Waking the Dead

When we sleep, we are at our most vulnerable. Sometimes crimes occur when a few or even all key characters are fast asleep. These stories tap into the primal fear, present since childhood, of what happens once we shut our eyes.

Technology has become the new frontier in solving homicides, illustrating the surprising ways that cell phone data, smart watches, fitness trackers, GPS devices, geolocation coordinates, doorbell and traffic cameras, gaming devices, surveillance video, internet searches, apps, and social media messages can be the critical clues in murder investigations.

Murder Call was an Australian television series, created by Hal McElroy for the Southern Star Entertainment and seen on the Nine Network between 1997 and 2000. The idea to the series was born by the books of Tessa Vance by Jennifer Rowe: Suspect/Deadline and Something Wicked. Both books were integrated as episodes in the TV series. The series dealt with the cases confronted by an unconventional team of homicide detectives, Tessa Vance and Steve Hayden.

Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police also leads a secret life as a serial killer, hunting down criminals who have slipped through the cracks of justice.

John Reese, former CIA paramilitary operative, is presumed dead and teams up with reclusive billionaire Finch to prevent violent crimes in New York City by initiating their own type of justice. With the special training that Reese has had in Covert Operations and Finch's genius software inventing mind, the two are a perfect match for the job that they have to complete. With the help of surveillance equipment, they work "outside the law" and get the right criminal behind bars. 

The murder of a young boy in a small coastal town brings a media frenzy, which threatens to tear the community apart.

A Las Vegas team of forensic investigators are trained to solve criminal cases by scouring the crime scene, collecting irrefutable evidence and finding the missing pieces that solve the mystery.

Qiao Qing Qing, a second-year forensic student, who accidentally encounters System Xiao Yi and becomes a script traveler. While on a mission to an unknown script, she becomes trapped inside and meets Yan Jun Huai, a character in the script.

Jigsaw John is an American crime drama television series that aired from February 2 until June 14, 1976.

Columbo is a friendly, verbose, disheveled-looking police detective who is consistently underestimated by his suspects. Despite his unprepossessing appearance and apparent absentmindedness, he shrewdly solves all of his cases and secures all evidence needed for indictment. His formidable eye for detail and meticulously dedicated approach often become clear to the killer only late in the storyline.

Hosted by retired Atlanta detectives Vince Velazquez and David Quinn, this true crime series showcases some of the toughest and most talented homicide investigators and the mind-blowing cases they solved during their careers.

CSI: Miami follows Crime Scene Investigators working for the Miami-Dade Police Department as they use physical evidence, similar to their Las Vegas counterparts, to solve grisly murders. The series mixes deduction, gritty subject matter, and character-driven drama in the same vein as the original series in the CSI franchise, except that the Miami CSIs are cops first, scientists second.

Carl Kolchak and his partner Perri investigate the mysterious death of Kolchak's wife and the paranormal phenomena plaguing their city.

A compelling, innovative true crime series focused on the role of forensic science in solving some of the most perplexing crimes of our time. Looking at how examination of DNA, teeth, and insects, among other things, can be used to solve crimes.

Cold Squad is a Canadian police procedural television series first broadcast in 1998 that followed the investigations of a part of the Vancouver Police Department Homicide Division tasked with solving cold cases, the titular Cold Squad, as led by Sergeant Ali McCormick. The cast of Cold Squad was diverse and changing, McCormick being the only character to appear in all 7 seasons. Some notable series regulars include Detective Tony Logozzo in seasons 1-2, Sgt. Frank Coscarella in seasons 3-4, Sgt. Len Harper in seasons 5-7, Insp. Vince Schneider season 1, Insp. Simon Ross season 2, Insp. Andrew Pawlachuk seasons 3-7, Det. Mickey Kollander seasons 3-6, Det. Nicco Sevallis seasons 3-6, Christine Wren seasons 4-7, as well as Det. Samantha Walters and Const. Ray Chase in season 7. Between the second and third seasons, almost the entire on-screen cast other than Julie Stewart were replaced. This along with the new sets, a significant revamp of the credits and theme music, and even having McCormick's hair change from auburn to dirty-blonde all contributed to a considerable reworking of the series.

The peacefulness of the Midsomer community is shattered by violent crimes, suspects are placed under suspicion, and it is up to a veteran DCI and his young sergeant to calmly and diligently eliminate the innocent and ruthlessly pursue the guilty.

Wycliffe is a British television series, based on W. J. Burley's novels about Detective Superintendent Charles Wycliffe. It was produced by HTV and broadcast on the ITV Network, following a pilot episode on 7 August 1993, between 24 July 1994 and 5 July 1998. The series was filmed in Cornwall, with a production office in Truro. Music for the series was composed by Nigel Hess and was awarded the Royal Television Society award for the best television theme. Wycliffe is played by Jack Shepherd, assisted by DI Doug Kersey and DI Lucy Lane. Each episode deals with a murder investigation. In the early series, the stories are adapted from Burley's books and are in classic whodunit style, often with quirky characters and plot elements. In later seasons, the tone becomes more naturalistic and there is more emphasis on internal politics within the police.

Cold-blooded murders in the Laestadian community of Varjakka take criminal investigators to the heart of guilt and forgiveness over three decades.

Suspense anthology series hosted by Orson Welles who asks the audience to solve the crime presented in the first part of each episode. The second part is a separate horror or thriller story with a twist.

These chilling stories of murder hit terrifyingly close to home -- each a real-life tale about the last thing anyone wants to find in their basement, a dead body. Every episode will make one think twice before ever stepping foot in the basement again.