The Cops

They lie, cheat, steal, do coke, beat up people and then snitch on them. They also happen to be cops from the North of England who have been known to spend their time on the job betting on whether the bloke on the ledge is going to jump or not..: THE COPS sings a swan song for the old battle between good against evil. This series, the brainchild of master of the genre Tony Garnett (BETWEEN THE LINES) shows the daily grind of law and order in a fictional suburb of Manchester. Garnett, who was already producing politically controversial television with Ken Loach way back in the 60ies, is sometimes called Britain's answer to U.S. police-show wizard Steven Bochco (NYPD BLUE). Obvious affinities, for instance the use of pseudo-documentary techniques, are fully intended. It is just this drastic realism that has led to the lambasting the authors have received on occasion: THE COPS is »both socially and morally irresponsible« and, so it goes on, stirs up even greater prejudice against the police. But other TV critics have showered the series with accolades. Even before its debut in October 1998, BBC2 had already ordered new episodes from Garnett.