Untamed set in Yosemite National Park is the standout crime drama release this week, while acclaimed detective series Karen Pirie returns. Meanwhile, summer movie nights heat up with Prime Video‘s new action-crime-comedy Heads of State starring Idris Elba. Elsewhere, the noir-tinged Bosch spin-off Ballard is proving a worthy successor. And Smoke continues to raise the bar with each thrilling episode — showcasing a tense game of wits between Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett, two actors now firmly stamped as crime drama heavyweights.

Untamed – Netflix – 17 July
Kyle Turner (Eric Bana) is a special agent whose job is to enforce the law in the vast wilderness of Yosemite National Park. He’s also blunt, troubled, and calls his ex-wife at 2.30am. When a woman dies after plunging from a cliff, his colleagues are keen to write it off as suicide. But Turner suspects that isn’t the whole story. Will his boss Paul Souter (Sam Neill) and his new partner from LA Naya Vasquez (Lily Santiago) put up with him long enough to find out?

Karen Pirie – ITV & ITVX – 20 July
DS Karen Pirie is back—and promoted. Following the bittersweet ending of Season 1, Karen (played by Lauren Lyle) is now a DI, and her first case at that rank is a chilling one: an oil heiress and her two-year-old son vanished in 1984 after a kidnapping-for-ransom gone wrong. Now, after the body of a man linked to the crime is discovered decades later, the case reopens—dragging new secrets into the light.

Based on Val McDermid’s novels and written by Emer Kenny, this cold case drama continues to balance sharp character work with layered plotting. If you enjoyed Season 1, this is a must-watch.

Heads of State – Prime Video – Available now

In Heads of State, John Cena and Idris Elba star as the U.S. President and British Prime Minister, locked in a long-standing and very public rivalry. But when Air Force One is taken down over hostile territory, the two must put aside their differences to escape and unravel a global conspiracy. Priyanka Chopra Jonas also joins the cast in this high-energy political thrill ride with sharp comedic edges.

Murder Most Puzzling – Channel 5 – Available now
This one is for fans of cosy English crime dramas. When a body turns up with a crossword clue pinned to it, Cora Felton – aka the famous ‘Puzzle Lady’ – is thrown into a murder investigation which threatens everything she has worked … not very hard for. Channel 5’s new 3-episode murder mystery series The Puzzle Lady stars Phyllis Logan of Downton Abbey fame.

Smoke – Apple TV+ – 27 June
You only need to watch the first two episodes of Smoke to see why critics are saying, “no TV show has ever been worth sticking with more.” And they’re not wrong. The Guardian raves: “Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett hit every ball out of the park in this smart, mesmerising arson crime drama’’, also starring Greg Kinnear. A new episode drops each week.

Ballard – Prime Video – 9 July
The Bosch universe expands with Ballard, a gritty new chapter starring Maggie Q as LAPD cold case Detective Renée Ballard. If you’ve missed that classic Boschian tone—gritty, procedural, and full of city shadows—Ballard brings it all back with a fresh lead and a layered ensemble. Ballard leads the LAPD’s new and underfunded cold case division, tackling the city’s long-forgotten crimes as she navigates personal trauma, professional challenges, and life-threatening dangers to expose the truth. Only one episode features Titus Welliver briefly as our beloved Harry Bosch.

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