Hot on the Trail: 3 TV Investigators Who Top Our Crime-Solver List

Miss Scarlet the Duke Kate Phillips
Masterpiece

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As long as there are villains, those who catch them will top our watch list. Here, three crime solvers we’re loving.

Clarice Starling, Clarice

This moody Silence of the Lambs sequel spotlights the brilliant, vulnerable young FBI agent (hauntingly played by Rebecca Breeds). She obsessively searches for violent criminals while being stymied by both horrific memories and the overbearing men in the Bureau. 

Premieres Thursday, Feb. 11, 10/9c, CBS

Eliza Scarlet, Miss Scarlet & the Duke 

Not sexism, societal mores or danger will stop the plucky, budding feminist Miss Scarlet (Kate Phillips) from becoming Victorian London’s first legitimate female PI in Masterpiece’s lighthearted drama. She uses her brains, intuition and, yes, feminine wiles to solve the prickliest of cases. 

Sundays, 8/7c, PBS (check local listings at pbs.org)

Tom Brannick, Bloodlands

This veteran Belfast detective (James Nesbitt) takes on a kidnapping case and finds it may be connected to the decades-old murder of his wife. His dedication to the job is second only to his dedication to his med student daughter.

Premieres March, Acorn TV