Television series

A Touch of Frost

Name: A Touch of Frost
Genre: Drama, Crime
Released: 1992
Cast: David Jason, Bruce Alexander, John Lyons, Arthur White

A Touch of Frost follows a brilliant, rule-bending detective who solves cases through intuition and grit rather than procedure. David Jason's Frost is dishevelled, stubborn, and utterly compelling—a man who'll bend the law to catch killers. It's procedural crime drama with real warmth and humour, pitched perfectly between gritty realism and character-driven storytelling. Essential viewing for anyone who loves detectives who work against the system.

TVMaze rating

4.0

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like a crime show where the solving matters less than the rumpled, stubborn man doing it, and you enjoy gentle comedy sitting right beside the grim cases.

Skip it if you want tight plotting and a fast clip; this one takes its time, wanders between cases and colleagues, and asks you to enjoy the company as much as the crimes.

What it asks of you: Settle in for long, unhurried episodes of roughly two hours across many seasons, with patience for slow scenes and a light, familiar rhythm rather than sharp cliffhangers.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Prime Suspect1991

Helen Mirren as DCI Jane Tennison, a brilliant detective fighting institutional sexism while solving brutal murders. Sharper-edged and more relentless than Frost, but equally uncompromising about justice over protocol.

But Relentlessly bleak and often angry. There's very little warmth or humour—it's a grind, which is partly the point.

The Bill1984

The definitive British police procedural of its era. Dozens of officers, dozens of cases, genuine grit and authenticity. If you want more of this world and these rhythms, this is where to spend years.

But Episodic rather than serialised, so cases wrap up neatly. Less character-driven than Frost, more mechanics-of-policing focused.

Endeavour2012

A younger, Oxford-set predecessor to Morse (whose world Endeavour inhabits). Beautiful cinematography, ingenious plotting, and a detective with the same stubborn integrity as Frost. Deeply satisfying.

But Slower-paced and more cerebral. If you want propulsive narrative over atmosphere, this will frustrate you.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from A Touch of Frost

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Homicide: Life on the Street1993

Both centre on detectives who would burn the rules to the ground if it meant catching their killer. Both understand that the real drama is the character, not the case.

An American procedural that learned everything from British crime drama but inverted it: chaotic, serialised, and emotionally devastating. Like Frost, it's about detectives who care more about justice than procedure, but the show swallows them whole. Same DNA, different everything.

But American pacing and American city. Takes a full season to hit its stride, and the first episodes are rough. Also, it breaks your heart—Frost never quite goes there.

Taggart1983

A Scottish detective with Frost's doggedness and rule-bending tendencies, working cases in Glasgow for decades. If you want that maverick-cop energy with a regional accent and a different landscape, this is it.

But Even more uneven in quality than Frost. Some episodes are brilliant; others feel like padding. Production values vary wildly.

Between the Lines1992

A BBC series about detectives investigating corrupt cops. Smarter and more intricate than Frost, with real moral ambiguity. If you want the procedural elements with added layers of institutional rot, this rewards attention.

But Cancelled after three series. Won't give you the comfort of a full run, and the ending feels premature.

The Sweeney1975

The granddad of gritty British crime drama. Two detectives who break rules, chase car thieves, and live in the margins. If you want the spiritual ancestor of Frost, watch this—it's where the DNA comes from.

But Made in the mid-70s, so it looks and feels dated. The plots are occasionally thin; it's carried entirely by charm and energy.

Cracker1993

A psychologist criminal profiler takes cases for Merseyside Police. Darker and more twisted than Frost, but with the same 'maverick helps the institution' setup. Brilliant writing and a hypnotic central performance.

But The central character is abrasive and difficult in ways that can wear on you. Some episodes are genuinely disturbing.

Cagney & Lacey1982

American procedural with two female detectives who bend rules and fight their own hierarchy. Procedural plotting is tight, and it shares Frost's affection for characters who won't quit.

But Slower American pacing and a different tone—less twinkle, more earnestness. Also a 1980s American aesthetic that won't feel familiar to Frost viewers.

Killing Them Softly2012

A 1960s police drama that influenced everything after it, including Frost. Straightforward and procedurally sound, with that same British respect for copper work and bureaucratic frustration.

But Very much of its era—pacing is glacial by modern standards, and the cases feel quaint. More comfort watch than gripping drama.

Wallander2008

Both feature detectives whose personal chaos and rule-bending are inseparable from their brilliance. But where Frost's chaos is played for humour and humanity, Wallander's is played as tragedy.

Kurt Wallander is a Swedish detective haunted by cases and deteriorating personally as he solves them. It's procedural crime drama, but rendered in Scandi-noir tones—bleaker, colder, more psychologically corrosive than Frost. If you want the same detective archetype pushed into existential crisis.

But Relentlessly grim and introspective. Frost has warmth and humour; Wallander is built from ice. Also, the Swedish setting and mood might feel like a completely different genre.