From Sherlock Holmes to Charlie Cale, detectives has always captured our imaginations. The feeling of being presented with a case and solving it within 45 minutes is enthralling, and it’s single-handedly fueled the raise of the crime procedural, a stalwart TV format including everything from Midsomer Murders to Columbo to Law and Order: SVU.
But it can be difficult to see those shows as “cool.” They usually focus on cops, who approach the cases as what they are: part of the job. But occasionally, there comes a show that actually has fun with the mystery. Twenty years ago, one show managed to do that by bringing the crime procedural to an entirely new and incredibly passionate group: teenagers.
