Line Of Duty: Every Series Ranked From Worst To Best
With season six around the corner, which season of Line of Duty was best?
Line of Duty, the police thriller about AC-12, an anti-corruption unit in an unnamed Midlands city, is not only one of the most successful British TV shows of recent times but it’s also, by far and away, one of the greatest.
A brilliant mixture of excruciatingly suspenseful storylines and hard-hitting emotional drama – which is especially noteworthy for its ingeniously written police interview scenes - Line of Duty more than lives up to the hype. More impressively still, across five successful seasons, the show hasn’t given us a single bad episode to date.
True, some seasons have been better than others, but for the most part Line of Duty is a remarkably consistent show. And with the delayed yet eagerly anticipated sixth season almost upon us, it’s a great time to look back on the other five seasons and see how they stack up against each other.
Which AC-12 investigation was the most exhilarating to watch? And which season was the weakest? Well, one thing’s for sure: season six has a very, very hard act to follow…
HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD FOR EACH SEASON!
5. Season One
Plot: Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), DS Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) and DC Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) investigate DCI Tony Gates (Lennie James), a decorated officer who is suspected of being corrupt.
Upon a rewatch, the first series is the one which holds up the least well.
This is partly because it's so low-key in comparison to the rest of the show's run, with a more grounded storyline, fewer plot twists and virtually no interview scenes, but it's also because season one just isn't as refined as the others.
The five-episode length isn't long enough, the storyline about Steve Arnott testifying against his former counter-terrorism colleagues is rushed and in general, the story just doesn't hit as hard as those of the other seasons do.
Nonetheless, it is still a very good start to the show and it makes for an excellent first viewing. Season one offers a gripping and intelligent mystery story that leads to a strong finale, with some truly shocking moments along the way - the ending of episode two particularly stands out in that regard.
The single greatest thing about this season is Tony Gates. He's a brilliant and complex character, who's portrayed extremely well, and his downfall is desperately sad to watch. This allows the first season to work particularly well on a dramatic level.
Overall, this was a good start to the show, even if it doesn't come close to any of the other seasons.
Best Episode: Episode five.