Disclosure: The following contains affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I may receive a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Click here to read the full Affiliate Disclosure.
Browse American detective shows by decade or return to the TV Detective Database:
Below is (what I hope is) a complete list of American detective/mystery/crime shows from the 1960s. This includes shows that started in the 1950s and continued into the 60s, as well as shows that started in the 1960s and continued into the 70s.
The 60s were also a very popular time for spy shows; and since the distinction between detective/mystery shows and spy shows can get a bit blurry, I have included some of them in the list below.
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, or links to any blog posts I have made about it.
#-B
| Show Title | Air Dates | Available to stream? | Available on DVD? | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77 Sunset Strip | 1958-1964 | only in German | ||
| 87th Precinct | 1961-1962 | Based on the novels by Ed McBain | ||
| Acapulco | 1961 | |||
| Adam-12 | 1968-1975 | [stream here] | All seasons, from Season 1 through the Final Season are available individually on DVD. | |
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents, a.k.a. The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | 1955-1965 | [stream S1 and S2] | [Season 1-5 DVD set] [Season 8-10 DVD set] | |
| The Bold Ones: The Protectors, a.k.a. Deadlock and The Law Enforcers | 1969-1970 | [complete DVD set] | ||
| The Bold Ones: The Lawyers | 1968-1972 | [complete DVD set] | ||
| Bourbon Street Beat | 1959-1960 | |||
| The Brothers Brannagan | 1960-1961 | |||
| Burke’s Law | 1963-1966, 1994-1995 | [Season 1 Vol. 1 DVD] [Season 1 Vol. 2 DVD] |
C-D
| Show Title | Air Dates | Available to stream? | Available on DVD? | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Case of the Dangerous Robin | 1960-1961 | |||
| Checkmate | 1960-1962 | |||
| The Chevy Mystery Show, a.k.a. Sunday Mystery Hour | 1960 | |||
| Columbo | 1968, 1971-1978, 1989-1995, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003 | [stream here] | [Complete DVD Set] | [view my posts about it here] |
| Coronado 9 | 1960-1961 | [DVD set] | ||
| The Defenders | 1961-1965 | [Season 1 DVD] | ||
| Dante | 1960-1961 | |||
| The Detectives | 1959-1962 | |||
| Dragnet 1967 | 1967-1970 | [stream here] | [Season 1 DVD] [Season 2 DVD] [Season 3 DVD] [Season 4 DVD] |
E-G
| 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 F.B.I. | 1965-1974 | Most seasons are available on DVD starting with Season 1 Part 1 | ||
| Follow the Sun | 1961-1962 | |||
| The Fugitive | 1963-1967 | [Complete DVD set] | ||
| Get Smart | 1965-1970 | [stream here] | [Complete DVD set] | |
| The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. | 1966-1967 | [stream here] | [Vol 1 DVD] [Vol 2 DVD] |
H-I
| Show Title | Air Dates | Available to stream? | Available on DVD? | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Have Gun — Will Travel | 1957-1963 | [complete DVD collection] | (detective Western) | |
| Hawaii Five-O | 1968-1980 | [stream here] | [Complete DVD set] | |
| Hawaiian Eye | 1959-1963 | |||
| Honey West | 1965-1966 | [Complete DVD set] | ||
| Hong Kong! | 1960-1961 | |||
| The Investigators | 1961 | |||
| Ironside | 1967-1975 | [Seasons 1-4 DVD set] | ||
| It Takes a Thief | 1968-1970 | [Complete DVD set] |
J-L
| Show Title | Air Dates | Available to stream? | Available on DVD? | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnny Midnight | 1960 | |||
| Johnny Staccato | 1959-1960 | [complete DVD collection] | ||
| King of Diamonds | 1961-1962 | |||
| Kraft Theatre, a.k.a. Kraft Mystery Theatre and Kraft Suspense Theatre | 1958-1963, 1963-1965 | (anthology series) | ||
| The Lawyers, a.k.a. The Bold Ones: The Lawyers | 1969-1972 | |||
| The Lineup, a.k.a. San Francisco Beat | 1954-1960 | |||
| Lock-Up | 1959-1961 |
M
| Show Title | Air Dates | Available to stream? | Available on DVD? | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M Squad | 1957-1960 | [complete DVD collection] | ||
| Mannix | 1967-1975 | [complete DVD set] | ||
| The Man from Blackhawk | 1959-1960 | |||
| The Man from U.N.C.L.E. | 1964-1968 | [stream here] | [DVD collection] | |
| Man with a Camera | 1958-1960 | [complete DVD collection] | ||
| Markham | 1959-1960 | |||
| Miami Undercover | 1961 | [DVD collection] | ||
| Michael Shayne | 1960-1961 | [Vol. 1 DVD] | (follows a 1940 movie series of the same name) | |
| Mission: Impossible | 1966-1973, 1988-1990 | [stream here] OR [stream here] | [Original series DVD set] [Original series Blu-ray set] [80s revival DVD set] | |
| The Mod Squad | 1968-1973 | [Complete DVD set] | ||
| Mr. Broadway | 1964 | |||
| Mr. Lucky | 1959-1960 | [stream here] | [complete DVD set] | |
| My Friend Tony | 1969 |
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] | |
| The Name of the Game | 1968-1971 | |||
| The Outsider | 1968-1969 | |||
| 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 | |||
| Richard Diamond, Private Detective | 1957-1960 | (based on a radio series of the same name) | ||
| The Rogues | 1964-1965 | [Vol 1 DVD] [Vol 2 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’) | ||
| Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! | 1969-1970, 1978 | [stream here] | [complete Blu-ray set] | |
| Shannon | 1961-1962 | |||
| 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’) | ||
| Surfside 6 | Surfside 6 (1960-1962) | |||
| T.H.E. Cat | 1966-1967 | |||
| Tales of Wells Fargo | 1957-1962 | [stream here] | [Season 1 and 2 DVD set] | (detective western) |
| Tightrope! | 1959-1960 | starring Mike Connors of Mannix fame | ||
| The Trials of O’Brien | 1965-1966 | starring Peter Falk of Columbo fame | ||
| Whispering Smith | 1961 | [Complete DVD set] | (Western) | |
| The Young Lawyers | 1969-1971 | [DVD set] |
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 
You missed Surfside 6 & Hawaiian Eye. Those shows went along with 77 Sunset Strip.
LikeLike
Of course! Thanks for letting me know — going to add them both now 🙂
LikeLike
Lee Marvin, in a series named “M Squad”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for this! I’ll be sure to add it to the 60s and 50s pages when I update them this weekend.
LikeLike
How about David Janssen in Richard Diamond, Private Detective (late 1950s or possibly 1960), Richard Denning in Mr. and Mrs. North (mid 1950s)…
Also there was an early or mid 1950s husband/wife detective show with Ida Lupino and Howard Duff (although I don’t remember the title)
LikeLike
Thanks for all your suggestions! I’ve added Mr. and Mrs. North to the 50s list since it was fully in the 50s, and Richard Diamond to both the 50s and 60s lists since it ran from 1957-1960.
For the last show, are you thinking of “Mr. Adams and Eve”? I’ve never seen the show, but from the descriptions I’ve been able to find of it it seems it was just a sitcom and not a mystery/detective show at all.
LikeLike
I don’t see the series “Michael Shane” on your list. A detective series set in Miami, it ran for one year beginning in September of 1961
LikeLike
Thanks for your comment! I just added it to the list 🙂 And I also took the opportunity last week to do some more research and added a few other shows I had missed, too.
LikeLike
Man from Uncle
LikeLike
Thanks for your comment! I was initially hesitant to include it since it’s more of a spy show, I think (given that you and others have brought it up) it counts since the distinction between spy shows and detective shows can often be blurred. I’ll add it to the list 🙂
LikeLike
Burke’s Law with Gene Barry was a favorite in the 60s.
LikeLike
Thanks for your comment! I can’t believe I missed adding that one to the list… and it was revived in the 90s too, I think.
LikeLike
Glad to see T.H.E. Cat included in this list! A very different, quite unique show, particularly being American. I thought it had more in common with the British “Danger Man” than anything. I was only in my teens when I saw it on TV. Never thought I’d ever see any episodes again until I tried a search on YouTube and lo and behold, there are some surviving episodes! They hold up remarkably well, too, so not just my sense of nostalgia running away with me!
LikeLiked by 1 person
If you have The Detectives and Dragnet here, you should also include The Felony Squad, which ran from 1966 to 1969 on ABC, and also N.Y.P.D., another ABC series that ran from 1967 to 1969.
LikeLiked by 1 person