5 TV crime dramas to watch this week (August 7-13, 2023)

It’s August, and normally, the time viewers are getting set for the new fall TV season. Sadly, with the ongoing strikes in Hollywood, it’s a long wait until new episodes of popular shows. But that doesn’t mean crime show fans are totally out of luck, as there are still plenty of TV crime dramas to watch.

Not only are there a couple of big premieres this week, but a couple of notable shows that just debuted for crime TV show fans. Here’s a look at five shows to catch on TV now to bide time until your favorite crime shows finally return.

5 TV crime dramas you’ll want to watch this week

Only Murders in The Building

It’s finally time for another year of nutty murder mysteries. Once more, Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez team up to investigate a murder, this time of an arrogant actor (Paul Rudd) who died on stage. Expect the usual nutty mischief of the trio bumbling their way through the case with a high-powered supporting cast.

The highlight is three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep playing (hilariously) a terrible actress. She’s not alone, with other big stars abounding, and the fun of watching our amateur sleuths cause a bit of chaos en route to solving this murder.

Only Murders in the Building Season 3 premieres on Tuesday, Aug. 8 on Hulu.

Almost Paradise

After being canceled by WGN America and delayed by the pandemic and even tropical storms, the second season of this U.S.–Philippines dramedy is back. Christian Kane is Alex Walker, a DEA agent forced into early retirement due to hypertension. He relocates to a tropical resort island and is soon pulled into helping the local cops on cases.

Season 2 has Walker continuing to handle his health while dealing with everything from weapons smuggling to the seedy world of illegal badminton tournaments. There’s also a visit from his ex-wife and a new romance to spark this light-hearted island crime caper up.

Almost Paradise Season 2 is now streaming on Freevee.

Women on Death Row

The title of this new A&E docuseries is self-explanatory. It focuses solely on women tried, convicted, and sentenced to death, some waiting years for their execution date. The women themselves tell their stories, most open on what they did, although others claim they’re victims of a brutal legal system.

It also talks to family members of the victims and the compelling takes of these women as they await their end and the question if justice is truly served.

Episodes air Fridays at 9/8c on A&E

Painkiller

The opioid crisis gets a bold look in this new Netflix drama that paints it as one of the greatest criminal cases of modern times. Matthew Broderick is Richard Slacker, president and chairman of Purdue Pharma, who pushed these painkillers, knowing how addictive they would be. Taylor Kitsch is a family man hooked on OxyContin.

Uzo Aduba is Edie Flowers, the investigator attempting to figure out the connection of so many deaths and tragedies to uncover Purdue’s criminal acts. It’s a harrowing look at a different “war on drugs” that still causes huge damage.

Painkiller premieres on Thursday, Aug. 10 on Netflix

My Strange Arrest

If you want some laughs to go with the reality cop genre, this A&E series is for you. Each episode features actual footage of some of the weirdest arrests police officers have ever dealt with. From stopping someone from stealing a shark from an aquarium to a drunk horse & buggy ride to a guy proposing to his girlfriend while being handcuffed, it’s all there.

The show mixes the footage with interviews with the cops and even some of the perps to talk about these outrageous moments and marvel at how insane some of these takedowns are.

New episodes air Wednesdays at 10/9/c on A&E.

Which TV crime dramas are you watching this week? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter.