I Fought The Law

Ann Ming is distraught when her 22-year-old daughter Julie goes missing. The police suggest that Julie must have fled to London to reunite with Julie's estranged husband, but Ann knows that Julie would never leave 5-year-old Kevin behind.

I Fought the Law (2025) is a British docudrama limited series created by Ann Ming and Jamie Crichton and broadcast on ITV1. Sheridan Smith plays Ann Ming, a mother whose 22-year-old daughter Julie (Victoria Wyant) vanishes. Police insist Julie fled to London to reunite with her estranged husband, Matthew Hogg (Jake Davies), but Ann is certain her daughter would never leave five-year-old Kevin (Buddy Wignall-Ho) behind. Daniel York Loh plays Charlie Ming, and Jack James Ryan plays William Dunlop, figures who shape the family's struggle. The engine of the series is a determined parent pushing against official indifference, step by step through phone calls, doorsteps, and stubborn questions that the authorities would rather not hear. Told in four feature-length episodes of roughly 47 minutes each, it is a single continuing story rather than a case-of-the-week format. Its British criminal justice tradition is grounded and restrained, set in contemporary England with London as a key destination of the investigation. The tone is sober, anxious, and emotionally raw, with a focus on grief, persistence, and the weight of being dismissed. Fans of Broadchurch, Making a Murderer, and When They See Us will find resonance in its blend of true-story procedural pressure and family devastation.

• Making a Murderertrue story missing person investigation, family-driven grief and persistence against police inaction
• Broadchurchmother pursuing a missing child case against institutional indifference, grounded British crime drama
• When They See Usdocudrama dramatization of real criminal justice failures told through a determined protagonist

Created by

Ann Ming, Jamie Crichton

Release Date

2025-08-31

Episode runtime

47 min

Rating

7.2 / 10 (21)

What is I Fought The Law about?

A distraught mother refuses to accept police theories as she searches for her missing daughter Julie, who she is certain would never abandon her young son.

What is I Fought The Law like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of I Fought The Law as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is I Fought The Law violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in I Fought The Law as mild.

Which shows are like I Fought The Law?

Shows with a similar feel include Making a Murderer, Broadchurch, and When They See Us.

How long is I Fought The Law?

I Fought The Law: 1 season, 4 episodes.

Is I Fought The Law still running?

No, I Fought The Law has ended.

Where can I watch I Fought The Law?

In United States, I Fought The Law streams on PBS Masterpiece Amazon Channel, Thirteen, WETA+.