Let’s face it, no one does crime drama quite like the Brits. Yes, American studios can churn out 22 episodes a season for L.A.P.D.-centric procedurals, like candy coming out of a malfunctioning vending machine, but recent shows like Code of Silence have proven to be incredibly popular on both sides of the pond. Now actor Adrian Dunbar has been teasing the return of one of the best British crime dramas of all time, but it could signal disappointment ahead. Line of Duty began as a six-part show that tells the story of an anti-corruption department, AC-12, who attempts to uncover misconduct within the police force. The first season became the most watched show on the UK’s BBC2 in over a decade and was very quickly commissioned for more seasons. The first four of these still hold perfect 100% ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, while Season 5 and Season 6 saw the story centering on a mysterious mastermind behind several levels of corruption wearing a little thin. Almost five years later, it looks like Line of Duty is set to return for Season 7, as Dunbar teased in a recent interview with The Times. The actor said:
“We’re really excited about getting our hands on a Line of Duty script, to see what happens to us. Jed [Mercurio] is writing. We’ve talked to the BBC. It is down to the BBC to make an announcement, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed that next year we’ll be working on a new series. No doubt, Jed will think of some interesting twists and turns.”
As Dunbar noted, the return of the series has not been formally announced, but it looks like it is only a matter of time. However, there is a real feeling that perhaps it could be another sign of some shows just not knowing when they should quit.
‘Line of Duty’ Season 7 Could Be a Disaster

BBC

To summarize Line of Duty, the series boiled down to the search for a mystery man or woman going under the codename of “H.” Believed to be a high-ranking officer, AC-12 uncovered several conspiracies – and saw the majority of the show’s senior officers either killed or arrested – before revealing the identity of the organ grinder in its sixth season. The conclusion was not satisfying for many fans, who felt the reveal was a huge disappointment after following the story for almost a decade. Dunbar was inclined to agree with some of the criticism of the conclusion of the series, when it turned out the “mastermind” of the biggest corruption ring in the London MET, turned out to be one of the most inept, minor characters to have been skulking around in the background throughout the show. He said:
“When you find out it is this idiot, Buckells. It is so frustrating. There is a scene where the three of us are told who it is, and we look at each other and go, “What?” We asked Jed to write that scene because we realised how our audience would feel. But Jed’s point was that police corruption can hang on one cop deciding to ignore one piece of information that comes across his desk.”
In many ways, Buckells was the perfect person to be “H,” as the smoking gun that should be seen in act one was clearly there all along. For those who went back and watched the series for a second time, it was really clear there could be no other culprit at the end of the day, and that poses an issue for Season 7. Either the writers come up with a way of retconning the ending of the show – or simply cop-out and decide that “H” was not really “H” and was covering for another “H” – or start a brand-new story that has no connection with what came before. Either way, the lackluster response to the last two seasons of the show is a strong indication that Line of Duty Season 7 could be a huge mistake if it does not manage to recapture what made the first seasons great. Source: The Times

Line of Duty

Release Date

2012 – 2020

Directors

David Caffrey, Douglas Mackinnon, Daniel Nettheim, Michael Keillor, John Strickland, Jed Mercurio, Sue Tully, Gareth Bryn, Jennie Darnell

Writers

Jed Mercurio