21 Century's Most Watched Drama With 15M Views Is Your Next Binge After Night Country
Did you sleep on the show with 15.24 million views in one episode? It's time to right that wrong.
Summary:
- • Line of Duty is the most watched show in the UK in the 21st century, with 15.24 million viewers watching the last episode.
- • Line of Duty tells the story of police officers from the Anti-Corruption Unit who investigate both ordinary crimes and crimes committed by police officers.
- • The series has the highest level of plot and character development, intriguing both with the investigation of cases and brilliantly done interrogation scenes.
British police procedural Line of Duty has been a cult favorite since its first season. And for good reason.
A high level of drama, dizzying detective stories where you never know who the main villain is going to be – that's why the show became instantly popular and kept the bar high throughout all six seasons.
Line of Duty is the UK's Most Watched Show of the 21st Century
What's more, in 2021, Line of Duty officially became the most watched show in the UK in the 21st century – overtaking previous champion Heartbeat, which had 15.16 million viewers for an episode in 2000, with 15.24 million viewers for the final episode.
Main Characters are Charismatic Officers
The series is not just about the everyday life of the police. The main characters are Kate, Steve, and Hastings – officers of the Anti-Corruption Unit who investigate both "outside" crimes and "inside" crimes committed among the cops.
Each officer in the series is super-charismatic – the level of embodiment of even episodic characters is at a level unattainable for most modern procedurals.
And the character of Superintendent Hastings, the perfect honest policeman, was the most loved by the fans, as evidenced by the huge number of memes generated by his witty remarks.
Line of Duty's Storytelling Is Exceptional
It's no coincidence that the Jed Mercurio show has become one of the BBC's best projects. The show strikes a perfect balance between investigating numerous criminal cases and the overall story arc that connects all seasons.
At the same time, the writers do not play too much with cliffhangers – the story develops at its own pace, it is not dragged out, but not forced either.
The authors have also managed to avoid the main temptation that plagues many detective series – they do not repeat plot lines from season to season, and the script has an excellent level of unpredictability.
The interrogation scenes are also great: they are exciting, dynamic and intriguing, no less than the investigation episodes. All thanks to brilliant actors – in terms of the level of execution of the interrogation scenes, Line of Duty can be safely placed at number one in the Top 3 (and number two would, of course, be David Fincher's Mindhunter, while third place would definitely go to Jim Field Smith’s Criminal: UK).