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Line of Duty (2012)

2012 · Crime,Drama,Mystery · crime-procedural, political-drama, contemporary-realistic

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Line of Duty is a tightly constructed British crime drama built around AC-12, an anti-corruption police unit that investigates fellow officers. Its distinctive premise — the law policing itself — generates sustained moral ambiguity across six series, as the audience is never certain where guilt lies. Jed Mercurio's scripts are praised for density and intelligence, rewarding attentive viewers with layered plotting and character arcs that evolve meaningfully over seasons. The ensemble cast, anchored by Adrian Dunbar, Martin Compston and Vicki McClure with rotating guest leads of equal calibre, is repeatedly cited as exceptional. Tonally it sits in the Nordic-noir register despite being firmly British: procedurally rigorous, psychologically complex, and unafraid of institutional critique. It compels binge-watching and generates strong viewer advocacy.

From the reviewers

the casting of Keeley Hawes as DI Lindsay Denton was a masterstroke, the character is complex to say the least and she will trigger every emotion you have in your arsenal. Superb character acting, it really is.
The cast work together in a way that you don't often see in many shows, the degree of realism each of them injects makes the show feel very real.
The series treats the viewer as if they have a degree of intelligence, it's deep and intricate without being too clever for its own good.
it had the anti-corruption unit (internal affairs) as the 'good guys', so my rating was a solid 7.5... i enjoyed it enough to tune in to the second series which as i write this has one episode left to air and i have to say it has been TV at it's very best
The dialog is brilliantly written, making long interrogation scenes bristle with tension, never seeming overly talky.

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