James Nesbitt’s Bloodlands Is the Twisty Northern Irish Crime Drama That Line of Duty Fans Shouldn’t Overlook

For viewers who enjoy British crime dramas filled with buried secrets, morally complicated detectives and cases that refuse to stay in the past, Bloodlands offers exactly that kind of tense, unpredictable viewing.

The BBC thriller stars James Nesbitt as DCI Tom Brannick, a Northern Irish detective whose investigation into a disappearance unexpectedly reopens an infamous cold case with a deeply personal connection to his own life.

Created and written by Chris Brandon, with Line of Duty and Bodyguard creator Jed Mercurio serving as an executive producer, the series premiered on BBC One in February 2021. It ultimately ran for two seasons and ten episodes, all set against the striking landscape of Northern Ireland.

A disappearance brings a disturbing case back from the past

The mystery begins when a vehicle is pulled from Strangford Lough following the disappearance of a former IRA figure.

For Brannick, details surrounding the case immediately feel familiar. They point toward an investigation dating back to the turbulent years of the Troubles and an elusive assassin known only as Goliath.

Goliath’s victims came from both sides of Northern Ireland’s political divide, but the killer was never identified. The case is particularly painful for Brannick because his wife is believed to have been among the victims.

As new evidence emerges, Brannick becomes increasingly determined to uncover what happened, even as others worry that digging into crimes committed during the Troubles could threaten the fragile peace that followed.

That tension between justice and reconciliation gives Bloodlands an additional dimension beyond the conventional police procedural. Creator Chris Brandon has explained that the drama was built partly around the question of how Northern Ireland can confront unresolved injustices from its past while protecting the peace of the present.

James Nesbitt leads a strong Northern Irish cast

Nesbitt takes center stage as Brannick, playing a detective whose professional determination becomes increasingly difficult to separate from his private grief.

Alongside him is Charlene McKenna as DS Niamh McGovern, with Lorcan Cranitch as DCS Jackie Twomey, Lola Petticrew as Brannick’s daughter Izzy and Chris Walley as DC “Birdy” Bird.

Victoria Smurfit joined the second season as Olivia Foyle, a mysterious widow who becomes central to Brannick’s latest investigation.

The first season consists of four hour-long episodes, while the second expands the story across six, making the complete drama a relatively compact ten-episode binge.

Why Bloodlands feels familiar to Line of Duty fans

The connection to Line of Duty goes beyond comparisons made by viewers.

Bloodlands became the first drama commissioned by HTM Television, the production company formed by Hat Trick Productions and Jed Mercurio. Mercurio helped develop Brandon’s original script and served as executive producer.

Brandon has credited Mercurio with helping sharpen the thriller mechanics of the series, particularly its ability to build toward episode endings designed to keep viewers watching.

The result is a mystery filled with shifting suspicions, hidden motives and revelations that repeatedly change the audience’s understanding of the investigation.

The Guardian described the opening series as a tense thriller with a dense story, while other critics noted its clear connections to Mercurio’s previous television work.

Northern Ireland isn’t merely a backdrop

One of Bloodlands‘ most distinctive elements is its setting.

Much of the drama was filmed around Strangford Lough in County Down, alongside locations in Belfast and the Mourne Mountains. Brandon spent part of his childhood overlooking the lough and has said its windswept islands, shorelines and constantly changing weather helped inspire the series.

That landscape becomes an essential part of the show’s atmosphere. The seemingly peaceful waters and isolated countryside provide an appropriately unsettling backdrop for a story concerned with secrets that have remained buried for decades.

Mercurio described Strangford Lough as both beautiful and eerie — qualities the production deliberately used to strengthen the thriller’s mood.

A compact crime binge with plenty of twists

Across its two seasons, Bloodlands combines a police investigation with the political and emotional consequences of Northern Ireland’s recent history.

Rather than presenting Goliath simply as another killer to catch, the drama asks what happens when solving an old crime could expose secrets that powerful people would rather leave untouched.

And because Brannick’s own history is inseparable from the investigation, the mystery becomes increasingly personal as the truth begins to emerge.

For viewers drawn to the darker side of British television — particularly Line of Duty-style investigations involving compromised loyalties, cold cases and detectives carrying secrets of their own — Bloodlands remains a gripping ten-episode drama worth discovering.