What makes British television crime drama so perennially popular, both in the UK and abroad? The TV Detective addresses this question, examining a range of series; including A Touch of Frost, Lewis, Life on Mars and the more recent Luther in the context of their broader social meaning. Helen Piper develops a compelling argument regarding the cultural relevance of television detectives, claiming that they have privileged roles as the ‘voices’ of dissent within society. Many of the programmes studied here chart sentiments of social loss or change and accommodate contemporary concerns. The discontented TV detective, Piper suggests, may serve to express a broader sense of cultural malaise.