Blue Lights (2023)

Excellent. Finest series I've seen in years. Up there with the best of all time. Just extraordinarily good.

This police series exceeded my expectations with its intelligent writing and solid performances all around. There is a lot of tension in many of the scenes on that I started out assuming the worst was going to happen in each situation. But cops don’t die all the time in real life, so it makes sense that most scenes kept it real by avoiding chronic violence and a high body count. None of the officers in the ensemble cast were taken for granted. They were finely down and three-dimensional and I was interested in all of them, caring about what happens to them to a varied amount. There was a few plot twists, but nothing unbelievable or used as a plot shortcut. The end result is that I will look forward to a second season if it comes.

The rather unimaginatively titled, Blue Lights offer up an above average series, albeit with a idealised perspective on modern policing. Lets start with the positives. An interesting setting, Northern Ireland with its "troubles" that still simmer and from time to time, boil over. A raw take on the role of police in this harsh environment. Faced not only with warring factions, be they Loyalist or Republican but also organised and day to day crime. Stories are well written for the most part, whilst characterisations have both depth and humanity. Its easy to relate to the challenges faced by the police in trying to maintain order but also behave like human beings. That said, the reality of Northern Ireland is its a problem created by British imperialism. A problem that wont go away until the UK cedes its last patch of imperialist gain to the nation it rightly belongs to, Ireland. More than that, as we have seen during COVID and beyond the role of police has become increasingly politicised in the worst way possible, not to mention at times, being downright tyrannical. Unsurprisingly, none of these concerns are raised in this BBC produced series. In summary, a well written crime drama that is essentially an entertaining fiction and little more. Watch for entertainment value only.