One of Britain’s most beloved crime dramas is making a comeback — and the way it’s happening feels very familiar to anyone who watched Dexter: New Blood breathe fresh life into a show that had been off the air for years.
Line of Duty, the BBC’s acclaimed six-series police corruption thriller, is reportedly in discussions for a revival. The show, which ended its original run in 2021, would be following a path increasingly common in prestige television: returning after a concluded finale to continue a story fans thought was finished.
It’s a trend that Dexter helped popularize when it returned in 2021 with Dexter: New Blood — a limited series revival that aired nearly a decade after the original show’s divisive finale. Now, Line of Duty appears to be considering a similar move.
Why Line of Duty Coming Back Is a Bigger Deal Than It Sounds
Line of Duty wasn’t just a popular show — it was a cultural phenomenon in the UK. At its peak, the Series 6 finale in 2021 drew over 12 million viewers, making it one of the most-watched drama episodes in British television history. Creator Jed Mercurio built the series around AC-12, an anti-corruption unit within a fictional British police force, with each series centered on investigating a different “bent copper.”
The show’s finale divided audiences. Many felt the reveal of the mysterious “H” — the fourth man at the top of an organized crime group — was underwhelming after years of speculation. That sense of unfinished business is precisely the kind of thing that makes a revival feel both risky and compelling.
If a revival moves forward, it would join a growing list of crime and drama series that returned after seemingly definitive endings — and the comparison to Dexter is one the conversation around the show has actively invited.
The Dexter Playbook: How Revival TV Has Changed the Game
When Dexter ended in 2013, it was widely considered one of the worst series finales in television history. Showtime eventually greenlit Dexter: New Blood as a way to give the story — and the audience — a more satisfying conclusion. It worked well enough that Paramount+ later commissioned Dexter: Resurrection, continuing the revival further.
That model — return, reset, and reconnect with a passionate fanbase — has become a recognizable formula in modern television. Shows like The X-Files, Twin Peaks, and 24: Legacy all attempted variations of it. Some succeeded. Some didn’t. The difference, more often than not, comes down to whether there’s a genuine story left to tell or whether the revival exists purely to capitalize on nostalgia.
With Line of Duty, the argument for a genuine story remaining is stronger than many revivals. The organized crime storyline was never fully resolved to the satisfaction of its most devoted viewers, and the AC-12 team — led by Superintendent Ted Hastings — left enough threads dangling to sustain new material.
What We Know (and Don’t Know) About the Line of Duty Revival
Details at this stage remain limited. What has been reported is that discussions around a Line of Duty return are underway, putting it in the same category as many tentative revivals that take considerable time to move from conversation to confirmed production.
| Show | Original Finale | Revival Format | Revival Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dexter | 2013 | Limited series (New Blood) | Revived; further sequel commissioned |
| Line of Duty | 2021 | To be confirmed | Reported to be in discussions |
No cast confirmations, episode counts, or broadcast dates have been publicly announced. Whether Adrian Dunbar, Vicky McClure, and Martin Compston — the three leads who became household names through the series — would return is among the biggest unanswered questions.
All three have remained closely associated with the show’s identity. A revival without the AC-12 core trio would be a fundamentally different proposition to audiences.
Why Fans Are Both Excited and Cautious
The fanbase for Line of Duty is passionate and, frankly, demanding. The show trained its audience to scrutinize every detail — freeze-framing documents, cross-referencing character histories, building elaborate theories across online communities. That same audience will bring those same expectations to any revival.
The risk is real. A rushed or poorly executed return could damage the show’s legacy in the same way Dexter‘s original finale did. But a carefully crafted limited series — one that genuinely resolves the corruption conspiracy rather than recycling old plot beats — could deliver exactly the closure audiences have been asking for since 2021.
The Dexter: New Blood comparison cuts both ways. That revival was praised for its first half and criticized for how it ultimately concluded. It demonstrated that returning to a beloved crime series is possible, but that sticking the landing remains the hardest part.
What Happens Next for the Potential Revival
For now, Line of Duty‘s return remains in the discussion phase. No broadcaster has officially announced a commission, and no production timeline has been confirmed. The BBC, which aired all six original series, would be the natural home for any revival — but streaming platforms have shown increasing appetite for exactly this kind of prestige crime content.
Jed Mercurio’s involvement would be considered essential by most observers, given how personally he shaped the show’s tone, plotting, and mythology across its entire run. Whether he is actively developing new material or simply in early conversations has not been publicly confirmed.
If the revival does move forward, it will be one of the most scrutinized returns in British television history — and one that the ghost of Dexter will be hovering over the entire time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a Line of Duty revival officially confirmed?
No. As of the reporting available, discussions about a revival are underway, but no official commission or announcement has been made.
How is Line of Duty’s potential revival similar to Dexter?
Both shows concluded their original runs with finales that divided audiences, and both have been discussed as candidates for limited series revivals designed to revisit and potentially resolve unfinished storylines.
Would the original cast return for a Line of Duty revival?
This has not yet been confirmed. Whether Adrian Dunbar, Vicky McClure, and Martin Compston would reprise their roles remains one of the key unanswered questions.
When did Line of Duty originally end?
The show’s sixth and most recent series concluded in 2021, with its finale drawing over 12 million viewers in the UK.
Who created Line of Duty?
The series was created by Jed Mercurio, who wrote and produced the show across all six of its original series.
Where would a Line of Duty revival likely air?
The BBC broadcast all six original series and would be considered the most natural home for a revival, though no broadcaster has been officially confirmed at this stage.
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