Four Hottest Female Detective Series Now on DVD

Now that Prime Suspect, one of the best female-fronted police procedurals ever created, has been remade for American audiences — and will debut on TV Thursday Sept.22 on NBC (see our 10 reasons you should be watching here) — it's time to celebrate four other great female detective series from the U.K.. Three of them have recently been released on DVDs in their entirety by Acorn Media.

Prime Suspect:

Now that Prime Suspect, one of the best female-fronted police procedurals ever created, has been remade for American audiences — and will debut on TV Thursday Sept.22 on NBC (see our 10 reasons you should be watching here) — it's time to celebrate four other great female detective series from the U.K.. Three of them have recently been released on DVDs in their entirety by Acorn Media.

Prime Suspect:

Many critics agree that Helen Mirren's turn as Jane Tenneson on the long-running British TV series, Prime Suspect, is hands down the greatest female police detective ever. The series won more than 20 major international awards and set the standard for police procedurals that has affected American TV for years. This re-released debut series opens as the American remake does, with Jane seizing the opportunity to head a murder investigation — after years of repeatedly being overlooked by male superiors. Prime Suspect: Series 1 is rife with big name guest stars (Tom Wilkinson, Ralph Fiennes, Zoë Wanamaker) but no matter, all eyes are on Helen Mirren as she battles crime, sexism, and her inner demons. Prime Suspect: Series 1 and 2 have recently been re-released solo, but queer fans would be best served by buying the complete 7 season Emmy-winning series, Prime Suspect: The Complete Collection, for $99. Purchase here. 

Vera:

Based on the best-selling mysteries by Ann Cleeves, Vera follows the eponymous crotchety and cantankerous middle-aged investigator in the Northumberland Villages of England, a woman who happens to be brilliant at police detecting. Two-time Oscar nominee Brenda Blythyn is Vera Stanhope, a demanding and sometimes arrogant cop who looks more like your disheveled mom than, well, any of the women on Law & Order. But she's smart and tough, demands a lot of her long-suffering employees (almost all of them men), and does it all in sensible shoes. This new set of four feature-length episodes offers great character-driven crime drama. Even better, DCI Stanhope is never particularly coded as straight (no boyfriends, no kids, no lust for men), so even though she's not out, it's quite easy to view the character as a lesbian. $52. Purchase here.

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