WhenBlue Lightsdebuted on BBC One last year, it was favourably compared withLine of Duty.
The comparison made sense.
Both love an armed response unit and a cliffhanger.
Its to do with warmth.
To listen to commissioners, warmth is what audiences are currently craving.
The world is a distressing place, runs the logic, so audiences need a helping hand.
Line of Dutywas never one to sprinkle sugar.
Its stories of police corruption and cover-ups were varnished only with action-thriller gloss, not human connections.
It was all external projection.
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Blue Lightsisnt all about the job; its all about the characters doing the job.
Series one introducedGrace, Tommy and Annie, three new recruits to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
UnlikeLine of Dutys main three, were properly allowed in to their emotional and romantic lives.
Viewers dont have to smoosh any faces together because it happens on screen.
Theyre not Robocops out there kicking ass and taking names, but recognisable people.
Blue Lights dramatisation of big themes is as emotionally driven asUnforgottens.
As a crime show,Blue Lightsstrikes a successful balance between confrontation and comfort.
Its natural for audiences to enjoy caring about and believing in the characters we watch.
AsBlue Lightsgourmet Stevie would say, its all a matter of consistency.
In flapjacks and in TV dramas both, you need just the right amount of honey.
Blue Lights series one and two are available now onBBC iPlayerin the UK and on BritBox in the US.
