1997.
A synopsis said: “PC Hamish Macbeth would love a quiet life – but goings-on in the deceptively sleepy Highland village of Lochdubh means it’s the last thing he’ll get.”
As well as Robert’s likeable allure, the three seasons of the police drama featured stunning locations, much like Shetland. A fan described the series as “wonderful”, adding: “Some of the best acting I’ve seen in my lifetime. […] In spite of yourself, you start to cheer for the characters, think about them, wrap your heart around them, and when the series ends, you sit there fully satisfied.”
Watch Hamish Macbeth on BBC iPlayer here.
The Loch on ITV
The Loch ran for one series in 2017, and starred Laura Fraser, Siobhan Finneran and Don Gilet. Now THAT is a cast.
In the series, the Scottish Highland Police investigated the murder of a piano teacher. However, it was soon established that part of the victim’s brain had been removed… When a human heart belonging to another dead person was found close by, too, DS Annie Redford realised she was hunting a serial killer.
The synopsis told is: “The search for a serial killer becomes a matter of life and death for detective Annie Redford, who is trying to cope with her first murder case.”
Although some critics called it “baffling” and “confusing”, this is a thoroughly entertaining watch if you suspend disbelief. I mean it works for Channel 5 thrillers!
Watch The Loch on ITVX by clicking here
Scottish crime dramas: Annika on BBC/Alibi
Any show starring Nicola Walker is always worth our time… And this black comedy crime drama is no exception, with DI Annika Strandhed heading up the newly-formed Marine Homicide Unit based in Glasgow.
Word of warning, though – the character sometimes talks directly to the camera which may need a bit of getting used to. If you don’t mind the main character breaking the fourth wall Fleabag-style, than there’s much to be enjoyed here.
Annika is the “witty and enigmatic” DI Annika Strandhed who is tasked with solving murders in and around the Scottish waters. Although Rotten Tomatoes only gives it 64%, we think The Split’s Nicola is worth tuning into.
There are two series, the first went out in 2021, followed by series 2 in 2023. Sadly there won’t be a third series.
Watch series 1 and 2 of Annika on BBC iPlayer by clicking here.
The Control Room on BBC One
One call can change everything, particularly in The Control Room. Gabe dealt with life and death situations every day as an emergency call handler for the Scottish Ambulance Service in Glasgow. But one day, he received a desperate call from a woman who seemed to know him.
This gripping 2022 BBC thriller had viewers enraptured, not least because of the lead actors Iain De Caestecker and Joanna Vanderham.
The Guardian loved it, saying: “Terrific performances and a tremendous, hooky set-up about an emergency service worker dragged back into a murky past make this a cut above this season’s usual dramatic offerings.”
Radio Times said: “Iain De Caestecker excels in this anxiety-inducing thriller.” Its Rotten rating stands at 64%, but it’s well worth a watch.
Watch The Control Room on iPlayer here.
Rebus on BBC One
Scottish actor Richard Rankin starred in the titular role of DS John Rebus, a role previously bought to life by both Ken Stott and John Hannah.
Ian Rankin, creator of the famous Rebus novels, promised “a great cast and a compelling story” and it was certainly delivered in 2024’s series 1.
This latest BBC One adaptation reimagined John Rebus as a younger Detective Sergeant. The rookie DS found himself drawn into a violent criminal conflict that turned personal when his brother Michael, a former soldier, crossed the line into criminality.
Rebus will be back for a much-anticipated series 2 in 2026, too. The New Statesmen said about series 1: “Part of what makes this Rebus so alluring is down to the beautifully concise manner in which the actor who plays him conveys his haphazard competence, his stoicism and feral endurance. He is so believable.”
Rotten Tomatoes gives it a rather perfect 100%.
Watch Rebus series one on BBC iPlayer here.
Scottish crime dramas: Guilt on BBC Two
Guilt on BBC One followed two brothers who accidentally killed an old man by running him over. They cover their tracks, but their lives start to fall apart when neighbours and relatives of the dead doubt the way he died…
After becoming a ratings hit, the show was recommissioned for a second season, which picked up two years after the events of the first. It also dealt with the titular theme of guilt.
BBC Arts Editor Neil Forsyth’s scripts are precise and darkly witty, his characters believable and entertaining. Robert McKillop’s directing is crisp and evocative.”
The anarchic Edinburgh crime series was described as a “wild ride” when it returned for its third and final series in 2023. Critics likened its darkly comic plot to Fargo. Jack Seale of The Guardian said: “Guilt was still rich, gamey drama, written with a pitiless eye for human weakness and a savvy appreciation of the shame driving so many of its characters, torn between Edinburgh – where the crooks wear expensive suits – and its rougher port, Leith.
The 96% Rotten Tomatoes rating speaks for itself.
Watch series 1 to 3 of Guilt on BBC iPlayer here.
Dept Q on Netflix
Detective drama Dept. Q landed on our screens this year, and was better than most – with an intriguing plot, great cast, and brilliant writing.
Like Unforgotten, and Black Snow, Dept. Q focused on a cold case unit. But that’s where the similarities stop. Dept. Q introduced DCI Carl Morck, “a brilliant cop but a terrible colleague, whose razor-sharp sarcasm had made him no friends in Edinburgh police”.
A synopsis says: “After a shooting that leaves a young PC dead, and his partner paralysed, DCI Carl Morck finds himself exiled to the basement and the sole member of Department Q; a newly formed cold case unit.”
They investigated the case of a prominent civil servant who disappeared several years ago. And Carl was back doing what he did best – “rattling cages and refusing to take no for an answer”.
The series was written by Scott Frank, the writer and director of acclaimed Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit. It has an 88% Rotten Tomatoes rating. The Independent said at the time: “Dept Q is a gut-clenchingly tense ride that will have you gripped.”
Watch Dept Q on Netflix here.
Read more: Line of Duty series 7: All the clues the BBC One crime drama is coming back
