The best-reviewed detective movie of 2026 is The Sheep Detectives, a mystery-comedy starring Hugh Jackman that holds roughly a 95% Tomatometer score and a 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, according to ComingSoon.net. Behind it sit a mixed bag of sequels and star-driven thrillers, from Enola Holmes 3 to Mercy, each landing in a different place with critics and audiences. This guide ranks the year's detective-angle releases by their Rotten Tomatoes scores and explains where critics and general audiences agree or diverge, so a reader can pick a movie that matches what they actually want: a crowd-pleasing mystery, a franchise sequel, or a grittier thriller.
Table of Contents
- The Sheep Detectives tops the list on both critic and audience scores
- Where does Enola Holmes 3 land compared to the first two films?
- How do the two detective thrillers compare — Mercy vs. The Wrecking Crew?
- 2026 detective movies ranked by Rotten Tomatoes score
- Which one should you watch first?
- Frequently Asked Questions
The Sheep Detectives tops the list on both critic and audience scores
The Sheep Detectives casts Hugh Jackman as a shepherd whose flock turns amateur detective after an incident on the farm. It holds about a 95% Tomatometer score and a 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the best-reviewed detective release of 2026, according to ComingSoon.net. That near-identical critic and audience split is unusual for the genre this year. Among the 2026 detective releases with verifiable scores, the gap between critics and audiences is narrowest for The Sheep Detectives and widest for Enola Holmes 3, where reviewers flagged a conventional plot and less screen time for the lead detective's own investigation, according to CinemaBlend and ComingSoon.net.
For a reader choosing based on broad appeal, The Sheep Detectives is the safest bet on the list: critics and regular moviegoers landed in nearly the same place. The film also moved quickly from theaters to streaming. It shifted from its theatrical run to Prime Video about seven weeks later, a turnaround Amazon used to capitalize on the strong reviews while the film was still fresh in the conversation, according to NetflixJunkie. A reader who missed the theatrical window doesn't have to wait long to watch it at home.
Where does Enola Holmes 3 land compared to the first two films?
Enola Holmes 3 sends Millie Bobby Brown's teenage detective to Malta to investigate the disappearance of her brother, Sherlock Holmes, while her engagement to Tewkesbury moves forward. Netflix set the premiere for July 1, 2026, according to UPI. The sequel opened at roughly 70% with critics and between 63% and 69% with audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.
Those are the lowest scores of the three-film franchise, and the first Enola Holmes movie to miss Rotten Tomatoes' "Certified Fresh" designation, according to CinemaBlend. A reader who loved the first two entries should still find it watchable, but it's a step down from the franchise's earlier highs rather than a fresh peak. The mixed scores make Enola Holmes 3 a middle-of-the-pack pick on this list: still "fresh" by Rotten Tomatoes' usual cutoff, but notably softer than its predecessors and softer than the other family-friendly option on this list, The Sheep Detectives.
How do the two detective thrillers compare — Mercy vs. The Wrecking Crew?
Two 2026 releases put their detectives in courtroom or crime-family stakes rather than comedy. Mercy, directed by Timur Bekmambetov, stars Chris Pratt as a detective standing trial for his wife's murder in front of an AI judge. It holds a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score of about 24% to 25% from more than 160 reviews, according to the Rotten Tomatoes aggregate listed on Apple TV. That makes it the weakest-reviewed detective release of the year on this list by a wide margin.
The Wrecking Crew fares considerably better. It follows a suspended police officer and his Navy SEAL brother, played by Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista, investigating the death of their private-investigator father in Hawaii. It opened in theaters on January 15, 2026, and arrived on Prime Video on January 28, 2026, holding about 74% on Rotten Tomatoes from 70 reviews, according to a Wikipedia summary of Rotten Tomatoes and Apple TV data. For a reader deciding between the two, The Wrecking Crew is the stronger-reviewed choice and the one already available on a major streaming service. Mercy's low score and premise — a detective judged by an AI rather than a jury — makes it more of a curiosity pick than a recommended one.
2026 detective movies ranked by Rotten Tomatoes score
Here is how the year's tracked releases stack up, from best-reviewed to lowest: The split tells a simple story: the comedy and the action-thriller both cleared 70% with critics, while the courtroom drama and the long-running franchise sequel each landed below their predecessors or genre peers. A reader prioritizing critical consensus should start at the top of this list and work down; a reader chasing a specific franchise or star may accept a lower score for a movie they're already invested in following.
- The Sheep Detectives — about 95% critics, 96% audience (ComingSoon.net)
- The Wrecking Crew — about 74% critics, from 70 reviews (Wikipedia)
- Enola Holmes 3 — about 70% critics, 63-69% audience (CinemaBlend)
- Mercy — about 24-25% critics, from over 160 reviews (Rotten Tomatoes via Apple TV)
Which one should you watch first?
The right pick depends on what a reader wants from the genre. Anyone looking for broad, crowd-pleasing entertainment should start with The Sheep Detectives, given its matching critic and audience scores and its quick arrival on Prime Video, according to NetflixJunkie.
Fans already following the Enola Holmes franchise will still find enough in the third installment to justify watching it, even with scores below the first two films, per CinemaBlend. Readers who want a star-driven action thriller rather than a comedy should go with The Wrecking Crew over Mercy, given the 50-point gap in their Tomatometer scores.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I watch The Sheep Detectives now?
It moved from its theatrical run to Prime Video about seven weeks after release, according to NetflixJunkie.
Is Enola Holmes 3 worse than the first two movies?
Its Rotten Tomatoes scores are lower than both predecessors, and it's the first in the franchise to miss "Certified Fresh," according to CinemaBlend.
Is The Wrecking Crew streaming?
Yes. It arrived on Prime Video on January 28, 2026, about two weeks after its theatrical release, according to Wikipedia.