Line of Duty (2012)
If you think catching criminals is tough, try catching police officers.
A drama about the investigations of AC-12, a controversial police anticorruption unit.
| Type | TV series |
|---|---|
| First aired | 26 June 2012 |
| Status | Returning Series |
| Genre | Crime, Drama, Mystery |
| Created by | Jed Mercurio |
| Starring | Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar |
| Seasons | 7 seasons, 42 episodes |
| Episode length | about 60 min |
| Time to watch it all | about 42 hours |
| Rated | TV-MA |
| Scores | TMDB users 8.2/10 |
Where to watch Line of Duty
Line of Duty is streaming on Prime Video ($13.98 a month) in the US. It is also on Fubo, Peacock ($16.99 a month) and Tubi. At ten hours a week, all of the series takes about 1 month of Prime Video, or $13.98 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 31 October 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
Where to watch Line of Duty in 9 other countries
| Country | Streaming on (price a month) |
|---|---|
| Australia | Binge $19.00 AUD, Foxtel, ARD/ZDF |
| Canada | Prime Video $9.99 CAD |
| Denmark | Tv2dk, Drtv free |
| Guernsey | Netflix |
| Ireland | Skygo |
| Japan | Prime Video ¥600 JPY, U-NEXT ¥2189 JPY |
| Norway | NRK free |
| Sweden | TV4 Play free, SVT Play free |
| United Kingdom | Netflix £13.99 GBP, Disney+ £11.99 GBP, Skygo, BBC iPlayer free |
Subscription, free and ad-supported services we track; prices where Binge Boss has a price list for the country. "About" marks a price the service bills in another currency, converted at the day's rate. All countries as data.
What kind of watch this is
Line of Duty turns the procedural on its head by hunting the hunters. AC-12 exists to police the police, a mandate that creates a specific kind of tension where every ally is also a suspect. Jed Mercurio builds these 60-minute episodes like a pressure cooker, allowing the investigation to strangle itself through bureaucracy and suspicion. The format is lean and unforgiving, prioritizing the moral cost of the job over the mechanics of the crime. With 42 episodes across 7 seasons, it is a 42-hour commitment that asks you to trust no one, including the badge on the desk.
What the critics said
Rotten Tomatoes reports 96% positive reviews. Metacritic assigns 86 out of 100 based on 14 critics, a score it labels universal acclaim. The consensus highlights the rotating guest leads and the interrogation scenes, where segments have consumed up to 46 minutes of an episode. Critics often credit these stretches with creating the series' most intense moments. The reception is not uniformly warm, however. The revelation of the character "H" drew mixed reactions, and many view the first three series as significantly superior to the last three. It has built a large cult following.
How it did with audiences
Line of Duty never had the box office numbers to anchor its reputation, so the audience verdict rests on the screen. On TMDB, users rate it 8.2 out of 10. That is a high score for a procedural, where the tension comes from the questions the characters refuse to answer. It suggests viewers found the silence as loud as the shouting.
What came next for the cast
Before 2012, Vicky McClure had one film credit. Adrian Dunbar carried the weight of two Oscar-nominated classics. Afterward, McClure traded the big screen for the small one, landing a lead in Broadchurch. Dunbar’s next project waited five years. Compston kept moving, from Doomsday to Filth. The credits list what came next. They do not say why.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Line of Duty.
Sources
- Line of Duty on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q6553279 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Line of Duty” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
Watch it without paying for the whole year
Binge Boss tracks the series you are on and tells you which services you need this month, and which you can cancel.
Add Line of Duty to your list