Image: FX
About This Quiz
Ready for some crime-busting action? These lineup of cop shows are sure to keep you right on the edge of your seat!
Some of the best TV cop shows focuses on just one cop who uses his or her crime-solving skills to catch the bad guys. For instance, take that bald-headed cop who loves to eat lollipops while he's tracking down the bad guys. His title is all about what he does and he does it oh so well! Do you have an inkling of whom we're talking about? You're probably right but you will have to take the quiz to be sure!
Other shows were all about teamwork, whether between two partners or an entire precinct. For example, that show named after two female cops who showed the world that the ladies in blue work just as hard as the men do. Surely, you remember THAT show - but do you remember the job titles of its stars? We'll see once you get the quiz underway!
Each of the TV cops in this quiz worked pretty darn hard to earn his or her title. How hard will you have to work to get each of those titles correct? It's time to start the quiz so we can find out!
Lieutenant
Deputy Chief, Major Crimes Division
Sheriff
Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith) had a whole lot more on his plate than being a small town sheriff. During the show’s run (1960 – 1968), he was also an agent of the State Bureau of Investigation, a Postal Inspector and a Justice of the Peace.
Detective Sergeant
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Captain
Daniel J. Travanti played the role of Captain Frank Furillo from 1981 – 1987. He appeared in all 7 seasons and in 144 out of the show’s 146 episodes. Hill Street Blues is, by far, Travanti’s most popular role to date.
Senior Detective
Lieutenant
Chief of Police
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Captain
Carl Otis Wilson (C.O.W.) is a dedicated police officer who moves up the ranks as the show progresses. Wilson (Reginald VelJohnson) goes from Sergeant to Lieutenant and ends the series as Captain. You go Carl!
Deputy Sheriff
ICE Agent
Assistant Inspector
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Lieutenant
DEA Agent
Chief
Detective
Detective Kenneth “Hutch” Hutchinson (David Soul) might have been the brains of the duo but his car certainly left a lot to be desired. It was no good as an undercover car since its horn went off at the worst times, alerting everyone of the detective's presence!
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Chief of Police
Detective
Cagney & Lacey (1982 – 1988) was quite a groundbreaking show and the 6 consecutive Emmy’s won by its leading ladies prove it. For her part, Tyne Daly, who played the role of Detective Mary Beth Lacey, won four of the awards and received an equal number of Golden Globe nominations (although she did not win any of those).
Assistant Inspector
Sergeant
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Captain
Commissioner
Deputy
Detective Lieutenant
From 1973 to 1978, Telly Savalas as Detective Lieutenant Theofilides “Theo” Kojak solved many different crime scenarios with his catchphrase "Who Loves Ya, Baby?" Kojak also had a special liking for Tootsie Roll lollipops but thankfully, those never quite caught on as a fashion statement.
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Sergeant
Sheriff
Lieutenant
Homicide detective Lieutenant Columbo (Peter Falk) liked asking all the necessary questions to solve any case. Just don’t ask him his first name, however, since all you’ll ever get as a reply is “Lieutenant!” Luckily for viewers, in a few episodes, the name Frank Columbo is distinguishable on his ID card.
ICE Agent
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Lieutenant
Assistant Inspector
Detective Sergeant
NYPD Blue’s Detective Sergeant Andy Sipowitz is, by far, the role for which Dennis Franz is best known for. Franz appeared in every one of the show’s 261 episodes.
Deputy Chief, Major Crimes Division
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Officer
Captain
Sheriff
Chief of Detectives
Raymond Burr, who acted as Chief Ironside for 8 seasons (1967 – 1975), was already a famous actor long before the NBC hit show. He had spent 9 seasons portraying the hard-hitting criminal-defense lawyer Perry Mason (1957 – 1966) on the CBS drama of the same name.
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Deputy Commissioner of Operations
Portrayed by Lance Reddick, the character of Cedric Daniels was a previous lieutenant for several drug cartel units. The Wire was beloved by many fans and is still considered one of the greatest cop dramas of all time.
Assistant Inspector
Lieutenant
Sheriff
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Deputy Chief, Major Crimes Division
Deputy Sheriff
Detective
Detective David Starsky (Paul Michael Glaser) was the moody, hipster half of the Starsky & Hutch duo (1975 – 1979). Glaser would be “promoted” years later when he portrayed Captain Jack Steeper on the crime drama Third Watch (2004 – 2005).
Chief of Police
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Detective
For 5 seasons, The Mod Squad was one of the most popular shows on TV. Even people who weren’t in the habit of saying “Groovy!” liked the show for the counterculture vibes it portrayed. Among its young hip stars was Michael Cole, who portrayed undercover Detective Pete Cochran.
Sergeant
Deputy Sheriff
Lieutenant
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Captain
Detective Sergeant
Deputy Chief, Major Crimes Division
Lieutenant
Oh, those short shorts! Once you’ve seen actor Thomas Lennon as Lieutenant James "Jim" Ronald Dangle in his trademark attire, it’s kind of hard to get the image out of your head. Rest assured, however, that this dedicated public servant only wears them for “mobility” reasons.
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Deputy
Captain
Detective
True Detective was a hit show with fans and expanded its main cast in Season 2 with actors like Rachel McAdams and Taylor Kitsch. The show was also filmed in Louisiana and California.
Sheriff
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Captain
DEA Agent
Chief of Police
Detective
Matthew McConaughey played the role of Rust Cohle, alongside Woody Harrelson. The show went on for 3 seasons and garnered several awards and nominations.
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Detective Lieutenant
Sergeant
Chief
As the Police Chief of Springfield, Clarence "Clancy" Wiggum has big responsibilities. His way of classically bumbling through those responsibilities, however, provides many of the show’s humorous moments. Chief Wiggum is voiced by Hank Azaria, who also provides the voices of many other characters in the show, including tavern owner Morris "Moe" Szyslak.
Captain
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Detective Lieutenant
Leslie Nielsen’s iconic portrayal of Detective Lieutenant Frank Drebin in the Naked Gun film series all began with him playing the character in Police Squad! Many of the show’s fans are still disappointed that the TV show only lasted 1 season of 6 episodes.
Captain
Deputy Sheriff
Assistant Inspector
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ICE Agent
Lieutenant
Sheriff
Sergeant
Odafin "Fin" Tutuola (Ice-T) began appearing on NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in the show’s second season and has remained one of its main characters. Tutuola has gone from being a Junior Detective to a Senior Detective and than on to the rank of Sergeant.
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Detective
Colin Farrell portrayed Detective Raymond "Ray" Velcoro on season 2 of True Detective. He was also joined by Vince Vaughn, Rachel McAdams and Kelly Reilly, who also came on board during season 2.
DEA Agent
Captain
Commissioner
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Assistant Inspector
Lieutenant
Officer
Detective
Michael Chiklis portrayed Detective Vic Mackey on The Shield. The show premiered on FX from 2002 to 2008.
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Detective
Deputy Chief, Major Crimes Division
Captain
Sergeant
Fans of Hill Street Blues will never forget Sergeant Phil Esterhaus whose catchphrase “Let's be careful out there,” echoed the sentiment of all those who became totally engrossed in the show. Actor Michael Conrad, who portrayed the veteran cop, was rewarded with 2 Emmy Awards for the role.
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DEA Agent
Lieutenant
Detective
Officer
Adam-12 was co-created by Jack Webb who also created and starred in Dragnet. Adam-12’s stars, Officers Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) and Jim Reed (Kent McCord) can also be seen in 7 episodes of Dragnet, as well as in 3 episodes of Adam-12’s spinoff show, Emergency!
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Lieutenant
Detective
When Miami Vice premiered in 1984, it immediately became TV’s most “colorful” cop show. That was due, in part to the fashion-forward colors of the suits worn by Detectives James “Sonny” Crockett (Don Johnson) and Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas).
ICE Agent
Assistant Inspector
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Detective
Detective Christine Cagney was portrayed by a total of 3 actresses during Cagney & Lacey’s run on CBS. In the movie which served as the pilot for the series, the actress was Loretta Swit, then Meg Foster took over for the series’ first 6 episodes. Sharon Gless starred as Cagney for the rest of the show’s 7 seasons and won 2 Emmy awards for her work.
Lieutenant
Captain
Deputy Chief
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Sergeant
Sheriff
Detective
Detective Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas) and his partner Detective James “Sonny” Crockett (Don Johnson) rose to become fashion icons of the 1980’s. Their Ferrari Daytona and Ferrari Testarossa cars also became hot items, thanks to the show.
Assistant Inspector
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Detective Chief Inspector
Portrayed by Idris Elba, John Luther is a Detective Chief Inspector on BBC's Luther. The show is also the recipient of 11 Primetime Emmy Award nominations.
Chief of Detectives
Captain
Detective Lieutenant
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Chief of Police
Captain
Captain Ray Holt (Andre Braugher) heads a team of effective, though fragmented at times, NYPD detectives. They work out of the 99th precinct in Brooklyn, hence the show’s title: Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
Deputy Sheriff
Detective Lieutenant
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Commissioner
Captain
Deputy Chief
Officer
Officer Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and his partner Officer Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) patrolled the streets in their squad car, 1-Adam-12, from which the show gets its name. The series ran on NBC for 7 seasons (1968–1975) and returned over a decade later as The New Adam-12 with different lead characters.
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Detective Sergeant
Captain
Deputy Chief, Major Crimes Division
Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick) is in charge of the LAPD’s Major Crimes Division. Johnson is quite skilled at her job but not so smart when it comes to her cat. She only realizes it’s female AFTER it has kittens!
Officer
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Assistant Inspector
Sergeant
Sarah Lancashire plays Police Sergeant Catherine Cawood in Happy Valley. The show has also received many awards and nominations.
Lieutenant
Captain
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Captain
Commissioner
DEA Agent
Lieutenant
Law & Order ran for 20 seasons and 456, making it one of the longest-running TV series of all time. Lieutenant Anita Van Buren (S. Epatha Merkerson) appeared on the show from its 4th to 20th seasons. Her 390 episodes made Lieutenant Van Buren the longest-running character on the show.
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Sheriff
Detective Lieutenant
Deputy
Justified is a popular show that aired on FX from 2010 to 2015. The show stars Timothy Olyphant, Nick Searcy and Joelle Carter.
Chief of Police
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Chief of Police
Assistant Inspector
Detective Sergeant
Captain
Portraying the character Captain Arthur Fancy on NYPD Blue was not the only time actor James McDaniel took on the role of one of the boys in blue. He was Officer Franklin Rose and Sergeant Jesse Longford, respectively on the short-lived ABC dramas Cop Rock and Detroit 1-8-7.
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Assistant Inspector
Lieutenant
Lieutenant Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) has been a main character on Law & Order: SVU since the show’s inception in 1999. She holds the distinction of being the only person from the very first season to still be a cast member of the series.
DEA Agent
Deputy Chief, Major Crimes Division
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Chief
Captain
Commissioner
State Trooper
Played by Patrick Wilson, Lou Solverson is a State Trooper on the hit TV show Fargo. There are currently 3 seasons of the show, and it is aired by the FX Network.
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Commissioner
Commissioner Gordon (Neil Hamilton) was one of the few people Bruce Wayne (Batman) trusted in Gotham City. It was Gordon’s daughter, Barbara, who went on to become Batgirl.
Officer
Sheriff
Lieutenant
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Chief of Police
Captain
Detective Sergeant
Detective Sergeant Joseph “Joe” Friday has made his way from radio to television and on to the big screen. The character was originally created by Jack Webb for a 30-minute radio series which ran for 9 seasons (1949 – 1957). Webb then starred as Friday in the 1951 – 1959 TV series. The 1987 Dragnet film starred Dan Aykroyd as Friday.
Commissioner
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Captain
Hal Linden portrayed Captain Bernard "Barney" Miller throughout all 8 seasons of the show. In the final episode Captain Miller makes it to the rank of Deputy Inspector – a post he had yearned for during the entire series.
Deputy Sheriff
Commissioner
Detective
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Captain
Lieutenant
Detective Sergeant
Actor Terry Crews portrays Detective Sergeant Terry Jeffords on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Crews also had a role as a Detective in the 2008 film Street Kings.
Sheriff
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Sheriff
Detective Sergeant
Deputy
Gus Grimly, played by Colin Hanks, is a Duluth police officer and later a mailman in the TV show Fargo. He helps solve a series of murders on Season 1.
Captain
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