I can't believe Europe does better crime dramas than the US and here are the reasons why

Crime dramas have always been one of my favourite go-to genres. The nerve-racking storylines, gripping secrets, and an exploration of law and human psyche amazed me. So, as someone who grew up consuming crime dramas like NCIS, Criminal Minds, and S.W.A.T., I never thought I'd find myself saying this, but Europe is doing crime dramas better. It's not just a shift in trend but a shift in quality.

One of the main reasons is that Europe's crime dramas have a better storytelling method – they dig deeper. It's not as direct as the typical American crime drama that usually follows the same format – a crime, investigation, and the 'expected' results. European crime dramas such as Happy Face, Border Town, Shetland, Peaky Blinders, Adolescence, Bodyguard, and Deadwind go beyond the 'procedural-driven' format.

Here are three reasons why I find Europe's crime dramas better than its US crime series.

---

European crime dramas are character-driven

American crime dramas are usually built on the same structure. There's a crime, a team, a ticking clock, and by the end of the episode, justice is usually served. Well that's not bad- but it's kind of repetitive and leaves no room for any psychological explanation.

European crime shows flip that completely- for instance, in small town-oriented shows such as Shetland, Bordertown or Broadchurch (UK), the story does not merely follow the murder and the crime investigation, it explores the life in such isolated parts where crime isn't common and how it affects the detectives/investigators – teasing a raw and vulnerable side of them.

For instance, The Fall, the UK/Irish series created by Allan Cubitt, starring Gillian Anderson, explores the psychological aspects of both the killer and the investigator. Yes, it's not the usual cat and mouse game; instead, it delves into the psyche of the detective Stella Gibson and a dangerous criminal, Paul Spector.

Thus, European dramas focus on character development and the crime thus becomes a lens to explore the complex characters – their flaws, trauma and everything.

---

European crime dramas focus on realism and atmosphere

European crime dramas do not shy away from showing the gloomy, mysterious, and almost depressing side of the storyline, thus choosing realism over glossy sets and fast cuts. For instance, the Irish series, Trapped, portrays a grim side of Iceland, unlike what you usually see on your Instagram feed. It highlights the difficulties of surviving in the cold. The show is set in a snowbound cut town where a mutilated body turns up in the harbor. The storyline is slow, oppressive, and as real as it can get. It does not rely on flashy sets and fast cuts; rather, it focuses on realism, so much so that you might feel 'trapped' in the isolated snow town after watching it.

The European crime dramas also cleverly incorporate symbolism. For instance, in The Bridge (Denmark/Sweden), the corpse is found in the Oresund Bridge, the bridge that divides Malmö and Copenhagen. The Danish detective Martin and the Swedish detective Saga team up to find the killer. The tone is austere, and the color palette is drained, and you feel the weight of every decision and every mistake.

---

Europe's crime dramas embrace the grey areas – legally and morally

One of the powerful aspects of the crime dramas from Europe is their ability not to sanitize justice. These crime dramas do not shy away from accepting the fact that the legal system is often flawed, and lawyers fabricate the truth, cops plant evidence, and sometimes the innocent are proven guilty.

For instance, in Happy Valley (UK), Catherine Cawood, a police sergeant, is haunted by her daughter's suicide and raises her grandson. The show is less about the cat and mouse chase and more about surviving after such emotional turmoil. In fact, the line between right and wrong blurs episode by episode.

America may have perfected the crime format, but Europe is mastering the form (there are exceptions, though). Better writing, unpredictable moral compass, and more personal stakes make it them all more thrilling.

---

Also read: Top 10 small-town crime thriller shows to watch, explored