Bosch: Legacy remains one of the most popular and critically acclaimed crime dramas of recent years. Many fans are still upset that the show was canceled after only three seasons, as there were many storylines that were left unfinished, and Harry Bosch’s journey seemed incomplete. And just like Bosch: Legacy, there are many other crime dramas and procedural shows that desperately needed another season. Bosch: Legacy was the sequel series to Bosch and followed the titular Harry Bosch, now a retired LAPD detective working as a private investigator. Bosch: Legacy also featured Bosch’s daughter Maddie and Honey Chandler in leading roles, as Harry’s investigations interconnected with Maddie’s job as a new LAPD officer and Honey Chandler’s job as a civil rights attorney.
Bosch: Legacy was a mixture of procedural drama and crime series that was unlike any other. However, there are many shows that share some similarities to Bosch: Legacy and that were canceled too soon, or that they needed at least one more season to complete the show’s arc. Much like with Bosch: Legacy, these shows remained incomplete and fans are still holding on to hope that, in the era of reboots and revivals, these shows could potentially come back to finish their storylines.
Perry Mason Was an Underrated Period Crime Drama
2020’s Perry Mason was an HBO crime drama based on the character created by author Erle Stanley Gardner. In Erle Stanley Gardner’s books, Perry Mason is a trial attorney who has worked in 77 trials but has only lost 3. But the HBO series focused instead on Mason’s time before becoming an attorney, and saw the character working as a private investigator in Los Angeles, much like Harry Bosch in Bosch: Legacy.
Perry Mason is set in the 1930s and sees Mason struggling with his trauma after serving in The Great War, and he starts working as a private investigator alongside his mentor, attorney E.B. Jonathan. Perry Mason was a compelling mystery and crime show with a gritty atmosphere and a talented cast, led by Matthew Rhys as the titular Perry Mason. The show was sadly canceled after only two seasons, but Perry Mason deserved another season, if only to bring closure to Mason’s character arc.
Marcella Needed One More Season to Finish Its Story
Marcella is a British crime drama series that follows Marcella Backland, a detective who is currently on leave but decides to return to work after a new string of murders appear to be linked to an unsolved case from eleven years ago that Marcella originally worked on. However, Marcella is still struggling with her personal life and her husband’s decision to leave her. She returns to work, but the case quickly becomes too personal for her.
Marcella is a captivating crime series that sees a detective willing to color outside the lines in order to catch the criminal, but Marcella’s decisions have consequences, and as the cases become more dangerous, so does her personal life. Marcella starred Anna Friel as the titular Marcella Backland and consisted of only three seasons. However, the season three finale left the door open for at least one more season, as a few plot lines and shocking twists remained unsolved in the end.
Line of Duty Continues to Keep Fans on Their Toes
Line of Duty is a British police procedural perfect for Bosch fans, as the show follows a police officer who is transferred to another unit after a case goes wrong. Steve Arnott is transferred to the AC-12, Anti-Corruption unit tasked with policing the police. Similar to Bosch Season 4, Steve and the other officers of AC-12 must investigate their fellow officers and any corruption within the force.
Line of Duty is a critically acclaimed series, but after Season 6 was released in 2021, the fate of the show remains up in the air. There was a promising update that seemingly confirmed Line of Duty’s return for a seventh season, but the show’s star, Martin Compston, who plays Steve Arnott, recently put a damper on fans’ hopes as he stated that, while there’s a possibility the show might return, it’s too hard at the moment to make it work. Line of Duty delivered action-packed seasons with intriguing premises and overarching mysteries, and many wanted to see at least one more season of this police procedural.
Prodigal Son Ended on a Shocking Twist
Prodigal Son followed Malcolm, a former FBI profiler currently working as a consultant with the NYPD, who is also the son of a renowned serial killer known as «The Surgeon.» Malcolm was the one who turned his own father in when he was only a child, and in the present, he has no relationship with him. However, he must put their personal history aside and contact his father once again after a copycat killer appears.
Malcolm is a talented profiler with the unique ability to see crime from the criminal’s perspective, something that helps him solve cases but also haunts him. Prodigal Son starred Tom Payne as Malcolm, with Michael Sheen as Martin Whitly, Malcolm’s father, also known as «The Surgeon.» Prodigal Son was an interesting police procedural that saw Malcolm solving cases as he struggled with his past and his family, and the fear that his father’s actions might have an effect on him as well. The series ended in a shocking twist, and the show needed at least one more season to give closure to the story.
Mindhunter Left Viewers Wanting More
Mindhunter was a critically acclaimed crime thriller that follows the creation of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit. The series was based on real life and on the true-crime book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit. Most of the episodes featured real-life serial killers like Ed Kemper, Charles Manson and Dennis Rader (the BTK strangler).
Mindhunter was a uniquely captivating crime drama as it also focused on the psychology of the killers and followed many real-life events. The series saw FBI agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench, and psychologist Wendy Carr, interviewing imprisoned serial killers to better understand their nature and apply it to future crime solving. Mindhunter only lasted two seasons, but many loyal fans are still waiting for a possible update on Season 3 to pick up where the second season left off, even though the show ended over five years ago.
The Enemy Within Had an Intriguing Premise
The Enemy Within was a short-lived procedural drama series that followed Erica Shepherd, the CIA Deputy Director of Operations, who is forced to reveal the identity of several agents to a terrorist to save her daughter’s life. After the agents are killed, Erica is arrested and sentenced to 15 consecutive life sentences without parole. But when the terrorist reappears, the FBI must contact Erica to help catch him once and for all.
The Enemy Within followed an intriguing concept, but only lasted thirteen episodes before the show was canceled. And while many disliked the show’s overly formulaic arc, the series needed more time to find its footing and make full use of the premise. The Enemy Within starred Dexter’s Jennifer Carpenter as Erica, and received critical acclaim for her work on the show, even though she didn’t have enough time to show what she was capable of.
Hannibal Deserved Another Season
The TV series Hannibal was a psychological horror-thriller series with police procedural elements, set at a time before the first film in the franchise, The Silence of the Lambs, and before the first book in the series, Red Dragon. Hannibal sees FBI profiler Will Graham working alongside forensic psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter, not knowing that Lecter is secretly a serial killer and cannibal. The two work together to solve different cases as Hannibal becomes Will’s psychiatrist, only to manipulate him and eventually frame him as a serial killer.
Hannibal had a loyal fan base, even if the show didn’t have the same success with ratings. The show lasted three seasons before it was canceled, but many hoped for the series to return for one more season at least. Hannibal had an intriguing storyline and compelling cases, but the biggest pull of the series was the relationship between Will, played by Hugh Dancy, and Hannibal, played by Mads Mikkelsen.
Terriers Was Ahead of Its Time
Terriers was an underrated crime comedy-drama series that followed Hank Dolworth, an ex-detective and recovering alcoholic, who decides to open his own private detective business alongside his best friend and former criminal, Britt Pollack. Hank and Britt solve different cases, often with some unorthodox methods, but soon the series delves more into their lives and less into the case-of-the-week formula. Terriers set up an intriguing storyline for both characters, as they find themselves in more dangerous situations as the show progresses.
Terriers was a criminally underrated procedural drama that deserved another season, and more. Terriers was probably ahead of its time, as the series would’ve worked best in the present day with the success of streaming and social media to help the show’s popularity. The mixture of crime, dark comedy, and neo-noir genres made Terriers a unique show, one that could’ve at least benefited from one more season to bring closure to the show’s main storylines.
Conviction Needed More Time to Find Its Footing
Conviction was a legal procedural drama that followed the former First Daughter, lawyer Hayes Morrison. Hayes is blackmailed into leading a new unit by the current District Attorney after being caught for drug possession, knowing that having Hayes on the team will bring publicity. Hayes then starts leading the Conviction Integrity Unit, a unit that looks at already «closed» cases for any signs of corruption, error, or wrongdoing.
Conviction had a promising premise, as most procedural series follow the investigation into finding a criminal, not the investigation after the case is seemingly closed. Similar to how the Conviction Integrity Unit handles Preston Borders’ case in Bosch Season 5, Conviction looked at solved cases to find if there was anything wrong with the charges and the sentencing. Conviction could’ve found its footing with one more season, solidified the premise, and found a loyal fanbase to continue the story.
Awake Would’ve Worked Better on Streaming
Awake was an underrated police procedural drama with a fantasy twist. The series followed LAPD detective Michael Britten, who struggles to know what’s real and what’s not after he and his family are involved in a car accident. After the accident, Michael lives in two realities at the same time: one where his wife survived the crash, and one where his son survived.
Michael doesn’t know which reality is real, and is forced to live through both, which causes many troubles in his life. However, he realizes that he can use both realities to help him solve cases, as details from one reality help him find the truth in the other. Awake had an ambitious concept that would’ve worked better for streaming, as many had a hard time following the show’s split realities on television. However, one more season could’ve helped the show cement its narrative, or at least give the series a proper ending.
