Comments on: Charlie, Bones, Caffrey... Who's next?

Question: Charlie, Bones, Caffrey... Who's next?

cgg — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 07:50:49 -0800

I've come to realize I really like smart procedural-type tv shows where the two main characters are an FBI agent and their talented sidekick. I've burned thought Numb3rs, Bones and am half way though White Collar. What's next?

It's not a requirement, but bonus points if it's on Netflix Instant. Also, it needs to be modern-day relevant; I don't care how good the show is, if it's obviously 70s/80s or even 90s tech I'm going to have a hard time watching it. Other than that, assume I haven't watched any other shows of this type since mid-90s Law and Order.

Thanks all!

By: Ruthless Bunny

Ruthless Bunny — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 07:52:08 -0800

X-Files?

No talented sidekick, but whoo boy!

By: mibo

mibo — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 07:56:08 -0800

Fringe and The Mentalist.

By: Rock Steady

Rock Steady — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 07:56:37 -0800

It's not FBI-based, but I have enjoyed the first few episodes of Elementary, and I think it will be right down your alley.

By: futureisunwritten

futureisunwritten — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 07:56:44 -0800

Seconding the amazing X-Files. Like RB said, no sidekick, but plenty of awesome recurring characters (Skinner, the Lone Gunmen, etc).

By: Defying Gravity

Defying Gravity — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 07:58:49 -0800

Perception?

By: rhapsodie

rhapsodie — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 08:04:31 -0800

Sherlock.

By: dpaul

dpaul — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 08:06:13 -0800

Not FBI, but Castle has the crime solving "buddy" system.

By: Defying Gravity

Defying Gravity — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 08:06:45 -0800

Not FBI, but Castle might also appeal to you.

By: xingcat

xingcat — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 08:08:01 -0800

Also not FBI, but "Person of Interest" has the same type of dynamic.

By: MuffinMan

MuffinMan — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 08:13:44 -0800

Rocky and Bullwinkle?

But seriously, a version of this is Inspector Morse - mercurial genius and more prosaic sidekick. Both policemen though. Much copied in the UK [see: Midsomer Murders, Taggart, Frost, Inspector Lynley].

There is a whole TV trope around the Watson-ish sidekick. Everyone in CSI to Grissom (or the Grissom-ish character in the other variants). Clark Kent and Lois Lane. Burn Notice. Life on Mars. The list is pretty long.

Another interesting riff on the cop/genius idea is Jonathan Creek.

By: Chocolate Pickle

Chocolate Pickle — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 08:14:10 -0800

Have you ever seen the movie "The Day of the Jackal"? (Also not FBI.)

By: MinusCelsius

MinusCelsius — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 08:18:08 -0800

Criminal Minds doesn't have a duo as lead characters, but they are FBI and the team contains the combination you're looking for - Reid and Garcia both qualify as "genius sidekick" to Morgan as cop.

By: Ghostride The Whip

Ghostride The Whip — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 08:20:08 -0800

It's not exactly what you specify, but I suspect you'd enjoy Lie to Me. Basically, smart but kind of an asshole psychologist gets called in to help solve crimes, also has a team with various interactions swirling around them.

By: cooker girl

cooker girl — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 08:28:14 -0800

Seconding Sherlock and Lie to Me. I was coming in to suggest them and here they already are.

By: eric1halfb

eric1halfb — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 08:38:15 -0800

I know this show has won a lot of hate for itself, but my wife and I enjoyed The Killing. There is a sidekick. He's rather untalented though.

Also, I only made it through the first half of the pilot on Netflix streaming – it seemed a little ridiculous – but Breakout Kings might be another possibility. There's, like, four sidekicks at least, depending on who the "hero" is supposed to be.

By: hungrybruno

hungrybruno — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 08:39:16 -0800

Came in to suggest Lie to Me, but will now favorite this thread so I can see the rest of the answers - this is my type of show, too!

By: KathyK

KathyK — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 08:44:58 -0800

Not an FBI show but a fun cop show called The Good Guys and it's on Netflix.

By: RJ Reynolds

RJ Reynolds — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 08:51:36 -0800

You're not going to want to see it through to the current wacked-out dystopian future season, probably (OR WILL YOU), but definitely Fringe! I love it so.

By: robocop is bleeding

robocop is bleeding — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 08:54:43 -0800

If the FBI/Genius duo can be extended to "By the Book"/"Loose Cannon" then that opens up USA mainstays Monk and Psych when tend to pair wacky people with an amazing talent and a more straight laced partner.

By: Glinn

Glinn — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 09:14:44 -0800

I have only watched a few episodes, but the dynamic between the federal marshal and her partner in In Plain Sight seemed quite entertaining. Looks like it lasted 5 seasons. (Critic's article about the show's ending.)

By: kate blank

kate blank — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 09:17:15 -0800

Not a procedural, but Suits features a firm full of Harvard-educated lawyers plus this kid who faked his law degree. It definitely has that straight-guy/sidekick vibe and it's so funny and well-written.

By: dpx.mfx

dpx.mfx — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 09:17:29 -0800

Also not FBI, but what about the Good Wife? Two or three main lawyers, and Kalinda, their trusty sexy sidekick. Procedural, plus ongoing drama.

By: kingfishers catch fire

kingfishers catch fire — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 09:20:02 -0800

Covert Affairs. It's CIA, not FBI, but the last few episodes were great.

By: like_neon

like_neon — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 09:42:24 -0800

House.
Gregory House as the FBI detective dressed up as a doctor and his loveable sidekick, Wilson. I believe I read somewhere that the characters were loosely based on Sherlock (Holmes/House) and Watson (Wilson/Watson).

By: wsquared

wsquared — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 09:44:11 -0800

Depending on your tolerance for wackiness, Psych mostly fits these parameters. A fake psychic detective and his sidekick help the local police department solve crimes. I think all but the most recent season are on Netflix Instant.

By: HopStopDon'tShop

HopStopDon'tShop — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 10:00:44 -0800

CIA, again - sorry, but Chuck was quite a bit of fun for the first two seasons. It appears to have ended now after 5 seasons, but it was 2 CIA agents and the main character is the sidekick - the unwitting recipient of a database of information from a government intelligence program. Etc. He also has his own trusty sidekick.

By: Lynsey

Lynsey — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 11:08:05 -0800

My husband loves shows like that too, and is a huge fan of The Mentalist.

By: shoesietart

shoesietart — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 11:24:41 -0800

Wire in the Blood, Cracker, Inspector Morse, Inspector Lewis, Waking the Dead, Prime Suspect (female lead, no sidekick), Luther (with gorgeous idris Elba) - these are all British shows and they're on Netflix.

By: saffronwoman

saffronwoman — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 11:40:33 -0800

Taking off where Inspector Morse left off is Inspector Lewis

https://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Masterpiece_Mystery_Inspector_Lewis/70054230?locale=en-US

He's got a very interesting sidekick.

By: BitterOldPunk

BitterOldPunk — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 12:27:18 -0800

Terriers ran for only one season and has the distinction of being the lowest-rated show in the history of the FX network. But it's a smart, funny buddy-cop show about two private investigators with more bluster than skill who find themselves way in over their heads in a season-long plot arc involving shady real estate deals, government corruption, and maybe even a missing dog.

The show was badly named, poorly marketed, and given up on almost immediately. It's a shame, because its a really fun character-driven show that deserved a wider audience. The show delighted in breaking genre stereotypes: for example, the alcoholic ex-cop is in recovery and not angsty about it. He has a friendly relationship with his ex-wife. His sister has a mental illness that is not played for laughs or pathos, but depicted as a chronic, troubling, manageable condition.

The show was much better than it had any right to be. You'll watch all 13 half-hour episodes and wish there were more.

By: leslies

leslies — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 12:30:19 -0800

Burn Notice is good fun - not quite FBI but definitely along those lines.

By: kestrel251

kestrel251 — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 13:28:09 -0800

nthing Castle; it's adorable. And it starts the guy from Firefly, Nathan Fillion. But the side characters, too, are just awesome (except for the daughter, whom both my husband and I wish would get kidnapped or something.) In general the acting is way better than it needs to be.

We just caught up to the present season, and thus have had to change our nightly fix to something else. We've started Fringe -- it's fun too, but at least thus far the characters are nowhere near as appealing as those in Castle.

By: ejaned8

ejaned8 — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 06:25:06 -0800

Try Warehouse 13 for one episode. It involves secret service agents that have joined a special project to protect the world from basically 'magical' objects (e.g., Edgar Allens Poe's pen does something dangerous, etc). It's well-written (though I enjoy sci-fi), and my other favorite shows lately have been White Collar, Bones, Castle.

Note: Fringe -- I loved the first two and most of the third season. After that, it has a different flavor.

The BBC Sherlock, first two seasons are on netflix, is quite good too. (Haven't watched elementary.)

By: ejaned8

ejaned8 — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 06:26:05 -0800

ps. Warehouse 13 is on hulu, and the first few seasons are on netflix streaming.

By: Rock Steady

Rock Steady — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 06:28:15 -0800

ejaned8: The BBC Sherlock, first two seasons are on netflix, is quite good too. (Haven't watched elementary.)

Sherlock is certainly much better than Elementary, by leaps and bounds, but I think Elementary is a better fit for this specific request.

MetaFilter: Not FBI, but Castle