I personally tend to find it difficult tbh, unless the parts of the show that AREN’T the copaganda hero worship is exceptionally well-written and/or stupid in ways that delight me.
Examples of cop shows (including hybrids with aspects of other genres) I will watch and rewatch for all time:
Lucifer, Brooklyn 99, Paradise PD, Mindhunter, The Wire, Dexter
Examples of shows with so much or so awful copaganda that I believe they should not be allowed on TV without a disclaimer:
Every CSI show; NCIS; every Law & Order show, but especially the ones where they torture and otherwise abuse presumed innocent people the most; 24; Blue Bloods
Cop shows I go back and forth about:
True Detective, Castle, The Blacklist, White Collar, Bones
It was supposed to be an off the cuff set of examples rather than an exhaustive list. That being said, you’re right that Reno 911 belongs in that category 😁
My parents really like Blue Bloods. It baffled me how often the cops break the law, acknowledge that they’re breaking the law and hurting innocent people, and then just… move on.
The original CSI was great. The first few seasons are all about how the evidence is more important than whatever easy story the cops want to make up, and how society is more complicated than just good guys vs bad guys, and the system isn’t always just. It drew a hard distinction between the scientific investigators and the actual cops. Later they turned into just another stupid cop show.
The first few seasons are all about how the evidence is more important
You mean the TONS of debunked pseudoscience that has led to thousands of innocent people being convicted because juries believe what they see on TV and prosecutors know how to exploit that?
Is THAT the “important evidence” you’re referring to?
Bones is one of the most egregious shows for me. The enthusiasm the title character has whenever she gets to shoot someone or lie to someone “because it’s allowed” is super icky.
I enjoy swat, but even with the occasional episode about bad cops, it’s ridiculously pro cop. I’ve decided that the reason I like the occasional cop show is the fantasy of what if cops were actually good.
I feel like you can both enjoy cop shows and know that ACAB IRL.
I personally tend to find it difficult tbh, unless the parts of the show that AREN’T the copaganda hero worship is exceptionally well-written and/or stupid in ways that delight me.
Examples of cop shows (including hybrids with aspects of other genres) I will watch and rewatch for all time:
Lucifer, Brooklyn 99, Paradise PD, Mindhunter, The Wire, Dexter
Examples of shows with so much or so awful copaganda that I believe they should not be allowed on TV without a disclaimer:
Every CSI show; NCIS; every Law & Order show, but especially the ones where they torture and otherwise abuse presumed innocent people the most; 24; Blue Bloods
Cop shows I go back and forth about:
True Detective, Castle, The Blacklist, White Collar, Bones
This is Reno 911 slander
That didn’t count, it was a documentary.
It was supposed to be an off the cuff set of examples rather than an exhaustive list. That being said, you’re right that Reno 911 belongs in that category 😁
My parents really like Blue Bloods. It baffled me how often the cops break the law, acknowledge that they’re breaking the law and hurting innocent people, and then just… move on.
Lucifer… Yeah, the way that show ended, I wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole. The rest are cool, though.
I have a simple trick for that: I just erase it from my headcannon and skip it on rewatches.
In related news, I’m currently rewatching all 5 seasons of Game of Thrones 😉
Sorry I’m still salty and say this whenever someone mentions it.
Fuck blue bloods, Black Donnellys was so much better.
The original CSI was great. The first few seasons are all about how the evidence is more important than whatever easy story the cops want to make up, and how society is more complicated than just good guys vs bad guys, and the system isn’t always just. It drew a hard distinction between the scientific investigators and the actual cops. Later they turned into just another stupid cop show.
You mean the TONS of debunked pseudoscience that has led to thousands of innocent people being convicted because juries believe what they see on TV and prosecutors know how to exploit that?
Is THAT the “important evidence” you’re referring to?
You are correct and I wasn’t thinking about it from that angle, just about how they didn’t glorify the police.
Bones is one of the most egregious shows for me. The enthusiasm the title character has whenever she gets to shoot someone or lie to someone “because it’s allowed” is super icky.
I enjoy swat, but even with the occasional episode about bad cops, it’s ridiculously pro cop. I’ve decided that the reason I like the occasional cop show is the fantasy of what if cops were actually good.