Classic TV Dramas on Netflix
Last updated May 14, 2024
Columbo: Season 5
1975 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsPlaying the part of an incompetent detective sure seems to work for Lt. Columbo (Peter Falk), who takes full advantage of witnesses who dare to underestimate him. In this collection of episodes from the show's fifth season, an aging Broadway star climbs over her husband's dead body in pursuit of a comeback; a Mexican rancher uses a bull as a lethal weapon; and World War II-era blackmail pushes a magician toward dirty tricks.
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Columbo
1968 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsCriminal minds tended to underestimate disheveled homicide detective Lt. Columbo ... until he fired back with a dead-on dissection of every case in this long-running crime series that earned lead actor Peter Falk a total of four Emmy Awards. Over the years, the show attracted celebrity guest stars such as Johnny Cash, Vincent Price, Martin Sheen, William Shatner, Faye Dunaway, Roddy McDowall and many more.
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Columbo: Season 4
1974 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsLt. Columbo (Peter Falk) doesn't mind when his suspects underestimate him. After all, the extra latitude they afford him only makes his job easier. In the fourth season of this Emmy Award-winning mystery series, Columbo investigates a world-famous photographer (Dick Van Dyke) for the murder of his wife (Antoinette Bower), and questions a blind witness who swears she saw a doctor (George Hamilton) kill his lover's husband.
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Magnum P.I.: Season 7
1986 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsAngela Lansbury and Frank Sinatra guest star in Season 7, which finds Magnum trapped in a plane wreck. Also, Magnum's ex leaves their daughter with him when she goes on the run, and Magnum finds a body when he visits Los Angeles.
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Quincy, M.E.: Season 8
1982 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsQuincy puts his forensic prowess to the test in the eighth and final season of the long-running series. This year Quincy battles with a drug company, deals with the Japanese mob and decodes some fatal punk-rock lyrics.
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Adam-12: Season 2
1969 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsOfficers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner), two of the LAPD's finest cops, take on challenging assignments this season involving a lover's lane stalker, armed robbers, cold-blooded killers, drug dealers, angry citizens and a tough biker gang. Away from the difficult pressures of big-city police work, Reed asks his trusty partner, Malloy, to become the godfather of his newborn child.
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The Rockford Files: Season 4
1977 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsJim Rockford (James Garner), a world-weary PI from Malibu, returns for more intrigue and mystery in the fourth season of the hit detective series. Rockford is set up for one murder, hired to commit another and more than once becomes the victim of mistaken identity, all the while keeping his unflappable cool. Larry Hagman, Isaac Hayes and Rita Moreno guest star.
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Quincy, M.E.: Season 7
1981 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsThe best medical examiner in Los Angeles is over his head in murder and intrigue in the hit series' seventh season. Quincy investigates the death of a child with Down syndrome and helps a Vietnam War veteran nurse solve a fellow vet's death.
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Magnum P.I.: Season 5
1984 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsIn the fifth season of the Hawaii-set detective series, Magnum's buddy Mac reappears after being presumed dead, and Magnum morphs into a suave, jet-setting P.I. in the spoof "Kiss of the Sabre."
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Quincy, M.E.: Season 4
1978 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsLos Angeles medical examiner Quincy is back on the case for the hit show's fourth season. This year, Quincy's sleuthing often involves social issues, as seen in episodes dealing with affirmative action, autism, mental illness and plastic surgery.
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Magnum P.I.: Season 6
1985 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsIn Season 6, Magnum takes a job as a hotel detective, saves a suicidal woman, tracks down cattle rustlers and tries to rescue a kidnapped dolphin. The detective also returns to Virginia to attend his grandfather's funeral.
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The Rockford Files: Season 3
1976 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsSharp as a tack and cool as a cucumber, private investigator Jim Rockford (James Garner) hunts down kidnappers, mobsters, killers and other villains in Season 3 of the popular 1970s series. This season, the maverick private eye gets tossed in the slammer and accused of murder. And continuing the fun from previous seasons, Jim gets in more than one tight spot thanks to his troublemaking pal Angel (Stuart Margolin).
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Adam-12: Season 3
1970 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsSeasoned veteran Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) is happy to see his partner, Jim Reed (Kent McCord), finally promoted to full officer. While on patrol, the two cops try to stop street gangs, arsonists, car thieves, purse-snatchers and other criminals. Some of the more interesting people the pair encounters in this third season include a naked drunk driver, mini-skirt wearing con artists and Santa Claus.
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Magnum P.I.: Season 3
1982 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsIn this collection, an old war comrade of Magnum's resurfaces, Higgins finds himself quarantined with Magnum after possible exposure to African hemorrhagic fever, and the private eye dreams himself 45 years into the past.
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Adam-12: Season 5
1972 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsWhen he's not asking the latest addition to the stenography pool for a date, police officer Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) is busy chasing bad guys all over Los Angeles. Season five finds Malloy and partner Jim Reed (Kent McCord) making drug busts and helping out a suicidal girl. Other interesting storylines include Malloy in a motorcycle duel, an encounter with a tough bounty hunter and the two partners being assigned to bike patrol.
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Adam-12: Season 1
1968 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 Stars"Dragnet" star Jack Webb is the man behind this engrossing cop series that focuses on the life of Pete Malloy (Martin Milner), a veteran police officer who rediscovers his love for the job when he's paired with a new recruit, Jim Reed (Kent McCord), after his partner dies in the line of duty. This season shows the two getting to know each other, developing trust and, eventually, becoming friends as they keep the peace on the lawless streets.
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The Rockford Files: Season 6
1979 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsPrivate eye Jim Rockford (James Garner) and his Pontiac Firebird are back for another round of investigations and action on the streets of Malibu in the sixth season of the hit 1970s series. Shortened by the show's cancellation, Season 6 finds Jim looking into more murders and missing-person cases, searching for gold bullion, fighting union corruption and even tackling a case while on vacation in Hawaii.
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Quantum Leap: Season 2
1989 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsPhysicist Sam Beckett travels from one era to the next to correct past mistakes by taking over different identities. This season, he visits 1960 to help two newlyweds, 1979 to inspire an actor, 1957 to defend a wrongly accused black woman and more.
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Magnum P.I.: Season 1
1980 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsSeason 1 of the hit 1980s series explains how laid-back Vietnam vet Thomas Magnum took on the role of debonair detective-in-residence at the lush Hawaiian estate of the mysterious Robin Masters.
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Quantum Leap: Season 1
1989 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsSam, a physicist, travels back in time, fixing other people's mistakes in an attempt to return to the present. With the help of his wise-cracking friend Al, Sam leaps into a new life in every episode, always hoping that someday he'll leap back home.
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Adam-12: Season 4
1971 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsAll types of criminals continue to test Los Angeles police officers Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) and Jim Reed (Kent McCord). In this exciting fourth season, the partners compete with an amateur crime solver, bust a ring of truck driving thieves and stop several armed robberies. Entertainment icon Dick Clark guest stars in the series' 100th episode, which focuses on the world of illegal street racing.
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Quincy, M.E.: Season 5
1979 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsQuincy proves he's still the best medical examiner in Los Angeles in the fifth season of the series. Tackling timely social issues, Quincy investigates a medical insurance-related death, elder abuse and a high school gymnast's steroid use.
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Quincy, M.E.: Season 3
1977 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsIn Season 3, Los Angeles's top medical examiner clashes with his boss and the LAPD's Lt. Frank Monahan in his ongoing determination to find the make-or-break clues. Shady union dealings and a hijacked plane figure in this season's episodes.
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Masterpiece Classic: Upstairs, Downstairs: Series 5
1975 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsIn the fifth and final season of this beloved Masterpiece Theatre series, the Great War is over and the Roaring Twenties has arrived, giving the characters exciting new opportunities and challenges.
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Masterpiece Classic: Upstairs, Downstairs: Series 3
1973 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsThis beloved Masterpiece Theatre series chronicled the lives and loves of the aristocratic Bellamy family and their loyal servants. In the riveting third season, the ill-fated Titanic plays a pivotal role in the lives of the extended Bellamy family.
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