No British crime drama of recent years can even feign to rival the thrilling corruption saga Line of Duty. From the premiere of its first season in 2012 to its sixth and most recent series in 2021, the BBC’s crown jewel of scripted television had viewers of all demographics gripped on its intricate and addictive twists and turns. The story followed AC-12, a team of internal affairs investigators hot on the tail of corrupt police officers. No bent copper is apparently too high-ranking or powerful to escape the clutches of the core team, the three musketeers we know and love: Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) and Steve Arnott (Martin Compston).
But after many seasons of complex plotting, morally grey characters and countless shocking switch-and-bait moments (remember the “urgent exit required” text from season three that had you screaming “Mother of God” at the TV? What about when Dot shot Lindsay Denton in the car?), the most recent season finale comparatively drifted along like a sagging birthday balloon. Following the big reveal that Buckells was the bad guy all along, creator Jed Mercurio decided that he was little more than a cog in a machine. Systemic corruption is the problem, of course, not the possible existence of evil geniuses.
