With the final episode of Line of Duty set to air tonight, you may be wondering how you will ever fill your Sunday evenings again.
But don’t worry – TV bosses have plenty more crime dramas up their sleeves that are sure to become ratings hits.
2021 will bring a whole raft of thrillers lining up to fill the void left by the BBC police smash.
These include the return of crime favourites such as Vera and Baptiste and a new one with Suranne Jones.
Here’s our pick of the best…
Vigil
BBC1 – Later this Year
The bar is set high for this one as World Productions – the makers of Line of Duty and Bodyguard – are behind it.
Scott & Bailey star Suranne Jones plays DCI Amy Silva, who is leading an investigation into the mysterious disappearance of a fishing trawler and a death on board a nuclear submarine.
Expect plenty of thrills, as police clash with the Navy and British security services, and the investigation looks set to have far-reaching consequences…
Wolfe
Sky One & Now – Out in autumn
There’s a new Cracker in town, ladies and gents – and if you loved the original Robbie Coltrane Nineties drama, this is an absolute must.
The six-parter, from Shameless creator Paul Abbott, centres around the north of England’s most formidable crime scene expert Wolfe Kinteh, played by Guerilla’s Babou Ceesay.
Wolfe is remarkable yet flawed forensic pathologist who can deduce the seemingly unfathomable from the gore of a crime scene.
Often, there’s as much going on in the university pathologist’s unsettled family life as there is in his cases – and that’s before we even get to his deceptive co-workers. Cracking stuff.
The Long Call
ITV – Later this year
Fleabag’s Ben Aldridge plays DI Matthew Venn, who returns to the quiet North Devon village where is grew up with husband Jonathan (Declan Bennett) in tow.
Venn was raised in a strict religious community that he turned his back on. But after a body is found on a beach close to his home village, he’s forced to reunite with the Brethren community.
The four-part series also stars Doctor Who’s Pearl Mackie and Truly, Madly, Deeply’s Juliet Stevenson.
Baptiste 2
BBC1 – Out in spring
French crime whizz Julien Baptiste (Tcheky Karyo) will be returning to our screens a broken man.
Scarred by a horrific personal tragedy, he’s pushed his wife Celia away and is on a quest for escapism – whether that be at the bottom of a bottle or working a new case.
His moment comes when the family of Ambassador Emma Chambers (Fiona Shaw) disappears in the Hungarian mountains.
Despite no longer being a detective, Emma realises Julien is probably the most likely person to find her family. But tensions rise when the case goes from kidnap to murder and Julien is forced to work closely with the Hungarian police.
Vera, Season 11
ITV – Later this year
Caustic DCI Vera Stanhope (Brenda Blethyn) makes a welcome return to investigate what happened to a builder found beaten to a pulp at the foot of a monument.
The plot thickens when it is revealed that the man in question was about to testify in court as the key witness to a violent assault.
Two feature-length episodes are due to air later this year, with the remaining four likely to spill into 2022.
My Name is Lizzie
Channel 4 – Later this year
The 1992 killing of Rachel Nickell shocked the nation.
Almost 30 years later, Colin Stagg is still associated with the young mum’s death – even though he was falsely charged with her murder and later acquitted.
As the real killer, Robert Knapper, languishes in jail, this four-part drama reveals how Colin was honey-trapped into making a confession by an undercover Met officer, codenamed Lizzie James.
Irish actress Niamh Algar plays Lizzie in this fictionalised retelling of events, which focuses on the bungled police investigation.
The show is based on the 1992 killing of Rachel Nickell
Walter Presents: The Pleasure Principle
All 4 – May 28
In the opening seconds of this show, starring Malgorzata Buczkowska, there’s an idyllic sandy beach that makes you yearn to escape abroad – until a rather sinister discovery is made just off-shore. Yep, you guessed it…there’s a corpse.
We don’t want to put you off your bedtime Horlicks but there’s a lot more where that came from, and very watchable it is too.
With murders in three Eastern European countries, three police departments must team up.
Will it be harmonious? Unlikely. Will you love it? Definitely. It’s so good, you’ll almost forget it’s subtitled.
The Pact
BBC1 and iPlayer – This month
When a young brewery boss dies, four of his employees enter into a pact of silence, bound by a secret that will go on to change the course of their lives.
Police officer Max (played by Three Girls’ Jason Hughes) is on the investigating team but has no idea that his wife Anna (Breaking Bad’s Laura Fraser) and her best friends are at the heart of the conspiracy.
Sounds like divorced could be on the cards – or a hefty prison sentence, at the very least. Also stars Broadchurch’s Julie Hesmondhalgh.
Silent Witness – Series 24
BBC1 – Later this year
Yes, you did read ’24’ correctly! Twenty-five years after it first aired, Silent Witness is still going strong and pathologist Dr Nikki Alexander (Emilia Fox) has yet more cases to untangle.
A bright new member of the team called Adam Yeun (Jason Wong) joings the fold but doesn’t exactly hit it off with his colleagues.
And Jack Hodgson (David Caves) and Nikki grow even closer, with producers teasing that “buried secrets” will emerge. Well, it beats another body I suppose…
Lupin
Netflix – Due out this summer
The first season of this French series, inspired by the character Arsene Lupin, was a huge hit for Netflix.
Assan Diop, played by French actor Omar Sy, is a likeable conman with a heart of gold – and probably a cupboard of it at home too.
Last time, we saw him working as a cleaner at the Louvre in Paris, where he planned to steal a necklace owned by Marie Antoinette.
His father was once accused of taking the chain from his former employee and went on to take his own life in prison.
Lupin is now out for revenge so expect some dangerous plans to start unravelling.
Four Lives
BBC1 – Later this year (subject to change)
This factual crime drama from the formidable team behind The Moorside, is one of the stand-out shows in the offing.
it tells the story of British serial killer and rapist Stephen Port – from the point of view of the families affected – and focuses on their fight to uncover the truth.
Sheridan Smith and Stephen Merchant have both signed up to appear.
