Line of Duty: Series 1

A Taut And Twisty British Crime Drama: Five Parts With More Suspense And Surprises Than Most Longer Season Shows
Every once in a while, you discover a series that really surprises you. For me, the five part British police drama "Line of Duty" was one of those experiences. Having seen so many films and TV shows based on a similar premise (cops coloring outside of the lines and those that would pursue them), I didn't have particularly high expectations that this could provide much new to the topic. I just hoped it would be slick and entertaining. From the get-go, though, this high octane procedural came out of the gate swinging and its intensity never relented. Providing as many, if not more, plot twists and big confrontations than a regular season on traditional network TV, these five parts took me on a complete and satisfying journey. Sure, some of the plot points stretched credibility at times. The lead investigators on both sides are each allowed to behave incredibly unprofessionally without repercussions and the criminal plot threads get particularly convoluted. But I didn't care due...

very entertaining
I'm a big fan of crime shows and I really enjoyed this series. I will not be buying it, however, as it is available for free on Hulu.

UNSETTLING CRIME SUSPENSE of gripping gritty dark cops
I couldn't stop watching, but must admit; I turned by head from several nasty scenes. The action is gritty, and writing layered and well done, and the actors believable. That's why it was a BBC hit with a dark side to final justice.

The story plays out more like a 5 hour suspense feature rather than an episodal series. Well developed plot, sub-plots, and characters that remain edge-of-the-seat scary for hours. It's hard to tread water in quicksand when it's sucking the life out of you. It's not the typical bad cop-good cop drama.
Fingers bolt-cuttered, neck slashing, drugs, language and other bad boy stuff makes this intense crime suspense and not for the kiddies.

Martin Compston (Monarch of the Glen) leads as DS Arnott, new AC-12 (anti-corruption unit) after a bungled raid. His boss is Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) and Arnott gets lost of double agent style help for his first case, DCI Gates (Lennie James) from DC Fleming (Vicky McClure). Gina McKee plays a...

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