# Murphy's Law (2001)

> A maverick Irish-born detective with a troubled past goes undercover in London's criminal underworld, backed by a single ally.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/5828

## Facts

- Seasons: 5
- Episodes: 23
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, drama
- Created by: Colin Bateman
- Network: BBC One
- Cast: James Nesbitt, Del Synnott, Liam Cunningham, Andrea Lowe, Claudia Harrison, Francis Magee, Jessica Oyelowo, Owen Teale
- TMDB rating: 7.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0408403/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: gritty, tense, grounded, bleak

## What critics say

Critics broadly single out James Nesbitt's lead performance, while the show's later seasons are generally seen as weaker than its opening run.

## Synopsis

Murphy's Law (2001-2007) is a British crime drama series created by Colin Bateman and broadcast on BBC One. James Nesbitt stars as Detective Sergeant Tommy Murphy, a maverick Irish cop with a dark past who, after failing a psychiatric assessment, is handed one last chance by his superiors. Del Synnott plays his colleague DC Alan Carter, while Claudia Harrison appears as DI Annie Guthrie, the ally who joins Murphy on the job. The engine of the show is Murphy's dangerous undercover work inside London's criminal world, where he must stay alive while answering to nobody but himself. Each season is built from a run of gritty, self-contained cases that gradually tighten around the characters, spanning five seasons and twenty-three episodes. The atmosphere is tense, grimy and grounded, with an uneasy moral edge and a lone wolf who operates on his own terms. Fans of The Sweeney and Cracker will find the same blend of hard-edged policing and damaged, unpredictable protagonists here.

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