Procedural dramas have been a staple of television for decades, offering viewers a familiar formula where crimes are committed, fires are extinguished, and emergencies are resolved in neat little hour-long packages.
Yet, after covering so many of these shows — NCIS, Chicago Fire, and the like — I can’t help but feel the formula wearing thin.
The cases may change, but the characters often don’t. Their lives outside of work are treated as afterthoughts if they’re even acknowledged at all. And frankly, it’s making these shows harder to engage with in any meaningful way.
That’s not to say audiences don’t still love their procedurals — they do. And I get it.
There’s something comforting about knowing what you’re getting each week. But what I don’t understand is why so many of these loyal viewers don’t also gravitate toward richer, deeper shows.
Some do, of course, but many seem content with the bare minimum of character development.
It’s one thing to be entertained; it’s another to be invested. And investment is what’s sorely lacking in many of today’s procedurals.
That’s why I think Blue Bloods, Fire Country, 9-1-1, and Doc resonate in ways that NCIS and Chicago Fire don’t. These shows have something most other procedurals lack: real emotional depth.
The Reagan family’s Sunday dinners on Blue Bloods aren’t just a gimmick; they’re the heart of the show.
They provide space for the characters to reflect on their work, challenge each other’s perspectives, and, most importantly, remind viewers that these people exist outside their uniforms.
Fire Country taps into redemption and community bonds to create something far more compelling than just a show about firefighters.
9-1-1 balances high-stakes emergencies with deep personal storytelling, showing how first responders manage relationships, grief, and personal struggles while saving lives.
Doc takes this even further — its lead character loses eight years of her life after an accident, forcing her to reclaim the humanity she once neglected.
That level of personal investment is rare in procedural television, and it makes all the difference.
Then there’s High Potential, which ties the lead’s motherhood directly into her investigative work, and Matlock, where the cases she takes on are deeply personal, motivated by the injustices her daughter endured.
These shows prove that procedural TV doesn’t have to be one-dimensional. They offer the kind of storytelling that keeps viewers emotionally engaged rather than just passively entertained.
On the other end of the spectrum, the FBI franchise rarely delves into life outside of work. FBI: International is especially detached since its characters are so far from home that meaningful personal connections barely exist.
Note: This article was written before the two FBI spinoffs were canceled.
And Law & Order (the original) has a habit of suddenly introducing family members or friendships we’ve never heard of before, solely to drive the plot along.
It’s a cheap trick that adds nothing to the humanity of the series.
This is what some new and long-running procedurals are missing.
Where are the friendships that exist outside of the firehouse? Where are the relationships tested by the unpredictability of the job? Where’s the emotional weight of solving crimes, seeing trauma up close, and then trying to go home and be a normal person?
It’s like we’ve stripped away everything that makes these characters human in favor of an endless cycle of cases and rescues. And honestly? It’s getting boring.
I can’t help but think that’s why Blue Bloods has such a passionate fanbase and why people are fighting for its return.
Even something as simple as a weekly family dinner scene provides an emotional depth missing from so many other shows in the genre. It proves that audiences crave character-driven storytelling, even in a procedural format.
So where does that leave the future of procedurals?
If shows want to endure, they need to evolve.
The ones that prioritize character over case-of-the-week storytelling will be the ones that stick.
Because at the end of the day, viewers may tune in for the crime-solving, but they stay for the characters. And right now, many procedurals just aren’t giving us enough reason to stick around.
Maybe, with the cancellation of two FBI shows, networks are finally getting the message that we need more. It won’t save Blue Bloods but gives us hope for the future.
TV Fanatic is searching for passionate writers to share their voices across various article types. Think you have what it takes to be a TV Fanatic? Click here for more information and next steps.
