The world is full of TV cop shows; 'The Cops' is my favourite, and in some senses, it's barely a cop show at all. Instead, it's a raw, funny, character-led drama, about lonely people trying to hold it together on both sides of the law. It is a bit grim: we rarely see anyone happy, but the portraits that are painted are very rounded: it forces us to sympathise in one episode with someone who has acted unforgivably in the previous one. The cast are all great; the hand-held camera work feels a bit dizzying at times but adds to the air of realism. But above all else, there's a willingness to leave the audience discomfitted on display which few programes since had the courage to emulate. In my opinion, it's one of the best drama series ever made.
