Vicky McClure’s Trigger Point could be the next Line of Duty − and it’s not alone

Having gone acronymic for the people with six seasons of Line of Duty, Jed Mercurio has left the public wanting more. More dialogue brimming with abbreviations such as “CHIS”, “OCG” and “AMO”. More coppers in the heroic, aphorism-spouting mould of Ted Hastings. And more storylines chock-full of shock deaths, unlikely coincidences and leaps of logic so vast that traversing them would normally require a motorbike with rocket-boosters.

But the indications are that Line of Duty has floated down the Lagan in a bubble for the final time. The show bowed out in April with huge ratings and the mother of all let-downs as it was revealed mysterious uber-villain H was a bumbling bumpkin hidden in plain sight all along. Game Of Thrones suddenly had a rival for worst TV finale in recorded human history. 

Does this mean no more LoD? That would seem a very distinct possibility. All the signs are that cast and crew are done, though the BBC has left the door open to a potential seventh season.

The good news is Mercurio’s Line of Duty formula is easily replicated. Ted Hastings may have headed off to the great briefing room in the sky. Still, there’s no reason other shows cannot reproduce LoD’s blend of wobbly plot, clunking cliff-hangers and characters with speech patterns that suggest they’ve just swallowed Blackstone’s Police Manual.

Jed seems to have already worked that out and has set up a micro-industry pumping out Mini-Mercurios. Already we’ve had Bodyguard (Line of Duty meets The Thick of It) and Bloodlands (Line of Duty meets Derry Girls).

Vicky McClure and Martin Compston in Line of Duty Credit: BBC

He’s not the only one to see the potential in cranking out Very Complicated Police Procedurals in which nobody ever cracks a joke and where the plotholes could accommodate an ocean liner drifting sideways. Here are the contenders, rated for how closely they will cleave to the LoD blueprint. And do bear in mind that, owing to Covid complications, transmission dates have yet to be announced.

Trigger Point, ITV

Starring DCI Kate Fleming herself, Vicky McClure, and produced by Mercurio’s HTM Television – inevitably it stands for “Hat Trick Mercurio” –  Trigger Point would be easy to mistake for a LoD spin-off. It pairs McClure with Adrian Lester as bomb disposal operatives with their own Mercurio-esque abbreviation of “expos”.

There’s a whiff of Bodyguard, too, via a storyline that similarly features insurgents leaving a trail of terror. According to the official ITV blurb our heroes Lana Washington (McClure) and Joel Nutkins (Lester) are pitted in a battle of wits against terrorists staging a summer bombing campaign across London.

Lana and Joel would also appear to be a matey, pints-after-work double act in the tradition of Kate and Steve, having served together in Iraq. And judging by images of the duo in bomb disposal gear, Trigger Point will do its best to replicate the high-stakes set pieces key to Line of Duty’s appeal.

Mercurio rating: Now we’re sucking diesel.

Bloodlands season two, BBC

Featuring James Nesbitt as a gruff former RUC detective haunted by the Troubles, Bloodlands was executive produced by Mercurio. And goodness did it feel like it. There was the same intricate plot that popped a gasket in the final episode. And a similar emphasis on twists arriving out of thin air (such as when Nesbitt’s character turned into a ruthless killer halfway through).

Reviews were mixed – but ratings held up, with an average of 8.2 million tuning in. And so, inevitably, a second series has been commissioned, once again written by Chris Brandon and with Mercurio in the Ted Hastings role of producer.

Mercurio rating: Mother of God! Fans will love it.

Bodyguard season two, BBC

Before Line of Duty series six shattered viewing records, Bodyguard’s first season was the biggest blockbuster of Mercurio’s career. It saw Richard Madden conjuring with the spirit of a Sad James Bond as Principal Protection Officer David Budd, and throwing up real sparks as his character romped with Keeley Hawes’s Right Honourable MP Julia Montague.

Nominated for an Emmy and Golden Globe and distributed internationally by Netflix, Bodyguard was a true phenomenon. And yet, nearly three years on, a second season has yet to be greenlit. Mercurio has confirmed “talks” are ongoing and co-producer Simon Heath says he’s “confident” Budd will be back.

Richard Madden in Bodyguard Credit: BBC

One issue may be the packed schedule of Richard Madden, next seen as a God Among Men in Marvel’s The Eternals. Working with the guy who created Ted Hastings will have been perfect preparation.

Mercurio rating: There’s only one thing Line of Duty fans are interested in and that’s another season of Bodyguard

The Responder, BBC

For once a Mercurio-free crime scene. The BBC series is to be a “comedy-drama”, starring Martin Freeman as a beat-cop in Liverpool. Authenticity is promised courtesy of a script by ex-police officer Tony Schumacher. So it will be interesting to see how many acronyms and abbreviations he squeezes in. Or – who knows? – perhaps they were a Mercurio affectation all along.

Martin Freeman in Responder Credit: BBC

Far from a Line of Duty rip-off it would appear US cop shows such as The Wire are a bigger influence (and potential Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which re-imagines the genre as a workplace chuckle-extravaganza). Freeman is Chris, a rank-and-file copper trying to make through the night (each episode will cover one of his shifts) as he is paired with a rookie partner, played by Adelayo Adedayo.

Mercurio rating: You’ve got a bloody nerve trying to pass this off as a Line of Duty wannabe.

Vigil, BBC

It’s got Steve Arnott, aka Martin Compston, glowering in a uniform– so that’s several LoD boxes ticked. In other aspects, though, Vigil is a very different beast. The setting is submarine HMS Vigil, where a suspicious death is under investigation by Suranne Jones’s DCI Amy Silva (Compston is one of the Vigil crew). 

Meanwhile a fishing trawler has gone missing – raising the question of whether Vigil had anything to do with it. Vigil is written by Tom Edge (Judy, The Crown) and, judging by press shots, looks like the Hunt for Red October meets Broadchurch.

Mercurio rating: Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the Wee Donkey, this one’s all at sea – so LoD parallels could be at a minimum.

Which TV show do you think will be the next Line of Duty? Tell us in the comments section below