Best Detroit Movies & TV Shows

A list of the greatest movies & tv shows about Detroit. On this top list of Detroit movies are films such as, Bargain Block, Choir, The T.A.M.I. Show, Freaks and Geeks, BMF, Detroit: Comeback City, Gran Torino, Transformers: Animated, Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story, among many other enticing movies about Detroit.What would you say are among the best Detroit movies of all time. And how many of these popular films have you seen before.

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Bargain Block

Home renovation experts Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas fulfill their dream of restoring Motor City's iconic American neighborhoods one house at a time in the new series.

Choir

Cheer on the kids from the Detroit Youth Choir as they prepare for the performance of a lifetime!

The T.A.M.I. Show

Hailed by one music reviewer as "the grooviest, wildest, slickest hit ever to pound the screen," "The T.A.M.I. Show" is an unrelenting rock spectacular starring some of the greatest pop performers of the 60s. These top recording idols – representing the musical moods of London, Liverpool, Hollywood and Detroit – packed the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium with 2,600 screaming fans and virtually brought down the house. This is the cinematic record of that electrifying event.

Freaks and Geeks

High school mathlete Lindsay Weir rebels and begins hanging out with a crowd of burnouts (the "freaks"), while her brother Sam Weir navigates a different part of the social universe with his nerdy friends (the "geeks").

BMF

The drug trafficking drama is inspired by the true story of two brothers who rose from the decaying streets of southwest Detroit in the late 1980s and gave birth to one of the most influential crime families in the country. It revolves around brothers Demetrius "Big Meech" Flenory and Terry "Southwest T" Flenory, who together took their vision beyond the drug trade and into the world of hip-hop. The drama, per Starz, will tell a story about love, family and capitalism in the pursuit of the American dream.

Detroit: Comeback City

The story of how Detroit went from the engine of American capitalism, to a city of ruins that is now on the cusp of an exciting rebirth told by real Detroiters who recount the stories of their relatives who helped build the city and the country.

Gran Torino

Disgruntled Korean War veteran Walt Kowalski sets out to reform his neighbor, Thao Lor, a Hmong teenager who tried to steal Kowalski's prized possession: a 1972 Gran Torino.

Transformers: Animated

The evil Decepticons have appeared in Detroit. With the all powerful Allspark, Megatron can use it to turn all of Earth's robots into Decepticons. However, Optimus Prime and his Autobots arrive and plan to stop Megatron and his evil plan in Transformers Animated.

Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story

The story of the 1973 hockey season when aging legend Gordie Howe returned to the ice at the age of 44.

Searching for Sugar Man

Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock 'n' roller, Rodriguez. The film won Best Documentary at the 85th Academy Awards.

Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story

Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story is a movie based on the life story of world-renowned neurosurgeon Ben Carson from 1961 to 1987.

Straight Outta Compton

In 1987, five young men, using brutally honest rhymes and hardcore beats, put their frustration and anger about life in the most dangerous place in America into the most powerful weapon they had: their music. Taking us back to where it all began, Straight Outta Compton tells the true story of how these cultural rebels—armed only with their lyrics, swagger, bravado and raw talent—stood up to the authorities that meant to keep them down and formed the world’s most dangerous group, N.W.A. And as they spoke the truth that no one had before and exposed life in the hood, their voice ignited a social revolution that is still reverberating today.

Martin

Sassy sitcom centering on radio and television personality Martin Payne. Series focuses on his romantic relationship with girlfriend Gina, her best friend Pam and escapades with best friends Tommy and Cole.

The Irishman

Pennsylvania, 1956. Frank Sheeran, a war veteran of Irish origin who works as a truck driver, accidentally meets mobster Russell Bufalino. Once Frank becomes his trusted man, Bufalino sends him to Chicago with the task of helping Jimmy Hoffa, a powerful union leader related to organized crime, with whom Frank will maintain a close friendship for nearly twenty years.

Bob Hearts Abishola

A love story about a middle-aged compression sock businessman from Detroit who unexpectedly falls for his cardiac nurse, a Nigerian immigrant, while recovering from a heart attack and sets his sights on winning her over.

True Romance

Clarence marries hooker Alabama, steals cocaine from her pimp, and tries to sell it in Hollywood, while the owners of the coke try to reclaim it.

The Crow

Exactly one year after young rock guitarist Eric Draven and his fiancée are brutally killed by a ruthless gang of criminals, Draven—watched over by a hypnotic crow—returns from the grave to exact revenge.

Detroiters

Best friends and fledgling ad men Sam and Tim may not have the money, connections or talent that the big guys do, but they have ambition out the wazoo. Together, they’re out to build a local advertising empire and restore their home city of Detroit to its former glory in this new show from executive producers Lorne Michaels and Jason Sudeikis.

Home Improvement

The daily trials and tribulations of handyman Tim Taylor, a TV show host raising three boys with help from his loyal co-host, domineering wife, and unseen neighbor.

Blue Collar

Fed up with mistreatment at the hands of both management and union brass, and coupled with financial hardships on each man's end, three auto assembly line workers hatch a plan to rob a safe at union headquarters.

Detroit

A police raid in Detroit in 1967 results in one of the largest citizens' uprisings in the history of the United States.

RoboCop

In a violent, near-apocalyptic Detroit, evil corporation Omni Consumer Products wins a contract from the city government to privatize the police force. To test their crime-eradicating cyborgs, the company leads street cop Alex Murphy into an armed confrontation with crime lord Boddicker so they can use his body to support their untested RoboCop prototype. But when RoboCop learns of the company's nefarious plans, he turns on his masters.

C'mon C'mon

Johnny and his young nephew forge a tenuous but transformational relationship when they embark on a cross-country trip to see life away from Los Angeles.

Only Lovers Left Alive

A depressed musician reunites with his lover in the desolate streets of Detroit. Though their romance has endured several centuries, it is tested by the arrival of her capricious and unpredictable younger sister.

White Boy

“White Boy Rick”, as he was called, was a novelty: A white teenager seemingly running a major inner-city drug operation. In May of 1987, 17-year-old Richard Wershe Jr. was charged with a non-violent, juvenile drug offense. By the time of his arrest he was already a Detroit legend, frequently making front-page headlines and leading the local television news. In this film, gangsters, hit men, journalists and federal agents struggle to explain why he remains in prison at nearly 50 years old. The possible explanation is more stunning than the crimes Wershe was alleged to have committed.

Beverly Hills Cop

A freewheeling Detroit cop pursuing a murder investigation finds himself dealing with the very different culture of Beverly Hills.

8 Mile

For Jimmy Smith, Jr., life is a daily fight just to keep hope alive. Feeding his dreams in Detroit's vibrant music scene, Jimmy wages an extraordinary personal struggle to find his own voice - and earn a place in a world where rhymes rule, legends are born and every moment… is another chance.

Paper Lion

Sportswriter George Plimpton poses as a rookie quarterback for the Detroit Lions for a "Sports Illustrated" article.

Untold: Malice at the Palace

Key figures from an infamous 2004 incident between players and fans at an NBA game in Michigan discuss the fight, its fallout, and its lasting legacy.

Scarecrow

Two drifters bum around, visit earthy women and discuss opening a car wash in Pittsburgh.

Don't Breathe

A group of teens break into a blind man's home thinking they'll get away with the perfect crime. They're wrong.

The Climb

An office assistant in Detroit seeks an extraordinary life and internet fame, with her best friend always in tow.

Idris Elba: King of Speed

Idris Elba travels from his childhood home in east London to 'Motor City' - Detroit - and then on to New Jersey where he delves into the history of the first boy racers and explores how the quest for high speed has shaped professional motorsport and popular culture.

Motorcity

Motorcity is an American animated television series created and directed by Chris Prynoski. It is produced by Titmouse, Inc. and Disney Television Animation. The series premiered on April 30, 2012 on Disney XD. On November 5, 2012, Disney XD announced that it would not renew Motorcity for a second season. The series ended on January 7, 2013, without going into reruns.

2eleven

2Eleven is the tale of two brothers hustling to survive in the streets of Detroit. Zo, the calm, ambitious brother, wants nothing more than to give his daughter, Natty, a better life while Murda, the flashy, hot tempered brother, loves the fast life and even faster money. Two very different brothers with the same occupation, committing robberies. Zo, Murda, and their accomplice Rell start off as small time thieves until Zo links up with a season veteran who gives them the opportunity to catch bigger fish and make more money. Once these "jack boys" begin to see a shift in income, the differences between Zo and Murda become more apparent. Tempers flare, blood is shed, and lines are crossed. The more money that is made, the more loyalty is tested. This urban drama is sure to leave you thinking.

Goalie

The life of a professional hockey player was not always a glamorous one. For legendary goaltender Terry Sawchuk, each save means one more gash to his unmasked face and one more drink to numb the pain. Sawchuk traveled across the country racking up 103 shutouts and 400 stitches to his face, proving that this is a man who lives, breathes, and dies a goalie.

The PJs

The PJs is an American stop-motion animated television series, created by Eddie Murphy, Larry Wilmore, and Steve Tompkins. It portrayed life in an urban public housing project, modeled after the Brewster-Douglass housing projects in Detroit that once housed Diana Ross and Lily Tomlin. The series starred Eddie Murphy, and was produced by Imagine Entertainment by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, The Murphy Company & Will Vinton Studios in association with Touchstone Television and Warner Bros. Television. The original run of the series debuted on Fox on Sunday, January 10, 1999 in the time slot, following a divisional conference football playoff game. Two days later, the second episode aired in its regular Tuesday night time slot, following King of the Hill.

Standing in the Shadows of Motown

In 1959, Berry Gordy Jr. gathered the best musicians from Detroit's thriving jazz and blues scene to begin cutting songs for his new record company. Over a fourteen year period they were the heartbeat on every hit from Motown's Detroit era. By the end of their phenomenal run, this unheralded group of musicians had played on more number ones hits than the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Elvis and the Beatles combined - which makes them the greatest hit machine in the history of popular music. They called themselves the Funk Brothers. Forty-one years after they played their first note on a Motown record and three decades since they were all together, the Funk Brothers reunited back in Detroit to play their music and tell their unforgettable story, with the help of archival footage, still photos, narration, interviews, re-creation scenes, 20 Motown master tracks, and twelve new live performances of Motown classics with the Brothers backing up contemporary performers.

How to Make Money Selling Drugs

Ten easy steps show you how to make money from drugs, featuring a series of interviews with drug dealers, prison employees, and lobbyists arguing for tougher drug laws.

Barbarian

In town for a job interview, a young woman arrives at her Airbnb late at night only to find that it has been mistakenly double-booked and a strange man is already staying there. Against her better judgement, she decides to stay the night anyway.

The Haunted History of Halloween

The origins of Halloween are explored in this engrossing program on the subject. A ghoulish array of costumes, make up, and decoration descend on communities every year on October 31st, but few people are aware of how the celebration came to exist. Harry Smith attempts to get to the bottom of the mystery in THE HAUNTED HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN, which delves into the 3,000 years of hoopla that traditionally unfolds when October comes around. As the history is explained, so are various failed attempts to co-opt the festival by various religious groups; but the most compelling revelation is how little the festival has changed over the centuries. A marvelous way to gain a historical perspective on this entertaining holiday, Smith's program is almost as fun as carving a pumpkin, donning a spooky costume, and undertaking a little trick or treating!

Justified: City Primeval

Having left the hollers of Kentucky 15 years ago, Raylan Givens is now based in Miami, balancing life as a marshal and part-time father of a 15-year-old girl. A chance encounter on a Florida highway sends him to Detroit and he crosses paths with Clement Mansell, aka The Oklahoma Wildman, a violent sociopath who’s already slipped through the fingers of Detroit’s finest once and wants to do so again.

The Cars That Made America

The histories of famous American automobiles and their equally iconic manufacturers are explored.

Presumed Innocent

Rusty Sabich is a deputy prosecutor engaged in an obsessive affair with a coworker who is murdered. Soon after, he's accused of the crime. And his fight to clear his name becomes a whirlpool of lies and hidden passions.

Gimme Danger

No other band in rock'n'roll history has rivaled The Stooges' combination of heavy primal throb, spiked psychedelia, blues-a-billy grind, complete with succinct angst-ridden lyrics, and a snarling, preening leopard of a frontman who somehow embodies Nijinsky, Bruce Lee, Harpo Marx, and Arthur Rimbaud all rolled into one. There is no precedent for The Stooges, while those inspired by them are now legion. The film will present the context of their emergence musically, culturally, politically, historically, and relate their adventures and misadventures while charting their inspirations and the reasons behind their initial commercial challenges, as well as their long-lasting legacy.

T-Men

Two U.S. Treasury ("T-men") agents go undercover in Detroit, and then Los Angeles, in an attempt to break a U.S. currency counterfeiting ring.

Respect

The rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom.

Black and Blue

A rookie cop inadvertently captures the murder of a young drug dealer on her body cam. After realizing that the murder was committed by corrupt cops, she teams up with the one person from her community who is willing to help her as she tries to escape both the criminals out for revenge and the police who are desperate to destroy the incriminating footage.

Dreamgirls

A trio of female soul singers cross over to the pop charts in the early 1960s, facing their own personal struggles along the way.

Four Brothers

Four adopted brothers return to their Detroit hometown when their mother is murdered and vow to exact revenge on the killers.

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