NoBadPicks

Anime Like Cold Case Files

If you loved Cold Case Files's Crime and Mystery storytelling, these anime deliver a similar experience — selected for art style, narrative depth, and emotional impact. Each includes where to stream it now.

Top Picks

Forensic Files
7.8

Forensic Files

1996

Real crimes, disease outbreaks and accidents around the world are solved by experts using scientific laboratory analysis which helps them find previously undetectable evidence. Brilliant scientific work helps convict the guilty and free the innocent.

Waking the Dead
7.2

Waking the Dead

2001

A detective team apply new techniques to old crimes as they solve cold cases.

Cold Case Files
8.5

Cold Case Files

1999

Explore compelling cases that have gone cold for years, chronicling the journeys of the detectives who reopened them. The detectives relive the events of the crimes, reveal new twists and startling revelations, relying on breakthroughs in forensic technology and the influence of social media to help crack these cases.

Snapped
7.8

Snapped

2004

The fascinating cases of every day, seemingly average moms, wives and girlfriends accused of murder. Did they really do it? And if so, why?

Cold Justice
7.3

Cold Justice

2013

From Executive Producer Dick Wolf, this true crime investigative series follows veteran prosecutor Kelly Siegler, and her rotating team of seasoned detectives, as they travel to small towns across the country and help local law-enforcement agencies dig into unsolved homicide cases that have lingered for years without answers or justice for the victims due to lack of funding and proper forensic technology.

People Magazine Investigates
8.6

People Magazine Investigates

2016

Uncover the heart-wrenching true stories behind crimes that transcended headlines and became part of popular culture. Exclusive first hand interviews reveal shocking twists, new evidence, and unexpected resolutions.

The First 48
7.9

The First 48

2004

The First 48 follows detectives from around the country during these first critical hours as they race against time to find the suspect. Gritty and fast-paced, it takes viewers behind the scenes of real-life investigations with unprecedented access to crime scenes, autopsies, forensic processing, and interrogations.

Silent Witness
7.5

Silent Witness

1996

A team of exceptional forensic pathologists and scientists investigate heinous crimes and use their skills to catch the people responsible.

More Anime Like Cold Case Files

Dateline
6.5

Dateline

1992

Dateline NBC, or simply Dateline, is a weekly American television newsmagazine series. It was previously the network's flagship newsmagazine, but now focuses mainly on true crime stories with only occasional editions that focus on other topics.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
7.6

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

2000

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.

See No Evil
8.1

See No Evil

2015

Every second of every day, millions of Americans are caught on CCTV. Living in a surveillance society means everyday actions are caught on camera, mostly of honest citizens going about their daily lives. But a few are guilty of unspeakable crimes. Video doesn't discriminate; criminals also end up on film. See no Evil is a groundbreaking series that presents dramatic stories about how real crimes are solved with the aid of surveillance cameras. Police reveal how CCTV footage has unlocked the answer to cases that otherwise might have remained unsolved- leaving dangerous killers at large. The series features real footage and dramatic reconstruction, combined with first-hand testimony from police, witnesses, and families.

Homicide Hunter: Lt Joe Kenda
8.9

Homicide Hunter: Lt Joe Kenda

2011

A non-fiction investigative series of murder cases told through the personal experience of retired detective, Lieutenant Joe Kenda. Through re-enactments, discussions with investigation teams, and interviews with victims' families and other involved persons, the show highlights Kenda's successes with his 400 homicide case history and 92 percent solution rate.

Bones
8.2

Bones

2005

Dr. Temperance Brennan and her colleagues at the Jeffersonian's Medico-Legal Lab assist Special Agent Seeley Booth with murder investigations when the remains are so badly decomposed, burned or destroyed that the standard identification methods are useless.

CSI: NY
7.3

CSI: NY

2004

Follow the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers identified as "Crime Scene Investigators".

Harrow
7.6

Harrow

2018

When a dark secret from this past threatens to be exposed, unorthodox and brilliant medical examiner, Doctor Daniel Harrow, must use all his forensic skills to keep it buried forever.

Vera
7.5

Vera

2011

A sharp detective with a messy life, DCI Vera Stanhope patrols her “patch” of northeast England, pursuing the truth in cases of murder, kidnapping, and blackmail. Vera is obsessive about her work and faces the world with caustic wit, guile and courage.

Motive
6.4

Motive

2013

A team of Vancouver investigators, led by homicide detective Angie Flynn, sets out to uncover the motive of each puzzling murder by discovering the killer's connection to the victim. Viewers get a glimpse of the killer before and after the crime is committed.

Unsolved Mysteries
7.7

Unsolved Mysteries

1988

Combines four to five segments of dramatic re-enactments, interviews and updates of real human and paranormal mysteries. An audience interactive call-to-action request allowed viewers to call in with tips to help solve the cases.

The Mentalist
8.4

The Mentalist

2008

Patrick Jane, a former celebrity psychic medium, uses his razor sharp skills of observation and expertise at "reading" people to solve serious crimes with the California Bureau of Investigation.

Criminal Minds
8.3

Criminal Minds

2005

An elite team of FBI profilers analyze the country's most twisted criminal minds, anticipating their next moves before they strike again. The Behavioral Analysis Unit's most experienced agent is David Rossi, a founding member of the BAU who returns to help the team solve new cases.

Why These Anime Are Similar

These recommendations share core qualities with Cold Case Files (2017): Crime and Mystery themes, comparable animation style, and similar narrative pacing. NoBadPicks uses TMDB collaborative filtering, genre matching, and AI analysis to surface anime most likely to resonate with fans of Cold Case Files.

See full details for Cold Case Files (2017)

People Also Search For