Blue Lights

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 dont 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...