Shows like Criminal Minds flooded broadcast television for the last two decades. Even before it premiered, police procedurals had been one of the most popular genres since the advent of television. While there were several hit cop shows on TV, from Columbo and Kojak to Miami Vice and Hill Street Blues, it seems the shows that started in the 1990s and continue to this day took things a step further than any that came before. These shows often pull stories from the headlines and feature just as many sad endings as exciting save-the-day finales.