Example Crime Dramas

-CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
-Dalziel and Pascoe
-Law and Order
-Lewis
-Morse
-Frost
-Waking the dead
-Cold Case
-Wire in the Blood
-Taggart

Crime Drama Themes

Crime dramas often use the same pattern of themes. For example Dunne (2006) suggests these five key binaries:

1: Crime <=> Police
2: Criminals <=> Justice system
3: Lawyers <=> Courts
4: Social workers <=> Police
5: Victims <=> Public

The way the the stories are told is much like in medical and hosipital dramas. The main detectives or characters who appear in every episode have their own story lines, while each episode is different due to the range of criminals.
The themes also normally based on themes relevant in todays life and can often border on current affairs. Crime dramas often also carry a moral that normally becomes clear at the end.
Crime dramas are also very careful not to promote crime, but to make sure that it is portrayed by the aduience as being morally wrong.

Crime Drama Characters

Typical Characters

Characters in crime dramas have alot in common with characters in other TV Dramas . For example they are normally created around a stereotype that makes the audience able to identify with them. Here are some examples:

Dalziel and Pascoe -


Dalziel is blunt-talking, politically incorrect, and can be very insensitive. He's from the old school of policing, in complete contrast to his younger side-kick, the fast-track university educated Pascoe.
"Dalziel is a perfect pig. He's vulgar, loud and rude," says actor Warren Clarke. "But he is in fact also a great humanitarian and he gets very good results.
Dalziel has been forced to confront the health problems caused by years of unhealthy living, including heavy drinking. He's also trying to come to terms with the death of his sister.

Waking the Dead

Peter Boyd - Possessing overwhelming self-belief, he is firm in his convictions but lets go gracefully when proved wrong. Boyd has a degree in History from Manchester University and upon graduating in 1971, joined the police force. He's not bent, but isn't above bending the rules when it suits him - only ever in the pursuit of justice. He takes special pleasure in taking down those in authority, often at the expense of his standing in the eyes of his superiors. He loves ruffling feathers.