ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Police procedural

Okay, so imagine you have a favorite TV show like Paw Patrol or Sheriff Callie's Wild West. In these shows, the main characters help solve mysteries and catch bad guys, right? Well, a police procedural is a type of TV show or movie where the main characters are police officers who solve crimes.

Just like in your Paw Patrol or Sheriff Callie's Wild West shows, the police procedural shows have a storyline where the police officers come across some big problem or crime. They have to investigate and gather evidence about what happened and who did it. They might have to talk to witnesses, look at clues, and study all the information they have to try to make sense of what's going on.

As they gather all this evidence, they gradually put together a case against the person who committed the crime. Sometimes this is a really hard job, and the police officers have to work together and use their specialized skills to get everything figured out.

Once they have enough evidence, they might make an arrest, which means they catch the person who did the crime. Then, they have to bring that person to court so that they can be judged by a group of people called a jury. The jury will then decide if the person is guilty or not guilty of the crime.

So that's what a police procedural is! It's a type of TV show or movie where police officers solve crimes by gathering evidence, putting together a case, and catching the bad guy.
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