While we have all the time in the world for a teen romance series (Off Campus, we're looking at you), we generally find ourselves drawn to watching police dramas. Thanks to the gritty storylines, recognisable casts and usually-quite-good twists and turns, they're the perfect way to spend an evening. And if you haven't already seen The Shadow Line, get it on your must-watch list asap!
Chiwetel Ejiofor from 12 Years A Slave is superb in the forgotten thriller, which first came out in 2011 on the BBC. And while it's unfortunately no longer available to watch on the channel, you can still stream the 7-part series in full.
What is The Shadow Line about?
It's a complex mystery crime thriller set in London. Detective Jonah Gabriel (played by Ejiofor) is suffering from memory loss when he begins investigating the murder of Harvey Wratten, a notorious drug kingpin who loses his life shortly after being released from prison.
The further into the investigation Jonah gets, the more he's pulled into a dark and terrifying underworld of corruption, organised crime groups, drugs and the blurred line between right and wrong.
Who else is in the cast of The Shadow Line?
It really is a brilliant cast, with Christopher Eccleston from Doctor Who playing Joseph Bede, who is forced to step up in the OCG when his boss is murdered. The rest of the cast and characters include:
- Stephen Rea as Gatehouse, a terrifying member of the group
- Rafe Spall from The Big Short as Jay Wratten, the nephew of the murdered crime boss
- Lesley Sharp as Julie Bede, Joseph's unwell wife
- Kierston Wareing as DS Lia Honey, Gabriel's detective partner
- Richard Lintern from Silent Witness as DCS Richard Patterson, Gabriel's superior officer
- Tobias Menzies from The Crown as Ross McGovern, a journalist following the case
- Antony Sher as Peter Glickman, an associate of the murdered crime boss
- Eve Best from House of the Dragon as Petra Mayler
Where can you watch The Shadow Line?
All seven episodes of The Shadow Line are available to stream on AppleTV+. New subscribers get a 7-day free trial, or if you recently purchased a qualifying Apple device, you get three months of Apple TV+ for free.
Otherwise, AppleTV+ costs £9.99 a month, or £89.99 a year.
What are reviews of The Shadow Line like?
The Guardian said at the time "The show's huge, accomplished cast is one of its finest assets. Antony Sher, Stephen Rea, Eve Best, Freddie Fox, Robert Pugh, Lesley Sharp and Rafe Spall – who gives a controversial performance as Harvey Wratten's psychopathic nephew Jay, but I've grown to love him – all wind in and out of the twisting, turning plot. At times, it's impossible to keep track of, but lends itself brilliantly to discussion"
The Telegraph added, " What a thing it is, the kind of series that has award-winning stamped all over it. Conceived, written and directed by Hugo Blick, it is moodily and artily shot, with the kind of cinematography that makes Britain look like a suburb of the USA. It combines a satisfyingly mysterious and bafflingly complex plot with such knowing post-modern one-liners as "I'm on foot. Typical f***ing British car chase."
One to watch, then!
