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Browse American detective shows by decade or return to the TV Detective Database:
Below is my complete list of American detective/mystery/crime shows from the 1950s, in alphabetical order. Note that some of these shows originated in the 1940s; in particular, many of them have their roots in radio series or movies prior to the dawn of the TV era. The list also includes shows that started in the 1950s and continued into the 60s.
The list also includes information on where you can watch/stream the show online or whether you can purchase it on DVD. The final column also includes any additional notes and comments about the show.
#-B
| Show Title | Air Dates | Available to stream? | Available on DVD? | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77 Sunset Strip | 1958-1964 | only in German | ||
| The Adventures of Dante | 1952-1956 | [DVD collection] | aired as part of the anthology series ‘Four Star Playhouse‘ | |
| The Adventures of Ellery Queen | 1950-1952 |  | based on the mystery novels by Ellery Queen | |
| The Adventures of the Falcon | 1955 | |||
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents, a.k.a. The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | 1955-1965 | [stream S1 and S2] | [S1-S5 DVD set] [S8-S10 DVD set] | |
| The Amazing Mr. Malone | 1951-1952 | based on the mystery novels by Craig Rice and a radio series of the same name | ||
| The Best in Mystery | 1954 | |||
| The Big Story | 1949-1957 | |||
| Boston Blackie | 1951-1953 | [DVD collection] | ||
| Bourbon Street Beat | 1959-1960 |
C-D
| Show Title | Air Dates | Available to stream? | Available on DVD? | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Cases of Eddie Drake | 1952 | |||
| Casey, Crime Photographer | 1951-1952 | |||
| Charlie Wild, Private Detective | 1950-1952 | |||
| China Smith, followed by The New Adventures of China Smith | 1952-1953, 1954-1956 | |||
| City Detective | 1953-1955 | |||
| Climax! | 1954-1958 | (anthology series) | ||
| Code 3 | 1957 | [Complete DVD set] | ||
| Cool and Lam | 1958 | (an unsold pilot adaptation of the novels by Erle Stanley Gardner) | ||
| Craig Kennedy, Criminologist | 1952-1953 | [DVD collection] | ||
| The D.A.’s Man | 1959 | |||
| Dangerous Assignment | 1951-1952 | [stream here] | [DVD collection] | |
| Decoy, a.k.a. Decoy Police Woman | 1957-1958 | [stream here] | [DVD collection] | |
| The Detectives | 1959-1962 | |||
| Detective’s Wife | 1950 | (sitcom) | ||
| Dragnet, a.k.a. Badge 714 | 1951-1959 | [stream here] | [DVD collection (incomplete)] |
E-L
| Show Title | Air Dates | Available to stream? | Available on DVD? | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Edge of Night | 1956-1984 | (a mystery soap opera, originally meant to be an adaptation of the Perry Mason radio series) | ||
| The Files of Jeffrey Jones | 1954-1955 | |||
| Front Page Detective | 1951-1953 | [DVD collection] | ||
| The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen | 1958-1959 | based on the mystery novels by Ellery Queen | ||
| Gang Busters | 1952 | [stream here] | [DVD collection] | |
| The George Sanders Mystery Theater, a.k.a. Mystery Writers Theater | 1957 | |||
| Have Gun — Will Travel | 1957-1963 | [complete DVD collection] | (detective Western) | |
| Hawaiian Eye | 1959-1963 | |||
| Highway Patrol | 1955-1959 | [S1 DVD] [S2 DVD] [S3 DVD] [S4 DVD] | ||
| The Investigator | 1958 | |||
| Johnny Staccato | 1959-1960 | [complete DVD collection] | ||
| Kraft Theatre, a.k.a. Kraft Mystery Theatre and Kraft Suspense Theatre | 1958-1963, 1963-1965 | (anthology series) | ||
| The Lineup, a.k.a. San Francisco Beat | 1954-1960 | |||
| Lock-Up | 1959-1961 | |||
| The Lone Wolf | 1954-1955 |
M
| Show Title | Air Dates | Available to stream? | Available on DVD? | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M Squad | 1957-1960 | [complete DVD collection] | ||
| Man Against Crime, a.k.a. Mike Barnett: Man Against Crime and Follow That Man | 1949-1954 | [DVD collection] | ||
| The Man from Blackhawk | 1959-1960 | |||
| Man with a Camera | 1958-1960 | [complete DVD collection] | ||
| Markham | 1959-1960 | |||
| Mark Saber, a.k.a. Mark Saber Mystery Theater, and Inspector Mark Saber–Homicide Squad | 1951-1954 | |||
| Martin Kane, Private Eye, a.k.a. Private Eye , later revived as The New Adventures of Martin Kane | 1949-1954, 1957-1958 | [stream here] | [DVD collection] | (based on a radio series of the same name) |
| The Mask | 1954 | |||
| Meet McGraw, a.k.a. The Adventures of McGraw | 1957-1958 | |||
| Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer | 1958-1959 | [complete DVD set] | ||
| Mr. and Mrs. North | 1952-1954 | |||
| Mr. Lucky | 1959-1960 | [stream here] | [complete DVD set] | |
| Mystery Is My Business | 1954-1956 | based on the mystery novels by Ellery Queen |
N-R
| Show Title | Air Dates | Available to stream? | Available on DVD? | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Naked City | 1958-1959, 1960-1963 | [stream here] | [complete DVD set] | |
| Perry Mason | 1957-1966 | [stream here] | [complete DVD set] | Based on the novels by Erle Stanley Gardner |
| Peter Gunn | 1958-1961 | [stream here] | [complete DVD set] | |
| Philip Marlowe | 1959-1960 | |||
| Public Prosecutor | 1951-1952 | [Vol.1 DVD] [Vol.2 DVD] | ||
| Pursuit | 1958-1959 | (anthology series) | ||
| Richard Diamond, Private Detective | 1957-1960 | (based on a radio series of the same name) | ||
| Rocky King Detective, a.k.a. Inside Detective | 1950-1954 | [Vol.1 DVD] |
S-Z
| Show Title | Air Dates | Available to stream? | Available on DVD? | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saber of London, a.k.a. Detective’s Diary | 1957-1960 | (reprisal of ‘Mark Saber’) | ||
| Sheriff of Cochise | 1956-1959 | [stream here] | [Vol.1-4 DVD set] | |
| Shotgun Slade | 1959-1961 | [Vol.1-3 DVD set] | (detective western) | |
| Snooper and Blabber | 1959-1962 | (Hanna-Barbera cartoon, aired as part of ‘The Quick Draw McGraw Show’) | ||
| Special Agent 7 | 1958-1959 | |||
| Stand By for Crime | 1949 | |||
| Steve Randall, a.k.a. Hollywood Off Beat | 1952-1953 | |||
| Suspicion | 1957-1958 | (anthology series) | ||
| Tales of Wells Fargo | 1957-1962 | [stream here] | [Season 1 and 2 DVD set] | (detective western) |
| The Thin Man | 1957-1959 | based on the book by Dashiell Hammett | ||
| Tightrope! | 1959-1960 | starring Mike Connors of Mannix fame | ||
| The Vise | 1955-1957 |
If you know of a show that is missing from the list above, or if you have any other additions or corrections, please let me know in the comments!
Murder, She Watched 
Nice list but you left out two of the best ones: Mr. Lucky and Johnny Staccato.
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Thanks for your comment! They both sound interesting from the descriptions I’ve been able to find. I’ve added them to the list above and also to the 1960s list since they both ran 1959-1960.
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Watch the first episode of Johnny Staccato on YouTube and I guarantee you you’ll be wanting to order the complete series DVD set immediately. That’s what happened to me! Mr. Lucky too!
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Johnny Staccato is listed under J.
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You should consider adding Tightrope! to the list. It ran one season, from 1959 to 1960. It started a very young Mike Connors in his pre-Mannix days. Most of the episodes can be found on YouTube, since it seems they’ve been lost from the original archives. It’s really quite a good show!
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Thanks for pointing that out! I knew about the show, but somehow missed adding it to the list. It’s been added now 🙂
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One more that I believe qualifies for this list: Four Just Men. Four combat veterans from the European theater go their separate ways in different countries at war’s end, become prosperous, then reconnect to solve crimes and right wrongs. Starred RIchard Conte, Jack Hawkins, Don Daily and Vittoreo de Sica. Aired from 1959-1960.
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Thanks for the suggestion! It turns out it was originally a UK-based production, so I’ll add it to my list of British shows. In premise it seems almost similar to the A-Team.
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I THINK THESE WERE BROADCAST BUT LOST:
BARNEY BLAKE,POLICE REPORTER – 1947
MYSTERIES OF CHINATOWN – 1949
THE PLAINCLOTHESMAN – 1949
CHARLIE WEST, PRIVATE DETECTIVE – 1950
ROCKY KING DETECTIVE -1950
HOPE I DIDN’T WASTE YOUR TIME.
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around the time of 77 Sunset Strip, there were two other detectives series that ran at the same time and I believe all 3 were on ABC.they would do crossover episodes between them. One was on a houseboat ( in Florida, I think) I can’t remember the third.
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The one you’re thinking of that was set in Florida was called “Surfside Six”. It started in 1960, which is why it’s not in the list above (it’s on my page of 1960s shows though). “Bourbon Street Beat” was another one from the same era, together with “Hawaiian Eye”.
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