Who are your favorite fictional detectives of literature, film or TV?

Hercule Poirot, Morse, Sherlock Holmes

Secret Squirrel

Literature: Sherlock Holmes, Grave Digger Jones & Coffin Ed Johnson, Harry Hole, Derek Strange & Terry Quinn, Nick Stefanos, Raylan Givens...

TV/Film: Raylen Givens, again (Justified), Elliot Stabler (Law & Order SVU), Frank Burnside (The Bill), Rusty Cohle & Marty Hart (True Detective Season 1), Bill Tench (Mindhunter) and Olivia Dunham (Fringe), Joe Miller (The Expanse), Rick Deckard (Blade Runner)...

There's probably hundreds more but these are the ones which currently spring to mind!

Literature: Captain Vimes of the Watch

TV: Jack Frost

I’m not that fussy, though. I love whodunnits, currently enjoying Whitechapel on Amazon Prime.

Not a fan of detective fiction, TV or films in general, but The Maltese Falcon is a superb film. One of the few films I’ve made a point of watching more than once.

John Rebus.

Inspector Erlendur, Charlie Resnik, C.W. Sughrue, Harry Bosch, Matthew Scudder.

Columbo. Can take any murderer down with sheer persistence and a few well-placed questions. And Peter Falk does a great job as well.

Detective Conan

Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Kojak, Columbo, Ironside and in movies, John McClane from Die Hard and Riggs from Lethal Weapon.

Det. Axel Foley. That ain't him, he's from Buffalo.

Morse, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple (on TV Joan Hickson), Sherlock Holmes.

Definitely agree, Captain Vimes of the Watch!

Overall Best (Literature, movies, and TV): Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett was the best TV Holmes).

TV: Joe Mannix, Mulder and Scully, Mike Hammer, Joe Friday, Steve McGarrett, Jim Rockford, Perry Mason, Andy Sipowicz, and the Scooby Doo Gang

Movies: Sam Spade, Inspector "Dirty Harry" Callahan, Philip Marlowe, Ellery Queen, and Inspector Clouseau

Inspector George Gently (taught me a lot about the 60's in England) and Inspector Barnaby (glad that Midsomer doesn't exist in real life)

Max Carrados, the blind detective.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CC2DLum8Bqw

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Carrados

My man, McGarrett from the original "Hawaii Five-O." Always looked forward to the moment when he uttered his signature phrase: 'Book him, Danno.' Also Lt. Columbo and his constant interruptions which are so irritating to the perpetrator: Sorry to bother you (again), Sir/Ma'am.

Bergerac.

Literature? Philip Marlowe:

“From 30 feet away she looked like a lot of class. From 10 feet away she looked like something made up to be seen from 30 feet away.”

“It seemed like a nice neighborhood to have bad habits in.”

“The streets were dark with something more than night.”

TV? Colombo, of course. "I almost forgot. Just one more thing, sir. Probably nothing..."

How could I forget - Lester Freamon of The Wire.

Got to be 'Dirty Harry' followed by Columbo and then a close third Inspector Frost.

Frank Drebin, Police Squad

Adrian Monk. Because it's a jungle out there, and in the year 2020, he's not the detective we deserve, but definitely the one we need.