History Main / AlwaysMurder

* Subverted in ''Series/{{Castle}}''. Kate Beckett is a homicide detective so she and Richard Castle are typically on the trail of a murder (and, lo, there are many) but occasionally there will be cases in the series that aren't murders (such as Kate being called to help investigate a kidnapping or sending her undercover as a narcotics mole). There are also incidents where the murder ends up auxiliary to the main plot (such as when Castle is taken hostage during a bank robbery but Castle relaying info out to the hostage negotiation team leads [[spoiler:to Esposito and Ryan coming across a connected murder that they are able to use to figure out why the bank robbery was actually committed and track down the guy who orchestrated both events]]).

** The first episode of the show purposely drew attention to the psychopathic level of glee seventeen-year-old Shinichi took in working out the method and motive for the messy instant beheading that happened on the roller-coaster behind him. Being a kid again and having to avoid the showing off that has been his whole life seems to render him slowly more human. Although his desensitization remains extreme.

* Lampshaded in an episode of ''Series/{{Forever|2014}}'' where a character who has been given odds that Henry Morgan will rule a death to be murder says that it's a sucker bet because Henry always says that it's murder. Nonetheless, it was subverted in at least two episodes: [[spoiler: in one episode a suicide unintentionally appeared to be a murder, and in another, the partially dismembered 'victim' was not actually dead -- and had in fact masterminded the entire event.]]

*** The whole game is Always Murder incarnate. The game takes place over [[ExtremelyShortTimespan three days]] and Edgeworth solves ''four'' murder cases in that timeframe (including two murders in a single day, one of which happens in his own office, no less).

** There's also one amusing subversion where one of Conan's friends falls asleep in the trunk of a car, only for its owners to toss a bag in without noticing her and drive away. She knocks the bag over, and it contains something round and slimy that turns out to be a head. [[spoiler:However, the head turns out to be paper mache - the two men who own the car are actors for a play involving a kidnapping and murder. HilarityEnsues.]]

* ''Series/{{Columbo}}'': Kind of {{justified}} since he's a homicide detective, but he's quite often called out to investigate cases that look like accidents or suicides but turn out to be murder (though there was one episode where somebody got kidnapped and Columbo managed to save her from being killed, so there was absolutely no murder in that one).

* In ''Series/{{Monk}}'' it is {{justified}} in that Monk is both an ex-Homicide detective and private consultant the San Francisco Police Department call in for more… interesting cases.

** Even cases where there are confirmed dead bodies don't always feature murder. In two cases, the perpetrator turns out to be an animal (in one case, the [[AssholeVictim dead guy provoked a horse]], and in the other, it was a completely random encounter with a wild creature). In another case, the apparent victim staged their suicide to point blame at a hated rival.

* [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] and [[InvokedTrope invoked]] in ''Franchise/DanganRonpa''. [[BigBad Monokuma]], the one making the rules for the DeadlyGame, explicitly states that trials are to be held for murders and only murders. Even when, in the [[VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc first game]], a personal treasure of the mastermind is stolen, he doesn't act or change the rules (though he does get mighty pissed). On the other hand, Monokuma's definition of murder is basically "anything that results in a dead body and isn't an execution"; an AccidentalMurder is treated the same as any other murder, and a suicide is treated as a murder where the victim is the same person as the perpetrator. [[spoiler:In the first game, Mondo is considered the second Blackened for committing manslaughter (he was in extreme emotional distress and blacked out while committing the crime), while Sakura is the fourth Blackened for committing suicide.]]

* [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] and [[InvokedTrope invoked]] in ''Franchise/DanganRonpa''. [[BigBad Monokuma]], the one making the rules for the DeadlyGame, explicitly states that trials are to be held for murders and only murders. Even when, in the [[VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc first game]], a personal treasure of the mastermind is stolen, he doesn't act or change the rules (though he does get mighty pissed).
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** In "Rise from the Ashes", it's [[spoiler:played straight then it subverts itself then [[DoubleSubversion double subverts]] itself]] when the death of Neil Marshall is thought to be a murder by Darke but turns out to be [[spoiler:(accidental) manslaughter by Ema made to look like murder that then later turns out to be a set up the real murderer to make the original actual murder look like manslaughter.]] In other words, it was a [[spoiler:murder made to look like manslaughter made to look like a murder.]]

** The one case Phoenix takes that [[SubvertedTrope isn't a murder]] [[spoiler:[[DoubleSubversion turns out to be a cover for a murder across town]].]] Maya {{lampshade|Hanging}}s it:

** ''Series/{{CSINY}}'', on the other hand, has had a number of deaths ruled accidents and whatnot.

* In ''Series/WalkerTexasRanger'', Walker will regularly track down rapists and drug smugglers, but eventually find they killed one of their accomplices to keep him from talking.

*** The first part of case 5 is a civil trial, where you play as Apollo Justice against [[spoiler:[[HeroAntagonist Phoenix]] [[RogueProtagonist Wright]]]]. The trial in question is over who claims ownership of a relic that belonged to an archaeologist who [[SubvertedTrope died in an accident]]. [[spoiler:Of course, [[DoubleSubversion it turns out that he was actually murdered]].]]

* The web game ''Sleuth'' has you create and play a private detective. Apparently though, the only crime you ever investigate is murder. Every case is a murder, with nary a blackmailing or kidnapping or burglary or stakeout to catch a cheating spouse in sight. And what's more, in many cases one or more of your suspects might get killed when the killer tries to cover their tracks.

** ''Series/Adam12'', a ''Dragnet'' spin-off, also managed to avoid this trope in showing the average working day of two regular cops. Of course, when they didn't avoid it, as in the famous episode ''Requiem For A Pig'', it really hits home.

** ''Series/AdamTwelve'', a ''Dragnet'' spin-off, also managed to avoid this trope in showing the average working day of two regular cops. Of course, when they didn't avoid it, as in the famous episode ''Requiem For A Pig'', it really hits home.

** [[spoiler:Subverted]] in ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney: Adventures'' in [[spoiler:the second case where the incident was involuntary manslaughter thanks to a set of unfortunate coincidences and misunderstandings.]] The fourth case averts the trope by having the victim merely stabbed in the back but not dead, as well as revealing that [[spoiler:it was just an accident.]]

** If you present Mia's autopsy report to Gumshoe, Phoenix says how unusual it is for a newbie lawyer to take on two murders in a row.

* Lampshaded in an episode of ''Series/{{Forever}}'' where a character who has been given odds that Henry Morgan will rule a death to be murder says that it's a sucker bet because Henry always says that it's murder. Nonetheless, it was subverted in at least two episodes: [[spoiler: in one episode a suicide unintentionally appeared to be a murder, and in another, the partially dismembered 'victim' was not actually dead -- and had in fact masterminded the entire event.]]

Applied, of course, for RuleOfDrama. What crime can possibly be more vile (and thus its investigation and the eventual [[TheReveal Reveal]] -- more dramatic) than taking a life of someone we care about ([[UniquenessValue the author will make sure of that]]), the highest asset [[ValuesDissonance in modern (Western) society]]?

** The fandom makes much of Conan's evident ability to attract violent death to his immediate surroundings. FanNickname {{Shinigami}}-kun. Meanwhile, the first episode of the ''actual'' show purposely drew attention to the psychopathic level of glee seventeen-year-old Shinichi took in working out the method and motive for the messy instant beheading that happened on the roller-coaster behind him. Being a kid again and having to avoid the showing off that has been his whole life seems to render him slowly more human. Although his desensitization remains extreme.

** As noted above, Conan has earned the FanNickname 'Shinigami-kun' for all that death.

* ''Series/MurderSheWrote'', appropriately to its title, plays this painfully straight in all but five episodes (two were suicides made to look like murders, three were cases of self-defense). Added to that, at least one story turned out to just be a dream and the murder victim technically survived the attempt on their life in the Christmas special. Jessica Fletcher was an [[AmateurSleuth incidental bystander]] for twelve seasons and six TV-movies.

* In ''Series/{{Psych}}'', there were a few times when a death was made to look like it was due to an accident or [[ThisBearWasFramed an animal attack]], though Shawn insisted they were murders and was always proven right.

* On the real-life show ''Series/UnsolvedMysteries,'' this happened quite frequently. A large number of the cases would be introduced by host Robert Stack announcing that a body was found and saying often verbatim, "The police say a suicide, but his family says murder.". Though it was often split; sometimes it was obviously a suicide, and the show's producers were simply sympathizing with the family; in others, it was so obviously '''not''' a suicide that you wonder who the police thought they were fooling.
* Usually {{averted}} on ''Series/BrooklynNineNine''. The detectives get a murder from time to time but most of the cases are crimes like robbery, missing persons, or even purse snatching and vandalism. This is {{played with}} in one episode where the detective quickly decides that the death was caused by natural causes and then slacks off while he waits for a confirmation from the medical examiner. When it turns out that the man was poisoned, the detective is quite embarrassed. However, once cause of death is established, the case is easily solved since [[spoiler: all the evidence points to the wife and she immediately confesses when confronted]].

** The one case Phoenix takes that [[SubvertedTrope isn't a murder]] [[spoiler:[[DoubleSubversion turns out to be a cover for a murder across town]]]]. Maya {{lampshade|Hanging}}s it:

*** The third case [[spoiler:starts out as a kidnapping, until someone ends up dead. He turns out to be a kidnapper. Sort of]].

*** Phoenix travels to a far-off land on personal affairs only to find himself defending murder suspects once he's there (though this is in part due to the fact that the country he's visiting has eliminated the concept of defense attorneys in lieu of spirit communication so he's merely trying to prevent unjust verdicts). However, [[spoiler:in case 3, the two deaths were caused in self-defense and a suicide, respectively]].