That Badge Looks Fake

TV detectives have captured our imaginations for decades. They combine toughness and street savvy, as well as charm.

My favorite detectives lack super powers but have all kinds of attitude and are too busy working the streets to live in the crime lab (sorry, CSI).

Some of these characters are from the same shows. That's because the shows were brilliant.

Here they are:

Columbo NBC 1971

Peter Falk inhabited the role of Lieutenant Columbo, a trench coat wearing detective whose cunning is offset by his verbal bumbling. One case was never solved surrounding the show-there was never any mention of Columbo's first name.

Toma ABC 1973-74

Anthony Musante played the title role of Dave Toma, an unorthodox detective who used disguises to work drug cases. Mustane was brilliant and passionate in the role but the show was nixed early on because the network claimed it was "too realistic."

Baretta ABC 1975-1978

Robert Blake played Tony Baretta , part ex-thug, part street philosopher. Baretta lived with Fred, a cockatoo. Baretta served as a fictional departure from real-life cop David Toma.

Kojack CBS 1973

Telly Savalas played Theo Kojack, a bald detective with attitude and a lollipop. Despite his toughness, he could show a tender side with his oft-used phrase, "Who loves you baby."

Andy Sipowicz\NYPD Blue ABC 1993

Dennis Franz rocked the house as the burly, racist, everyday guy turned cop. Franz was brilliant in that, over the years, he portrayed a softer Sipowicz while never losing any of his edge. There were few mentions of Franz's thick mid-western accent in a NYPD officer.

Frank Pembleton\Homicide:Life on the Street NBC 1993

Andre Braugher's work as Pembleton was a tour de force of intensity and passion. Absolutely no one was quite like Braugher's portrayal of Pembleton, especially when interrogating a suspect "in the box."

Pembleton was based on a real-life Baltimore Homicide Detective.

Meldrick Lewis\Homicide: Life on the Street 1993

Clark Johnson's soulful characterization of Detective Lewis was highly underrated. Lewis could be the humorous buddy but he was always the legit tough guy who fought his way out of the projects. He could make you laugh and even brought a tear on occasion.

Vic Mackey\The Shield Fox 2002

Michael Chiklis was off the hook as Mackey, a bent cop who only got tougher when the tough got going. Mackey was one of the darkest, most tortured TV lawmen ever.

Jimmy McNulty\The Wire HBO 2002

Baltimore Homicide Detective James "Jimmy" McNulty was played by British actor Dominic West. McNulty was the over-drinking, carousing cad who always managed to save a brain cell to solve a case.

William "Bunk" Moreland\The Wire HBO 2002

"Bunk" was played with effortless brilliance by Wendell Pierce. Bunk usually partnered with McNulty but was at his best in rare moments of humor.

Sources:

Wikkipedia

IMDB.com