Next up in the Geektown Awards 2025, we turn our attention to one of our most hotly contested areas – US and Canadian procedural dramas.
We know how much Geektown readers love a good weekly hit of firefighters, medics, detectives and legal drama, so for this year’s awards, we’ve expanded this section slightly. Alongside Best New and Best Returning US/Canadian Procedural Series, we’ve also split out a separate category for Best US Procedural Franchise, giving the long-running heavyweights room to battle it out on their own.
As always, all results are 100% voted for by visitors to Geektown, not selected by us.
Best New US/Canadian Procedural Series
Nominees:
9-1-1: Nashville, Season 1 – Disney+
Allegiance, Season 1 – U&Alibi
Doc, Season 1 – Sky Witness
High Potential, Season 1 – Disney+
Watson, Season 1 – Sky Witness
Wild Cards, Season 1 – Paramount+
Bronze: 9-1-1: Nashville, Season 1 – Disney+
Silver: Watson, Season 1 – Sky Witness
Gold Winner: High Potential, Season 1 – Disney+
With nearly a third of the vote, High Potential emerged as a clear winner in this year’s Best New US/Canadian Procedural category.
The Disney+ drama struck a chord with viewers thanks to its smart central hook and strong character work, comfortably seeing off competition from Watson and 9-1-1: Nashville, both of which also put in impressive performances. In a strong year for new procedurals, High Potential proved to be the standout debut.
Best Returning US/Canadian Procedural Series
Nominees:
Elsbeth, Season 2 – Sky Witness
Fire Country, Season 3 – Sky Witness
Grey’s Anatomy, Season 22 – Disney+
High Potential, Season 2 – Disney+
S.W.A.T., Season 8 – Sky Max
The Rookie, Season 7 – Sky Witness
Tracker, Season 3 – Disney+
Will Trent, Season 3 – Disney+
Bronze: S.W.A.T., Season 8 – Sky Max
Silver: The Rookie, Season 7 – Sky Witness
Gold Winner: Grey’s Anatomy, Season 22 – Disney+
More than two decades after it first began, Grey’s Anatomy once again proves its staying power, taking the gold in the Best Returning US/Canadian Procedural Series category.
Now in its astonishing 22nd season, the long-running medical drama continues to attract a loyal audience, finishing comfortably ahead of The Rookie and S.W.A.T.. While newer procedurals continue to arrive each year, Grey’s Anatomy remains one of the genre’s most dependable constants.
Best Returning US Procedural Franchise
Nominees:
9-1-1 franchise – Disney+
Chicago franchise – Sky
FBI franchise – Sky
Law & Order franchise – Sky / 5USA
NCIS franchise – Disney+ / Paramount+
Bronze: 9-1-1 franchise – Disney+
Silver: Law & Order franchise – Sky / 5USA
Gold Winner: NCIS franchise – Disney+ / Paramount+
With the franchises given their own category for the first time, it was NCIS that came out on top.
Spanning multiple series and broadcasters, the NCIS franchise continues to dominate the procedural landscape, narrowly beating the ever-reliable Law & Order universe into second place. Meanwhile, the 9-1-1 franchise rounds out the podium, underlining just how popular the high-octane emergency-services dramas remain with viewers.
Splitting the franchises into their own category this year has highlighted just how much affection there is for these long-running universes, while still allowing newer and returning single-series procedurals to shine in their own right.
More Geektown Awards 2025 results are on the way very soon, as we continue to reveal which TV shows, films and games made the biggest impact on Geektown readers over the past year.
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