8+ Streaming, British Detective Shows Like C.B. Strike

Your resident anglophile has rounded up her "favourite," compelling British detective shows like C.B. Strike, while we eagerly await the next installment of the Cormoran Strike series.

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Looking for another great detective show like C.B. Strike?

If you've been following the blog, you will already know I am a *massive* fan of all things British, particularly British crime drama, and especially Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott. My favorite series of novels? I'd say so. 
I've eagerly awaited every subsequent novel. J.K. Rowling, and her alter ego/nom de plume/pseudonym, Robert Galbraith, hit it out-of-the-park with each edition, and I have yet to be disappointed.

And I simply can't forget to mention the phenomenal audiobook readings by Robert Glenister of the Strike series. If you haven't listened to them, I promise that they are really worth going back through the series, even for experienced Strike fans.

Following the adventures of private detective Cormoran Strike and his temp-turned-partner-turned-maybe-more Robin Ellacott, the pair solve brutal murders with plenty of humor and human interest along the way. 

And, thankfully, the bestselling novels have been adapted into a pretty successful TV series ("C.B. Strike") staring Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger, and a host of other well-known faces from many of my favorite British detective series, including Martin Shaw, Monica Dolan, Robert Pugh, Tara Fitzgerald, Kerr Logan, Ben Crompton, Sophie Winkleman, Adam Long, Natalie Gumede, Caitlin Innes Edwards, and Christina Cole. And, of course, our esteemed audiobook narrator makes a lovely appearance in Lethal White (something to look forward to, if you haven't gotten there yet!).

We've been fortunate enough to be getting new books and tv adaptations at a pretty good clip, with the most recent installment of the TV show Troubled Blood, already out and Ink Black Heart in the works. And, on the book front, we've gotten back-to-back Strike books year-after-year...we must be living right! The Running Grave is out now (and it's excellent).
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As we can't always have new Strike to watch, I've rounded up some of my favorite British detective shows like C.B. Strike, to keep us entertained while we await the next installment of our favorite private detectives.

Check out my list of the top Cozy British Murder Mysteries on Audible

Where can I watch
​C.B. Strike?

Viewers in the United States can currently stream all of the C.B. Strike seasons on HBO Max, where it is included in your new or existing subscription. Note: A subscription is required - you cannot just stream the series by itself. Some of the earlier seasons are available for standalone purchase on Amazon.

Do I need to read the Strike book series before watching C.B. Strike?

No. The TV adaptation is made to be accessible to anyone, even people who have not read the book series. That said, as always, the books are far more detailed than the TV adaptation, and I'd strongly recommend them. Seriously. Read them. You can thank me later.

Addictive, British detective shows like C.B. Strike

Alright! Time to dive in. When thinking of British detective shows that reminded me of C.B. Strike, I tried to look for a few key elements: a will-they-won't-they connection between the leads; grisly, rather than cozy murder mysteries; and generally big-city-drama rather than Cotswolds charm. In the end, I'm pretty proud of this list. I think I found more than a few winners

Show like C.B. Strike:
​Dublin Murders

I actually found Irish-American author Tana French, with whom I am not quite obsessed, through the premier of this series in the U.S. Dublin Murders is the TV adaptation of the first two of French's books, In the Woods and The Likeness. The series centers around detective partners Rob Ryan/Reilly and Cassie Maddox - and the main characters will-they-won't-they has a very Strike and Robin flavor. Fans of C.B. Strike will certainly recognize the charming Rob - Killian Scott, a.k.a. the always handsome Eric Wardle from the Strike series. 

Tana French's crime novels are non-traditional, often featuring endings that don't answer all of your questions after the police investigation has finished. (This can be frustrating, but I promise the journey and complex crimes are worth the minor frustration in this regard).

If you love the first installment in this series...I'll warn you: don't get too attached. French's books change point-of-view characters with each novel, holding over only a few characters from the previous books. But "the Murder Squad" goes on, with its amazing office in Dublin Castle, so there's much more to love, if you enjoy the series! So far, there is only one series, though there are reports that a second season is in the works.

Show like C.B. Strike:
​DCI Banks

I've always felt that one of my favorite British crime procedurals, DCI Banks, didn't get the attention it deserves, in the competitive world of "modern" British detective series. DCI Banks and Annie Cabbot bring the will-they-won't-they after they almost do in the first episode, before becoming unlikely coworkers.

​The individual murders on DCI Banks are similar in tone to something like Vera, another favorite of mine. Expect mysteries taking place outside of London, focusing on one new case spread over two episodes, and staring many of the "usual" faces in British detective series. Though not in London, it's very far from the cozy Cotswolds teacup and doilies routine.

Show like C.B. Strike: Bodyguard

Bodyguard is a modern thriller, following a troubled combat veteran (Richard Madden, a.k.a. Rob Stark), who, amid his failing marriage, is assigned to protect a war hawk politician who advocated the conflict (Keeley Hawes). Expect twists, turns, high stress, quite a bit of violence and, of course, all of the tension.

Show like C.B. Strike: Murdoch Mysteries

Finding Murdoch Mysteries was a bright spot for me during the depths of the pandemic when there was such a dearth of new tv coming out. Travel to turn-of-the-century Toronto and follow the incredibly long will-they-won't-they of rigidly upstanding detective William Murdoch and his stunning genius of a coroner, Dr. Julia Ogden. There are currently 17 seasons of this goes-down-easy mystery series, so it makes for a great, relaxing option when some of the harder hitting shows are getting you down.

Show like C.B. Strike:
​Shakespeare & Hathaway

Keeping up with the "lighter side" detective duos, Shakespeare & Hathaway follows the mystery solving adventures of the eponymous Stratford private detective agency. Shakespeare and Hathaway solve quirky, fun, and relatively easily solvable mysteries, in the vein of Agatha Raisin. Their phenomenal assistant, Sebastian, keeps things light, and you'll find yourself immersed in the incredible waddle & daub settings.

Shows like C.B. Strike: 
​Broadchurch

Broadchurch follows an intriguing and constantly-sparking detective duo solving an unspeakably horrible local crime and handling its aftermath in a modern, realistic (not overly quaint) British vacation town. After a young school boy is found dead, Olivia Colman and David Tennant are forced to dig into the deepest depths of their own friends, neighbors, and family. Their banter lightens the mood, which is still decidedly dark.

​The show marked the beginning of Colman's transition from quirky British comedian to big-time, serious, eventually Oscar-winning actor, so I promise it's worth watching.

Shows like C.B. Strike: 
​Happy Valley

Happy Valley premiered in 2017, as a sort of sleeper-hit Netflix original, and aired its final season to nearly universal acclaim in the Fall of 2023. Reminiscent of Broadchurch in many ways, Sarah Lancashire as Police Sergeant Catherine Cawood works to solve a deeply personal crime in gritty Northern England, opposite the incredibly sinister James Norton - you'll never look at Grantchester the same way again. There's no will-they-won't-they, but if you're looking for some dark intrigue, I promise you'll find it in Happy Valley.

Shows like C.B. Strike: 
​Line of Duty

I became instantly addicted to Line of Duty the minute I tuned in. It's is a fast-paced and impeccably-acted saga of the fictional internal investigations branch investigating London's finest...at their lowest (and most interesting). Adrian Dunbar stars as the lovable leader of "AC-12," leading a team of detectives, including Martin Compston, investigating corruption at all levels...and he's never afraid of a fight. They keep it interesting with unexpected twists, that are often shocking, even for those of us who think we've seen it all!

Thanks for stopping by!

I hope you find a show you'll love (nearly) as much as C.B. Strike, while we wait for the next installment!

​And if it's books you're after, check out 5+ Addictive Mystery Novels like Cormoran Strike.

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