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[[quoteright:350:[[Series/TJHooker https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20120315_t_j_hooker3.png]]]]

The Cop Show is an idealised representation of police work, justified by the RuleOfCool. Morality [[BlackAndWhiteMorality is very black and white,]] being a cop is far more dangerous in this genre than it really is, shoot-outs and standoffs are common, as are car chases and [[SerialKiller Serial Killers]]. The protagonist is often a CowboyCop who [[AlwaysGetsHisMan often get their man]] (even if not the first time). Of course, they don't forget the niggling details of the job, either.

Specific variants: BuddyCopShow.

The more realistic representation of police work in fiction is a PoliceProcedural.

See also and compare with: CriminalProcedural, ForensicDrama, LawProcedural.

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!!Examples of Cop Shows
[[index]]
* ''Series/NineOneOne''
* ''VideoGame/ActionDeka''
* ''Anime/ActiveRaid''
* ''Series/Adam12''
* ''Series/Allegiance2024'' (sometimes with PoliceProcedural)
* ''Series/AlmostParadise''
* ''Series/AngieTribeca''
* ''Series/Annika2021''
* ''Series/{{APB}}''
* ''Series/ArneDahl''
* ''Series/AshesToAshes2008''
* ''Series/AlarmFuerCobra11''
* ''Series/AlertMissingPersonsUnit''
* ''Series/AlienNation''
* ''Series/AlmostHuman''
* ''Series/AngProbinsyano2015''
* ''Series/{{Aquarius}}''
* ''Anime/BTheBeginning''
* ''WebVideo/BabyMentalist''
* ''Series/BaghdadCentral''
* ''Series/BattleCreek''
* ''Series/BGPersonalBodyguard'' (Partially present because of the presence of the TMPD's SP)
* ''Animation/BlackCatDetective''
* ''Series/Bloodlands2021''
* ''Series/BlueBloods''
* ''Series/BlueHeelers''
* ''Series/BlueLights''
* ''Series/BlueSWAT''
* ''Series/Bluey1976''
* ''Series/Boomtown2002''
* ''ComicBook/{{Bookhunter}}''
* ''Series/{{Bosch}}''
** ''Series/BoschLegacy''
* ''Anime/BravePoliceJDecker''
* ''Series/BrooklynSouth''
* ''Series/BurkesLaw''
* ''Anime/BurnUp''
* ''Series/CagneyAndLacey''
* ''Literature/TheCaseFilesOfYakushijiRyoko''
* ''Series/ChicagoPD''
* ''Series/CHiPs''
* ''Series/{{Continuum}}'', partially
* ''Series/Counterpart2018''
* ''Series/{{Copper}}''
* ''Literature/CopCraft''
* ''Series/CopsLAC''
* ''Series/Cracked2013''
* ''Series/CriminalMinds''
** ''Series/CriminalMindsSuspectBehavior''
** ''Series/CriminalMindsBeyondBorders''
** ''[[Series/CriminalMindsEvolution Criminal Minds: Evolution]]''
* ''Series/Crisis2017'' (Somewhat)
* The two ''CSI'' spinoffs below combine this with ForensicDrama (but not the original, since its characters are not detectives):
** ''Series/{{CSINY}}''
** ''Series/CSIMiami''
* ''Series/DarkBlue''
* ''Series/DeadLucky''
* ''Series/{{Deputy}}''
* ''Manga/DeathNote''; partially
* ''Series/DennouKeisatsuCybercop''
* ''Series/Detroit187''
* ''Series/TheDistrict''
* ''Series/{{Dog}}''
* ''Anime/DoubleDecker''
* ''Series/{{DIRay}}''
* ''Series/{{DP}}'' (Partially from the military police perspective)
* ''Series/DueSouth''
* ''Franchise/{{Dragnet}}''
* ''Series/DublinMurders''
* Disney also made a send-up of this with ''WesternAnimation/{{Fillmore}}'', which follows the adventures of a middle-school safety patrol.
* ''Series/TheFall2013''
* ''Series/{{Flashpoint}}''
* ''Series/FlikkenMaastricht''
* ''Series/FutureCop''
* ''Series/GMen75''
* ''Series/GangRelated''
* ''Anime/GhostInTheShellArise''
* ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'', to an extent.
** ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplexSolidStateSociety''
** ''Anime/GhostInTheShellSAC2045''
* ''Series/GoldenBoy''
* ''Series/{{Graceland}}''
* ''Series/{{Grimm}}''
* ''Series/HawaiiFiveO''
** ''Series/HawaiiFive0''
* ''Anime/HeroMask''
* ''Series/HighwayPatrol''
* ''Series/HillStreetBlues''
* ''Series/Hometown2021''
* ''Series/HudsonAndRex''
* ''Series/{{Hunter|NBC}}'' (1984-2003)
** [[Series/Hunter1984 1984 Series]]
** ''[[Film/TheReturnOfHunterEveryoneWalksInLA Everyone Walks in L.A.]]''
** ''[[Film/HunterReturnToJustice Return to Justice]]''
** ''[[Film/HunterBackInForce Back in Force]]''
** [[Series/Hunter2003 2003 Revival]]
* ''Series/{{Identity}}''
* ''Series/TheIndianDetective''
* ''Series/KamenRiderDrive''
* ''Series/KaitouSentaiLupinrangerVSKeisatsuSentaiPatranger'', specifically the Patranger half.
* ''Series/KeishichouNasiGorengKa''
* ''Series/KidouKeijiJiban''
* ''Series/{{Kidnapped}}''
* ''Series/KillerAndHealer''
* ''Series/LAHeat''
* ''Series/LethalWeapon2016''
* ''Series/LifeOnMars2006''
* ''Series/LifeOnMars2008''
* ''Series/LowWinterSun''
* ''Series/MagnumPI2018''
* ''Series/MannAndMachine''
* ''Series/MemphisBeat''
* ''Manga/MiamiGuns''
* ''Anime/TheMillionaireDetectiveBalanceUnlimited''
* ''Series/{{Mindhunter}}''
* ''Series/{{Mob City}}''
* ''Manga/MobilePolicePatlabor''
** ''Anime/MobilePolicePatlaborTheEarlyDays''
** ''Anime/PatlaborTheTVSeries''
* ''Series/TheModSquad''
* ''Series/MoonlightMask''
* ''Series/NashBridges''
* ''Series/{{NCIS}}''
** ''Series/NCISHawaii''
** ''Series/NCISLosAngeles''
** ''Series/NCISNewOrleans''
** ''Series/NCISSydney''
* ''Series/NineteenTwo''
* ''Series/Numb3rs''
* ''Series/NYC22''
* ''Series/NYPDBlue''
* ''Series/{{OCTB}}''
* ''Literature/OniheiHankachou'' (Law enforcement franchise set in Edo Japan)
* ''Series/PacificBlue''
* ''WesternAnimation/ParadisePD''
* ''Franchise/{{Patlabor}}''
** ''Anime/PatlaborTheMovie''
** ''Anime/Patlabor2TheMovie''
** ''Anime/WXIIIPatlaborTheMovie3''
** ''Film/TheNextGenerationPatlabor''
* ''Series/PoliceSquad''
* ''Series/PoliceStory1973''
** ''Series/PoliceWoman''
* ''Series/PowerRangersSPD''
* ''Anime/PsychoPass''
** ''Anime/PsychoPassSinnersOfTheSystem''
** ''Anime/PsychoPass3FirstInspector''
** ''VisualNovel/PsychoPassMandatoryHappiness''
** ''Anime/PsychoPassProvidence''
* ''Series/{{Rejseholdet}}''
* ''Series/RepublicOfDoyle''
* ''Series/RizzoliAndIsles''
* ''Series/RobotDetective''
* ''Series/RookieBlue''
* ''Series/Rush2008''
* ''Series/RushHour''
* ''Series/SafeHouse''
* ''Series/SavingGrace''
* ''Series/TheSentinel''
* ''Series/SightUnseen2024''
* ''Series/ShadesOfBlue''
* ''Series/TheShield''
* ''Series/SOKOPotsdam''
* ''Anime/SpecialSevenSpecialCrimeInvestigationUnit''
* ''Series/StarskyAndHutch''
* ''Series/Stalker2014''
* ''Series/StanLeesLuckyMan''
* ''Series/TheStreetsOfSanFrancisco''
* ''Series/SeibuKeisatsu''
* ''Series/SledgeHammer''
* ''[[Franchise/SPSecurityPolice SP: Security Police]]'' Franchise
** ''[[Series/SPSecurityPoliceFujiTV SP: Security Police]]'' - A Japanese police show which centered on the Metropolitan Police's Security Police Division
** ''[[Film/SPSecurityPoliceFilmSeries SP: Security Police]]'' - The Show's film adaptation series.
** ''[[Manga/SPSecurityPoliceShogakukanPublishing SP: Security Police]]'' - The Manga.
* ''Series/Stumptown2019'' (Partially)
* ''Series/SWAT1975''
* ''Series/SWAT2017''
* ''Series/TheSweeney''
* ''Series/TigerCubs''
* ''Series/TaiyoNiHoero''
* ''Series/TokkeiWinspector''
* ''Series/TokusouExceedraft''
* ''Series/TokusouRoboJanperson''
* ''Series/TokusouSaizensen''
* ''Series/TokusouSentaiDekaranger''
* ''Series/TokkyuuShireiSolbrain''
* ''Series/TokyoVice'' (partly because of arcs involving the TMPD/NPA)
* ''Series/TJHooker''
* ''Series/TrainingDay''
* ''Series/TriggerPoint''
* ''Series/TrueDetective''
* ''Series/{{Turks}}''
* ''Series/TurnerAndHooch2021''
* ''Series/{{Unforgettable}}''
* ''Series/{{Unforgotten}}''
* ''Series/TheUntouchables''
* ''Series/TheUnusuals''
* ''Series/VanDerValk''
* ''Series/Vegas2012''
* ''Series/WalkerTexasRanger''
* ''Series/WhitechapelTVSeries''
* ''Series/WillTrent''
* ''Manga/YoureUnderArrest''
[[/index]]
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