One cop show after another

Cop shows. I grew up on cop shows. From Hill Street Blues to NYPD Blue, I loved them! I couldn’t get enough of them. Although Hill Street Blues was a really good show, I must say that there are some amazing cop shows that have happened in the last few years.

One of the first shows I watched when I first arrived in Canada were reruns of the original Law & Order. That “doink-doing” sound is as pop-culture as it gets. However, I am not going to be discussing Law & Order today.

I want to start this list with Luther, and from there, give you, my esteemed reader, some recommendations of what you might like if you enjoyed that one.

When I think of Luther I think of Idris Elba in a trench-coat and a sort of abandoned, still interesting and intelligent, kind of look. Not abandoned as in a dirty or mismatched way, but more like careless. He wears a suit with such swag and aloofness that it’s part of his personality. Before I go on, let me give you forewarning, for the next minute or two, you will hear me praise his magnetic charm which, I think, is what makes the show so successful. I can’t picture that role being played by anyone else but him. He has an on-screen presence and such power as an actor, that he steals the scene, except when he shares it with Ruth Wilson, who portrays sociopathic Alice. Powerful characters played by powerful actors. Luther is the kind of person who is too passionate and when that passion doesn’t have a healthy outlet, he just sort-of explodes in unexpected ways. In season one, we get a pretty good picture of the type of guy he is. He bends the rules and believes in punishing more than justice. What I like more about this complex character is that he is loyal. He carries out his job (sometimes crossing that invisible line) with purpose and determination. Luther shows us that he’s flawed, self-destructive at times, but sees things others don’t. When he meets Alice he builds a symbiotic relationship with her, creating situations that, at times, compromise his ability to do his job.

It’s such an original concept, that it’s impossible not to like. If you like a good cop show, you WILL most definitely like Luther. I remember when I introduced it to my mom one time when she was visiting me. She didn’t like it after one episode. She thought it was too dark and didn’t feel so sure about him. However, I convinced her to keep watching and she got hooked. It is THAT kind of show. Also, that intro song is brilliant (not to mention the credits!)

With five seasons, it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. If you, like me, are a huge fan, fret not, as there is a movie scheduled for production to give closure to Luther’s story.

And, from one Idris Elba series to another one: The Wire. That show is just frigging amazing! The cast, the storylines. However, in The Wire, Elba is now on the other side of the law, portraying a criminal called Stringer Bell. A character I’d say one loves to hate (or hates to love?). The show is divided into two converging storylines: the criminals doing their thing and the cops chasing them. It doesn’t have a defined protagonist, as there are so many interesting characters who, in one way or another, are connected to each other. Two of my favorite characters have got to be Bubbles (played by Andre Royo) and Omar Little (by the fantastic Michael Kenneth Williams, whom I was so lucky to meet on the set of Robocop — that’s a story for another day).

Personally, I thought the first three seasons were the strongest. There was one scene in season one where D’Angelo (played by Lawrence Gillard Jr.) is teaching Bodie (J.D. Williams) and Wallace (a young Michael B. Jordan) how to play chess. I found that scene to be a key moment in the show, and also a subtle hint as to what was to come.

Although I have expressed a preference for a couple of the characters, it’s impossible to say that there is a single performance in that show that is short from stellar. EVERY SINGLE actor is phenomenal. It is a really solid show, with complex and strong characters and a good plot on each and every season.

As far as cop shows go, with interesting characters and interesting stories, I can’t go without recommending Nic Pizzolatto’s True Detective. Unlike most shows, each season starts anew with different characters and a completely new storyline, which allows it to create a wide range of characters and plots. It’s sort of a serial mini-series, with the first season kicking off with Matthew McConaughey playing Det. Rust Cohle and Woody Harrelson portraying Det. Marty Hart. It is the strongest of the three existing seasons. Season three with Mahershala Ali playing Wayne Hays is also pretty solid. Since you don’t need to watch one season to follow the next one, I would just skip over season two. I thought it was terrible. You might want to watch it nonetheless, but don’t say that I didn’t warn you! It’s just too slow in comparison to the others and —this might be an unpopular opinion— I felt that Vince Vaughn wasn’t convincing and just overplayed his role. It felt at times too existential, which threw me off.

Unlike Luther and The Wire, the plots in True Detective don’t take place in big cities. Season one deals with a series of gruesome murders linked to a serial killer, and the interesting thing about how this show is constructed is that it’s told in the present recounting cases from the past. It brings a fresh approach to the genre and it divides the plot into two storylines: past and present, and how these intermingle.

Another really great cop show that is also a bit different is Line of Duty, which is actually a British production where the investigators are actually investigating dirty cops. There’s betrayal, hard decisions, and just an outstanding cast. It is one of my favorite British cop shows (after Luther, of course!) and counts with five completed seasons and one that’s currently under production (with a couple of episodes already available). What I like about it is that it has that suspense and thriller aspect that I love in a good criminal show, and sometimes it leaves the viewers second-guessing and wondering if the first assumptions were correct. At times one feels the frustration of the main characters and just wants to be part of the plot to smack the “bad guys” around.

I believe any show (or movie for that matter) capable of rising any type of emotion within us has done a good job (as long as it’s not one of annoyance and impatience… hahaha!).

Finally, and really quickly (if you’ve read this far, dear reader, thank you!), I’d like to mention The Killing. This is also a show that’s now retired (not unlike The Wire) and that I found extremely suspenseful (aka binge-worthy). The main detective, Sarah Linden (portrayed by Mireille Enos) finds herself investigating the murder of a 17-year old whose body has been found in the trunk of a submerged car. The plot thickens with each season and unravels conspiracies and corruption. She works alongside Stephen Holder (played by Joel Kinnaman whom I incidentally also met on the set of Robocop, since I’m in a bragging mood, might as well put that out there too, and might add that I surprised him by talking to him in Swedish! Yes, bragging again, so sue me!) and throughout the seasons they build a strong rapport with great chemistry. If you have watched or are intrigued by any of the previous shows I mentioned, then this one is one worth checking out as well. If you read my post on Scandinavian shows, this one has a bit of the feel of the series I discussed there.

Thank you again for reading throughout my recommendations and if you watch any of these, I hope you do enjoy them!