A lot of spinoffs tend to resemble the original show but Law & Order: UK distinguishes itself by dividing each of its episodes into two parts, with the first half focussing on the crime and the second focusing on the legal proceedings. This way, fans get the best of both police work and court trials.
Every fan of the show has an episode the most in each season but some are too good that they are universally considered superior. With the police procedural serving a couple of different tales per season, it can be difficult to pick the best but there is fan consensus, which is mostly revealed through IMDb ratings.
8 “Unsafe” (Season 1) – 8.1
A decade-old skeleton of a businessman is found in an abandoned flat. The victim’s former business partner Luke Slade had been convicted of the crime after a witness claimed he confessed to them. In jail, Slade has studied law so he wins himself another trial in which he claims Steel wrongfully arrested him. Because of the new developments, Steel’s career is put on the line.
Intelligent antagonists always leave fans impressed and the brilliance of “Unsafe” lies in the schemes of Slade, who outfoxes both the justice system and the police, making everyone believe he is innocent. The constant suspense throughout the episode makes things entertaining, as it is constantly implied that Steel’s career might soon be over. Luckily, there’s always the extra witness who saves the day, and Slade’s cellmate is the person that comes to the rescue.
7 “Honor Bound” (Season 2) – 8.2
In this episode, detective Jimmy Valentine shoots an informant during a drug operation and claims self-defense but Brooks is convinced that it was all intentional. An investigation is carried out, in which Valentine is revealed to be part of the drug operation, but there is a twist as he implicates Brooks too.
“Honor Bound” dives deep into the “dirty cop” trope and explores it better by including twists that viewers rarely see coming. The episode also sheds light on several loopholes in law enforcement, specifically the fact that the act of framing can be done quite easily for those who understand the system well. More importantly, it raises the discussion on police remuneration, which is described as too low and that’s why officers choose to work with criminals.
6 “Broken” (Season 3) – 8.2
A 5-year-old boy is found murdered in an abandoned flat and two other children who were spotted accompanying him are charged. Each names the other as the culprit, giving investigators a hard time finding the true guilty party. Interestingly, the boy’s mother wants neither of them to be punished. She wants them to undergo psychiatric care instead.
In the season premiere, the writers do a perfect job at showing how difficult cases are to handle when children are involved. Mental health also takes a priority, with some sharing the opinion that crimes stemming from mental health problems should be accused and others insisting on justice for the victims. Professional glory also comes into play. Despite the mother wanting mercy, some law enforcement officers don’t want the hard work they’ve put in to go to waste.
5 “Skeletons” (Season 4) – 8.3
A serial killer is murdering people and leaving notes in this episode. Most of the killings are racially motivated, and the writings point to convicted killer Andrew Dillon, but it turns out he isn’t the culprit. In fact, he might not have committed the murders and this wasn’t established earlier because Steel got rid of the alibi.
“Skeletons” explores a couple of important issues, the most important ones being racially charged crimes and wrongful convictions. Through the turn of events, it becomes painfully clear how long it will take to eradicate the two. Steel’s negative traits are also put on display for viewers to frown over. Because of him, an innocent man has spent years in jail. But as is always the case whenever he is about o lose his job, he survives again.
4 “Deal” (Season 5) – 8.5
A single mother is shot and killed in her bed. Her boyfriend becomes the suspect but it’s discovered that the victim is a 13-year-old, who meant to shoot someone else but the bullet missed, thus entering the mother’s apartment. It’s further discovered that the boy is being forced to do crimes by a known drug dealer. Outside court, someone tries to shoot the boy but Delvin takes a bullet for him.
The heroic action by Delvin during the drive-by shooting is entertaining enough to make “Deal” one of the best episodes of Law & Order: UK. His bravery has always made the action sequences more intriguing and here, he tops everything he has done before. The melancholy that results from his death also makes the episode an unforgettable one. In addition to that, the narco-trafficking themes are good enough to hook fans of some of the best TV shows about the drug trade, like Breaking Bad.
3 “Survivor’s Guilt” (Season 6) – 8.1
Here, Casey shows up to investigate Devlin’s death, but his partner Ronnie keeps interfering. A man named Jamaal is singled out as the culprit and he explains he was only trying to shoot the drug lord for killing his brother but shot Devlin instead.
The best thing about “Survivor’s Guilt” is that it keeps fans torn on whether to root for Jamaal or demand for his blood. Accidental deaths always hurt but fans can’t help but feel pity for Jamaal in this instance since he was trying to get rid of a bad person who the police had failed to bring to justice. Nevertheless, it’s impossible to forget that his actions have led to the death of a fan-favorite character.
2 “Tracks” (Season 7) – 8.1
Someone leaves their car on a railway level crossing, causing a train to crash. There are 15 casualties as a result. The car owner becomes the suspect but police learn that the vehicle had been stolen. Apparently, the thief wanted to commit suicide but changed his mind.
“Tracks” shows how difficult the lives of police officers can be by exploring Casey’s trauma, which results from him not being able to save some of the victims in time. Angles like these are what make the show a contender for the top spot among the rankings of all Law & Order spinoffs. The episode also serves as a lecture on the difference between manslaughter and murder since there is confusion for a while about which charge the suspect should be given. By the end, viewers get to understand what qualifies as murder and what doesn’t.
1 “Repeat To Fade” (Season 8) – 8.2
In what could count as one of the worst crimes in the Law & Order franchise, a young mother at a London marketplace. A teenager confesses but rather than his word, they don’t have any evidence or witnesses to make the case a tight one. This makes them reluctant to prosecute since the teenager might be lying.
Once again, the difficulties of law enforcement work are highlighted. In as much as the officers are eager to charge the teenager, they are haunted by paranoia since they’ll be in trouble if it emerges they had it all wrong. The paranoia isn’t all for nothing since what they are afraid of has happened before.
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