All 4 USA Network procedural shows on Netflix ranked from worst to best

Who doesn't love a feel-good procedural drama with a bit of comedy that you can escape into for 100 episodes or more?

As the exhaustion hits from waiting over a year for eight, 10, or fewer new episodes of a streaming series, viewers are understandably looking back into the archives to binge-watch dependably entertaining and lengthy shows like Suits and others from the USA Network.

Following the unexpected Suits renaissance on Netflix in 2023, which saw the legal drama series becoming one of the most streamed shows of the year, the streaming service continued to lean on the network's long list of fan-favorite, long-running shows in search of the next streaming sensation.

Over the past few months, Netflix has added the likes of Monk, Royal Pains, and White Collar in addition to Suits. But which one is the best of the best? You can't go wrong with any of these four shows, but as someone who has watched and loved more than a few of the network's offerings, I have thoughts. Let's get to ranking!

Disclaimer: The USA Network's The Sinner and Queen of the South are both currently streaming on Netflix as well, but as they are not the network's typical "blue sky" procedurals, they are excluded from this particular ranking. If Netflix adds any additional procedurals from the network, we'll add them to the ranking.

4. Monk (2002-2009)

• Seasons: 8
• Created By: Andy Breckman
• Cast: Tony Shalhoub, Bitty Schram, Jason Gray-Stanford, Ted Levine, Traylor Howard

Monk might be the USA Network series that modern audiences are less familiar with because it ended right as a new era began. But Tony Shalhoub's series certainly helped establish and popularize USA's "blue sky" identity. There's no doubt that the police procedural deserves some credit for setting the trend and the stage for the cabler to thrive with shows people wanted and still want to watch. And it's clear that Monk remains one of the top titles of that era.

All eight seasons of the Emmy Award-winning series landed on Netflix in February 2024, and while the series didn't see the same sizable bump as Suits, the series still landed in the Global Top 10. The first season brought in 2 million views for the week of March 24, and the succeeding three seasons also ranked in the Global Top 10. The 2023 continuation movie on Peacock likely had something to do with its resurgence, too. Monk's an incredible show, but it's not the network's top title.

3. Royal Pains (2009-2016)

• Seasons: 8
• Created By: Andrew Lenchewski and John P. Rogers
• Cast: Mark Feuerstein, Paulo Costanzo, Reshma Shetty, Brooke D'Orsay, Ben Shenkman, Jill Flint, Campbell Scott

We all have a show or two (or more!) from our teenage years that brings us right back to a feeling of comfort whenever you watch them. For me, one of those shows is Royal Pains. It's the quintessential frothy, summer USA Network show, and it transports me to those long pre-social media summer days capped off by a brand-new episode of the comedic medical procedural. Like Monk, the series dropped on Netflix in early 2024 and reminded fans of its unique summery comforts.

As far as medical shows go, Royal Pains might be one of the most accessible to those who aren't huge fans of the shows that can be graphic in their depictions of body trauma. It's much lighter tonally than some of the intense hospital-set dramas on the small screen, but that's also by design of the network's "blue sky" genre. We don't have many shows that feel like summer in the same way that Royal Pains did through and through, which makes rewatching it on Netflix all the more fun.

2. Suits (2011-2019)

• Seasons: 9
• Created By: Aaron Korsh
• Cast: Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams, Rick Hoffman, Meghan Markle, Sarah Rafferty, Gina Torres, Amanda Schull, Dulé Hill, Katherine Heigl

If White Collar hadn't been added to Netflix in March 2024, Suits would have been the clear winner of the ranking. Based on its Netflix numbers alone, the show is a real unprecedented streaming marvel for the modern era. Shows from the past aren't bringing in these kinds of streaming numbers unless it's Friends, The Office, Gilmore Girls, Grey's Anatomy, or any of the other insanely popular shows with proven, time-tested power. But Suits said, "I'm here to make history" when it arrived on Netflix.

Fans new and old watched Suits for over 57 billion minutes in 2023, which honestly wouldn't have been possible before the show came to Netflix that summer. In the aftermath, the culture has been attempting to make sense of its impact and what it's clearly signaling about what consumers what from their television: more episodes, longer seasons, and a tradition format. It's no surprise that a spinoff series is happening and Netflix ordered its own procedural. Suits epitomizes TV in 2024 and ranks as one of USA's crown jewels.

1. White Collar (2009-2014)

• Seasons: 6
• Created By: Jeff Eastin
• Cast: Matt Bomer, Tim DeKay, Willie Garson, Marsha Thomason, Tiffani Thiessen, Natalie Morales, Hilarie Burton, Sharif Atkins, Diahann Carroll

First things first, apologies to the Suits fans who expected the legal drama to sail right to the top spot. In terms of popularity on Netflix, Suits definitely ranks first. But personally? White Collar was my one true USA Network love. My other personal favorites were Royal Pains and Psych (I still need to watch Covert Affairs), but White Collar just hit all the right notes. There's mystery, comedy, romance, and gripping drama. That seems to be the signature USA Network formula.

Apart from the storytelling that kept you on the edge of your seat season after season, like the captivating two-season arc about Kate and the series-ending faked-death escape by Neal, the cast fired on all cylinders. Obviously, Matt Bomer sparkled (there's no other word for it, trust me), but he had incredible chemistry with Tim DeKay, Willie Garson, and literally every single cast member, from regular, recurring, to guest. Also... Tiffani Thiessen? Hilarie Burton? Diahann Carroll?! These are icons!