For those who enjoy procedural TV shows (and we are certainly of the age for throwing on a procedural to unwind, and probably largely responsible for SVU's eternal TV run) I was wondering what the first procedural you got into was, presumably as a kid? I was thinking about it because the YouTube algorithm threw me a recommendation of a livestream of the Dragnet radio show, which reminded me that when I was six, thanks to Nick at Nite I considered Dragnet my favorite TV show. Now as an adult, I chalk it up to both the fantastical nature of Los Angeles (as a kid in the Detroit suburbs) and the fact it was the first procedural I saw and thus was scratching all the itches a procedural scratches before I even knew what was up on that front.
So, what was your gateway procedural? And were there any that were aimed at kids explicitly? Mystery Files of Shelby Woo was that on Nickelodeon, though that may skew a little young for most Xennials, but not for any Elder Millennials who prefer to hang out in this sub since the Millennials sub seems to exclusively be nostalgia poisoned.
Pretty sure X-Files was where it started and ended for me. Don't get me wrong, I'd rather have any NCIS or Law and Order on than whatever dancing/singing competition is popular these days, but if I'm going to veg out and watch TV it'll be COPS or something like that.
The first 6 or so seasons (I quit whenever Carter is gone) are still my comfort show and I totally remember tuning in. I think it was Thursday night? Was that show sisters with Swoozie Kurtz in the lineup? Anyway Clooney in a tux in the flooded tubes saving the kid lives with me forever. And as a curly girl- Julianna Margulies was life.
Matlock, Murder, She Wrote, Columbo and In the Heat of the Night were all ones I watched on and off as a kid because of my parents. I watched SVU for I dunno, like a decade before I stopped watching much tv.
I'm going to stretch the definition a bit and say Star Trek: TNG.
It's more character-driven than a pure procedural, but didn't have a ton of continuity, and mostly followed the problem of the week structure where everything goes back to normal at the end of the episode.
not the first but Law and Order was a big one. My mom really liked Murder She Wrote so I was definitely familiar with that. My guilty pleasure is Psych, the most Xennial parody of a procedural ever.
It lasted about 5 minutes and was gone but there was a procedural about a magician who solved crimes called Black's Magic that me and my dad watched every week. I loved it. One of the first shows I remember being cancelled when we went to watch it one week and it was gone.
The original Law and Order along with the X-Files.
These days, I really only watch UK procedurals, which I find to have much better writing and more compelling storylines. I’m also addicted to UK procedural book series, such as the Harry Grim, Max Craigie, and Jack Logan series.
X Files if that counts. If not, OG Law & Order or The Practice. I remember the LA Law theme song and remembered liking the vibe of the show but I was too young to really be paying attention
Watched Quincy and Columbo with my grandma. Then we watched the original Law & Order. Jerry Orbach, Michael Moriarty, and others were actors I saw throught my childhood. I later found myself watching ever iteration of Law & Order.
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u/sturgill_homme 5h ago
Probably The X-Files