police procedural
noun
plural police procedurals
: a mystery story written from the point of view of the police investigating the crime
Examples of police procedural in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For his telling, Scorsese has drawn on assorted genres — the movie is at once a romance, a western, a domestic drama, a whodunit and, finally, a police procedural — that effortlessly mix, ebb and flow.
—
Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2023
Starring Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, Will Estes, and Bridget Moynahan, Blue Bloods has become one of the longest-running police procedurals in television history, thanks to its compelling and real characters.
—Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 1 Oct. 2023
Watch The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix White Collar Though White Collar is a police procedural, the USA Network series has many similarities to Suits, namely the working relationship between Mike Ross (Adams) and Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht).
—Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 13 Sep. 2023
Companies are always moving money towards what’s hot, from police procedurals to reality dating series to true crime.
—Rachyl Jones, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2023
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia is ostensibly a police procedural.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 May 2023
But if enough characters on half-hour sitcoms and police procedurals and Marvel superhero romps are shown talking about heat waves, or driving electric cars or eating less meat?
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2023
The story is a satirical, somewhat fourth-wall-breaking narrative about Willis, a background character in a police procedural called Black & White.
—Rebecca Sun, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Apr. 2023
Determined to enhance the routine police procedural he’d been handed, Mr. Friedkin executed one of the most harrowing chase sequences ever filmed as Hackman’s character, driving through actual Brooklyn traffic, chases a suspect aboard an elevated subway train.
—Adam Bernstein, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Aug. 2023
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Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2023
Starring Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, Will Estes, and Bridget Moynahan, Blue Bloods has become one of the longest-running police procedurals in television history, thanks to its compelling and real characters.
—Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 1 Oct. 2023
Watch The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix White Collar Though White Collar is a police procedural, the USA Network series has many similarities to Suits, namely the working relationship between Mike Ross (Adams) and Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht).
—Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 13 Sep. 2023
Companies are always moving money towards what’s hot, from police procedurals to reality dating series to true crime.
—Rachyl Jones, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2023
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia is ostensibly a police procedural.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 May 2023
But if enough characters on half-hour sitcoms and police procedurals and Marvel superhero romps are shown talking about heat waves, or driving electric cars or eating less meat?
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2023
The story is a satirical, somewhat fourth-wall-breaking narrative about Willis, a background character in a police procedural called Black & White.
—Rebecca Sun, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Apr. 2023
Determined to enhance the routine police procedural he’d been handed, Mr. Friedkin executed one of the most harrowing chase sequences ever filmed as Hackman’s character, driving through actual Brooklyn traffic, chases a suspect aboard an elevated subway train.
—Adam Bernstein, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'police procedural.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1963, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of police procedural was
in 1963
Dictionary Entries Near police procedural
Cite this Entry
“Police procedural.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/police%20procedural. Accessed 8 Dec. 2023.
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