The Thin Blue Line

The Thin Blue Line is a British sitcom starring Rowan Atkinson set in a police station that ran for two series on the BBC from 1995 to 1996. It was written by Ben Elton.

The Thin Blue Line (1995-1996) is a British sitcom created by Ben Elton for BBC One. Rowan Atkinson stars as Inspector Raymond Fowler, a bumbling commander running a provincial police station, alongside Serena Evans as Sergeant Patricia Dawkins and David Haig as Detective Inspector Derek Grim. Constables Kevin Goody (James Dreyfus) and Maggie Habib (Mina Anwar) round out the squad. The engine of the show is the gap between the station's self-importance and its incompetence: schemes, rivalries and petty ambitions collapse inside a single police station, and each episode is built from a case-of-the-week that the officers mangle with escalating farce. The format is a short, two-season run of fourteen episodes, a compact workplace comedy with the feel of a stage farce. Its tone is cheeky, camp and knowing, with double entendres and direct address to the audience that puncture the procedural conventions of television crime drama. Fans of Blackadder, The Office and Brooklyn Nine-Nine will find resonance in its satire of institutional self-regard and its ensemble of incompetent authority figures.

Audiences rate the two series positively, with the second season rated higher, for its sharp satire and comic performances.

• Brooklyn Nine-Nineshared workplace comedy satire of police institutions and fourth wall breaking sitcom format
• The Officeshared british sitcom satire of bureaucracy and workplace absurdity
• Blackaddershared british sitcom ensemble comedy with broad physical farce and satire

Created by

Ben Elton

Release Date

1995-11-13

Episode runtime

29 min

Rating

7.5 / 10 (121)

What is The Thin Blue Line about?

A British police station sitcom starring Rowan Atkinson that satirises policing with broad farce and innuendo.

What is The Thin Blue Line like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Thin Blue Line as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as simple.

Is The Thin Blue Line violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Thin Blue Line.

What did critics think of The Thin Blue Line?

Audiences rate the two series positively, with the second season rated higher, for its sharp satire and comic performances.

Which shows are like The Thin Blue Line?

Shows with a similar feel include Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Office, and Blackadder.

How long is The Thin Blue Line?

The Thin Blue Line: 2 seasons, 14 episodes.

Is The Thin Blue Line still running?

No, The Thin Blue Line has ended.

Where can I watch The Thin Blue Line?

In United States, The Thin Blue Line streams on Amazon Prime Video, Britbox Apple TV channel, BritBox, BritBox Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.