Television has always had a fascination with watching people get beaten up — and audiences seem to love it. Social norms tell us that aggression is unacceptable, but fictional television allows those boundaries to disappear. It creates worlds where people can settle their differences with their fists, swords, guns, or anything else at their disposal and somehow live to fight another day. That thrill is one of the reasons the action genre remains so popular.

Crime shows are everywhere now, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The genre has become one of television’s safest bets because audiences never really get tired of the adrenaline rush that comes with it. The downside, however, is that because of the sheer volume of crime dramas being released, a lot of them start blending into each other.