by The sad death of David Soul has sparked a wave of nostalgia for the retro Starsky & Hutch TV official. But nearly half a century since the California cops took to ABC in their trademark stretch muscle car, TV’s crime-fighting duos have never gone out of style.
Cozy cleric-and-detective drama Grantchester is back on ITV1 and True Detective returns tonight, recapturing the fantastic form of its initial run. On the small screen, it seems, two sleuths are still better than one. So where do all these fit in the super-cracked canon of crime TV? Find out as we rank the top 25 investigative pairs…
25. Dempsey and Makepeace (Dempsey and Makepeace)
A stern American and an English lady? Watch the culture clash sparks fly. This mid-80s ITV romp reunited Lt James Dempsey (Michael Brandon) and Sergeant Harriet Makepeace (Glynis Barber) when the former was seconded from the NYPD to the Met. The two’s chemistry was so sizzling that they later married in real life.
24. Ponch and Jon (CHiPs)
Who cares if their motorcycles were often out on their own in action? The best CHIPs at teatime followed the engine-turning bromance between California Highway Patrol officers Frank Poncherello (Erik Estrada) and Jon Baker (Larry Wilcox). In Britain in the late 70s, everything seemed to be sun-kissed and glamorous. Vroom vroom.
23. Jake and Amy (Brooklyn Nine Nine)
The single entries on our list from a sitcom. Over the course of eight seasons, NYPD man-child Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) and underling Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero) went from arch rivals to married parents. He was a stay at home dad even in the end. Heartwarming, funny and happily ever after.
22. Bodie and Doyle (The Professionals)
Ford Capris! Fights! Firearms! Ex-Met detective Ray Doyle (a bulbous Martin Shaw) and ex-SAS smoothie William Bodie (Lewis Collins) made a dynamic duo in the macho 80s drama – even if the Comic Strip later trashed them as Bonehead and Foyle, AKA ” the Bulls”.
21. Laure and Gilou (Spiral)
The ageless Parisian procedural (known in its native France as Engrenages) was a grim, moving ensemble piece but the fierce bond between Captain Laure Berthaud (Caroline Proust) and her lieutenant-cum-lover Gilles Escoffier (Thierry Godard) her emotional heart available.
20. Hardy and Miller (Broad Temple)
These coastal colleagues in Dorset got off to a rocky start – not least because DS Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman) assumed she’d get a promotion, until DI Alec Hardy (David Tennant) got the gig instead. After three series of fierce bickering and fraught close-to-home situations, they almost liked each other.
19. Crockett and Tubbs (Miami Vice)
It doesn’t get more 80s than the Ferrari-driving duo in Ray-Bans and pastel shoulder-padded jackets with their sleeves rolled up. Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) and Rico Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas) were detectives for the neon-lit new wave. The original pitch memo simply said “MTV cops”.
18. Dalziel and Pascoe
For more than a decade, no Yorkshire murderer was safe from the BBC’s pairing of unhinged, nose-picking DSI Andy Dalziel (Warren Clarke) and his polite protégé, DI Peter Pascoe (Colin Buchanan). His name is “Dee-el”, by the way.
17. Fleming and Arnott (Line of Duty)
Bent copper on the alert. Across six series of the BBC blockbuster, the dream team at police anti-corruption unit AC-12 was undercover specialist Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) and waistcoat Steve Arnott (Martin Compston). Will they ever call each other “mate” again? Mother of God, let us hope.
16. Saga and Martin (The Bridge)
Scandi crime dramas have previously been led by individual mavericks such as Kurt Wallander and Sarah Lund. The Bridge broke the mold by teaming up Swedish Saga Norén (Sofia Helen) with her Danish counterpart, (Kim Brodnia). Polar opposites that fit together like an Ikea package.
15. Tyler and Hunt (Life on Mars)
Not just different personalities, these two were from different eras. When 00s cop Sam Tyler (John Simm) mysteriously time-travelled to 1973, he found himself teaming up with hard-drinking DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister). What followed was a love-hate relationship. Download Ford Cortina.
14. Scott and Bailey (Scott & Bailey)
Writer Sally Wainwright would later create a lone wolf cop in Happy Valley’s indestructible Sergeant Catherine Cawood, but DC Janet Scott (Lesley Sharp) and DC Rachel Bailey (Suranne Jones) came first. Like Cagney and Lacey they moved to Manchester and were assigned ugly murder cases.
13. Jonathan and Maddie (Jonathan Creek)
They may both have been civilians, but there was no seemingly impossible murder that nerdy magician Jonathan Creek (Alan Davies) and outspoken journalist Maddie Magellan (Caroline Quentin) couldn’t solve. When the latter left after three series, this BBC gem was never the same.
12. David and Maddie (Moonlighting)
Another Maddie, another will-they-won’t-they. Former fashion model Maddie Hayes (Cybill Shepherd) and brilliant detective David Addison (Bruce Willis, starring) were partners at Blue Moon Investigations. Their zingy screwball dialogue set the tone for a generation of comedy dramas.
11. Cassie and Sunny (Unforgettable)
The understated class of DCI Cassandra Stuart’s (Nicola Walker) and DI Sunil Khan’s (Sanjeev Bhaskar) second cold case was evident when she tragically left after four series, leaving her loyal side heartbroken – like us viewers.
10. Rust and Marty (True Detective)
Moody nihilist Rustin Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) and family man Martin Hart (Woody Harrelson) had made off in the parking lot of the police station. But they were so electric together that subsequent duos in the HBO anthology couldn’t compare – at least until Jodie Foster and Kali Reis in the new series.
9. Starsky and Hutch (Starsky & Hutch)
The definitive ’70s cop duo plied their trade undercover in Bay City, California. David Starsky (Paul Michael Glaser) and Ken Hutchinson (David Soul) worked the streets in a red Ford Gran Torino with white trim, known as “the Striped Tomato”. It was clear that their ugly friendship was strained throughout.
8. Regan and Carter (The Sweeney)
“We are the Sweeney, my son, and we have no dinner.” Starsky & Hutch’s British equivalents were DI Jack Regan (John Thaw) and DS George Carter (Dennis Waterman) who were happy with the Flying Squad, who raced down the streets of London in a bronze Ford Granada, investigating dirty deeds. true. You are reformed!
7. Benson and Stabilizer (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)
For 12 seasons of the queasy crime-solving, the indefatigable NYPD pairing of Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) was the centerpiece of the long-running procedural spinoff. Fans eagerly speculated about an undercurrent of romantic tension. Wisely, this was left unexplored.
6. Sipowicz and Simone (NYPD Blue)
Originally battle-hardened alcoholic cop Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) teamed up with combustible detective John Kelly (David Caruso), but it was his chemistry with sensitive widower Bobby Simone (Jimmy Smits) that made TV magic. Over five excellent seasons, they developed a friendship that was affecting them while taking down bad guys.
5. Cagney and Lacey (Cagney & Lacey)
During the six-year run of the ’80s classic, Sharon Gless (who played NYPD detective Christine Cagney) and Tyne Daly (her partner Mary Beth Lacey) won the Emmy for best actress between them. Their supportive friendship in a macho workplace paved the way for future female-led series.
4. Mulder and Scully (The X-Files)
Alien-fixated FBI agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and sidekick Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) investigate paranormal phenomena and shadow conspiracies in the 90s cult classic that went mainstream. The truth was out there. Arguably the most sexual tension in television history.
3. Morse and Lewis (Inspector Morse)
The late John Thaw makes two appearances in our Top 10. As the opera-loving, crossword-solving, real ale-supping, Jag-driving DCI Morse, he formed a deep bond with his polar opposite, DS Robbie Lewis (Kevin Whately), and caught up with killers among the dreamy spiers of Oxford. So beloved, the two got their own spin-off.
2. Bunk and McNulty (The Wire)
David Simon’s Baltimore masterpiece was more expansive than the average police drama but featured the detective duo of Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West) and William “Bunk” Moreland (Wendell Pierce). Every scene between the wise-cracked womanizer and the cigar-puffing grump was a delight. Watch the early episode where they investigate the crime scene while speaking entirely in F-bombs.
1. Holmes and Watson (Sherlock)
Jeremy Brett and Edward Harwicke are the choice of the traditionalists. Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu are underrated. However, it was the BBC’s blockbuster reboot that turned the 120-year-old creation into a global phenomenon in the 21st century. This is mainly due to Benedict Cumberbatch’s “high-functioning sociopath” and Martin Freeman’s humanizing influence as his loyal friend. At the heart of this was a love story. The electricity between the two inspired an entire subgenre of frisky fans. The game is indeed underway.
