The BEST episodes of Law & Order: UK

Every episode of Law & Order: UK ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Law & Order: UK!

The longest running crime series in U.S. television history is making its way across the pond for a UK reworking. Series creator Dick Wolf is set to give Law & Order a makeover-for fans in the UK. Law & Order: UK promises to retain the grittiness of the original series, but be uniquely British.

Last Updated: 12/17/2024Network: ITV1Status: Ended
Deal
star
8.54
195 votes

#1 - Deal

Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 8/14/2011

The team investigate, when mother and carer Lia Brown is killed by a stray bullet,what the involvement is of 12-year-old Kaden Blake in her death. Kaden is caught up in the local gang culture, so keeping silent is his only protection. DS Matt Devlin is drawn to this damaged boy, saddened to see a life so doomed by circumstance, and furious that local dealer and gang leader Mark Ellis remains untouchable by the law.

Directors: Andy Goddard
Watch Now:Amazon
Hard Stop
star
8.22
154 votes

#2 - Hard Stop

Season 8 - Episode 7 - Aired 4/23/2014

When a series of shootings claims one of their own, Ronnie and Joe have little time to grieve - they must solve the case before the killer reaches their next target on a hit list that includes CPS director Henry Sharpe. It gradually becomes apparent that the common thread connecting all the names is the case of Mark Glendon, convicted of the murder of his wife four years earlier. Although he's still in custody, a retrial is imminent, putting pressure on the team to catch the murderer before the jury delivers its verdict.

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Dependant
star
8.13
154 votes

#3 - Dependant

Season 7 - Episode 6 - Aired 8/18/2013

A gay father is found beaten to death and his adopted son is missing. DS Brooks and DS Casey track down the baby’s biological parents, Ruth Pendle, a recovering drug addict, and Neil her former boyfriend, who are taken into custody. But their stories don’t match up so who is guilty of murder and why? And there is tension in the CPS offices when Kate Barker struggles to view the case objectively and puts the outcome in jeopardy.

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Dawn Till Dusk
star
8.07
159 votes

#4 - Dawn Till Dusk

Season 6 - Episode 6 - Aired 2/10/2012

Over the course of one long day, the team works on three separate cases, including tracking a serial killer, intervening in a family dispute turned murderous, and disproving an accusation of police intimidation. Will all of the team make it through with their careers intact?

Directors: Mark Everest
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Anonymous
star
8.06
99 votes

#5 - Anonymous

Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/21/2010

For two years, Stephanie Blake (Michelle Bonnard) has been stalked by a man who calls himself 'Giovanni'. She knows nothing about him but he knows everything about her right down to the finest details of what she keeps in her bathroom cabinet. Over time, his e-mails and calls have become more intimidating but without an actual physical threat against her, there is very little the police can do for Stephanie. After initial investigations lead nowhere, the police are forced to abandon the case. Then something happens which shakes our police heroes to their very core. What should be a straightforward prosecution becomes complicated when a key piece of evidence is excluded. Up against Defence Barrister Evelyn Wyndham (Anna Chancellor), James has his work cut out for him. When one of the cops becomes a key witness for the prosecution, the question arises of whether his motivation is genuine or borne out of guilt. Will he perjure himself in order to get the right result?

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Tracks
star
8.05
112 votes

#6 - Tracks

Season 7 - Episode 1 - Aired 7/14/2013

A suicidal man drives his car across a railway crossing causing the train to crash and killing twelve people. The investigation takes on several twists as the law and order teams pursue the case with vigour and determination to uncover the truth of the situation.

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Tick Tock
star
8.04
165 votes

#7 - Tick Tock

Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 7/31/2011

A night club peppered with bullets. Two victims bleeding out on the floor. The start of a deadly gun rampage through the streets of London. With the media swarming all over the case and a hostage to find, DS Matt Devlin and DS Ronnie Brooks are up against the clock as they try to track down the Bonnie and Clyde duo wreaking havoc on the city streets. Capture is far from closure when defence barrister, Phyllis Gladstone, takes the case on, arguing that one of the pair was more innocent victim than violent killer. Did the defendant act out of fear - beaten and bullied into submission by her partner-in-crime, too terrified to escape and alert the police? With two sides to every story, the team are under pressure to make sure someone is held responsible for a murderous spree that cost five lives.

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Crush
star
7.96
162 votes

#8 - Crush

Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 7/24/2011

Lying in a pool of blood, call girl Katka Cizek, seems to have only one admirer capable of her murder. A man with her on the night, a man without an alibi, a man with everything to lose were his secret obsession for her revealed. A seemingly cut and dry case, Alesha, given the reins to lead the cross-examination, begins to suspect someone has reason to frame the accused. Dogged in her pursuit of the truth, she unearths a betrayal of such enormity proving there are no winners in this case.

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Repeat to Fade
star
7.96
154 votes

#9 - Repeat to Fade

Season 8 - Episode 8 - Aired 6/11/2014

Still reeling from the death of one of their own, Ronnie and Joe face a new challenge when an innocent young mum is fatally stabbed in a busy marketplace, just as a senior police officer publicly pledges to crack down on knife crime. Under pressure from all sides, the pair struggle to gather evidence against the youth they think is responsible, and the suspect's unintentional confession appears to bring the case to a close. However, Ronnie is the only person who hears the admission, and it proves difficult getting anyone to believe him. With the detective's honesty cast into doubt and his effectiveness questioned at every turn, is this the end of his career?

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Survivor’s Guilt
star
7.95
192 votes

#10 - Survivor’s Guilt

Season 6 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/6/2012

A drive-by shooting outside the Old Bailey leaves one police officer dead and another wounded in what appears to be a targeted attack on a witness in an attempted murder trial. However, Ronnie and the team are surprised to learn the gunman was specifically targeting police officers, believing his family victims of a police cover-up. The defense team argues their client has been subjected to racism by the police. Can Jake and Alesha convince the jury that the defendant ought to be tried as a murderer and not a victim?

Directors: Andy Goddard
Watch Now:Amazon
Intent
star
7.92
189 votes

#11 - Intent

Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 8/7/2011

Stabbed to death while they slept, the killings of David and Elaine Lerner prove a mystery to DS Matt Devlin and DS Ronnie Brooks. Universally loved, there’s not a single lead that points to grievances held or enemies made. The previous owner of the house soon emerges as a much more likely target for attack - Camilla Mallon, a banker embroiled in a hedge fund scandal. Could the brutal murders be a case of mistaken identity? As our Crown Prosecutors navigate this seemingly senseless crime, Jake’s old mentor, Margaret Rumsfield argues the accused should face only manslaughter charges. Without motive, without intent, can our heroes make a murder charge stick?

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I Predict a Riot
star
7.88
132 votes

#12 - I Predict a Riot

Season 8 - Episode 3 - Aired 3/26/2014

While working with the drug squad, Ronnie and Joe find a skeleton that has been hidden inside the boot of a car in the River Thames. It turns out to be the remains of Taylor Kane, an undercover policeman who went missing in the 1980s - around the time of the Brixton riots. Through clever detection, unsettling evidence is unearthed and the team knows it must raise issues the police would rather forget.

Directors: Mat King
Watch Now:Amazon
Fatherly Love
star
7.86
160 votes

#13 - Fatherly Love

Season 7 - Episode 4 - Aired 8/4/2013

Property developer Charlotte Leigh's body is pulled from the Thames and, after suicide is ruled out, the main suspect is her abusive ex-husband Richard, with whom she was involved in a custody battle over their school-girl daughter Holly, but he has an alibi. Traces of Charlotte's blood are found at the flat she shared with her new man Sean and Holly. Each claim the other was pestering them sexually but Holly is charged with the murder and stands trial. However Ronnie discovers that Sean was also involved with a school-friend of Holly, which swings the case away from the accused.

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Customs
star
7.84
132 votes

#14 - Customs

Season 8 - Episode 5 - Aired 4/9/2014

When the body of an elderly woman is discovered at a well-known suicide spot, Ronnie soon detects foul play, with suspicion falling on the victim's son and daughter-in-law, as well as a doctor who has recently arrived in the UK. However, even after a confession is secured, Joe remains baffled as to the motive, and Kate struggles to remain professional - jeopardising her career and leaving Jake to prosecute the case alone.

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Tremors
star
7.80
160 votes

#15 - Tremors

Season 7 - Episode 2 - Aired 7/21/2013

DS Sam Casey is suspended over the death of Finn Tyler and DI Wes Leyton gets hands on with this investigation, with a reluctant DS Ronnie Brooks as his partner. After a few drinks Jake opens up to new colleague Kate Barker about his mothers' death. We meet Ronnie's estranged daughter and follow Sam as he spends the day with his son, giving new insight into our heroes' off-duty lives.

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Safe
star
7.79
219 votes

#16 - Safe

Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired 7/17/2011

When two year old Ryan Stark goes missing from a high street merry-go-round, his distraught mother, Kayla reports him kidnapped and a massive police hunt is launched to find the missing toddler. In spite of public appeals and additional police manpower, the search throws up more questions than answers. The legal case uncovers a history of dealings with the social services before Ryan went missing, something which alerts our heroes to the possibility that his mother isn’t being entirely truthful. With more than one suspect and little physical evidence, will Ryan’s family ever learn the truth of what happened to their baby boy?

Directors: Julian Holmes
Watch Now:Amazon
Line Up
star
7.79
159 votes

#17 - Line Up

Season 6 - Episode 5 - Aired 2/3/2012

A murder investigation is launched when a concerned citizen alerts the police to a shocking video that is spreading like wildfire on the web, in which a teenage girl is attacked and shot.

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Defence
star
7.75
161 votes

#18 - Defence

Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/23/2010

When three people are brutally murdered in a shop in central London and a fourth left for dead, Matt and Ronnie are up against the clock to find the killer who they fear could strike again at any moment. The nature of the attack was frenzied and brutal with the killer using a bayonet to slay his victims. With this information and a photofit, Matt and Ronnie are quickly must identify the killer before they strike again. James assumes a straightforward case ahead of him. However, things take an unexpected turn when he learns that the defendant has brilliant legal support. With the case for defence looking very strong, James' only hope is to convince a deluded defendant to accept responsibility for his crimes.

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Masquerade
star
7.75
160 votes

#19 - Masquerade

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/14/2010

The mystery surrounding the stabbing of student, Archie Rahman, has our cops chasing their tails when the only clue they have to go on is a library book checked out on the day of his murder. Two students connected to the book have given an alibi for each other but one of them is lying and it's down to our cops to find out which one. When the perpetrator eventually confesses and claims to have acted in self-defence, Alesha is forced to face past demons. It's a delicate balancing act for James who is tasked not only with prosecuting the offender but also with defending a dead victim. Unless the truth of what happened that day is uncovered, a murderer could walk free or an innocent victim be wrongly convicted.

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Paternal
star
7.74
194 votes

#20 - Paternal

Season 7 - Episode 3 - Aired 7/28/2013

A man is found shot dead in a hotel room and the cash he was carrying has gone missing. We discover the man owed his ex-wife thousands of pounds in unpaid child support and was lying to his girlfriend about his line of work. DS Casey and DS Brooks also learn he has a son dying of leukaemia, but hadn't been tested for a bone marrow match. Attention turns to the ex-father-in-law, Philip Donovan. Did he hunt down the father of his dying grandson to try to recoup the unpaid money or is there more to this family set up than first appears? At the CPS Jake and Kate work out their differences and reach a more even keel.

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Bad Romance
star
7.73
160 votes

#21 - Bad Romance

Season 8 - Episode 6 - Aired 4/16/2014

A blood-spattered hotel room and a stolen credit card lead Ronnie and Joe to Charles Hutton, a member of the wealthy upper classes who dotes on his wife, Camille, and daughter, Georgia. The detectives find clues that suggest Georgia gave birth at the scene, but where is the baby now? The young woman and her boyfriend Rufus prove difficult for Jake and Kate to prosecute, and to make matters worse, the defense counsel turns out to be Jake's old nemesis. As the evidence stacks up, how far will Charles go to protect his privileged family?

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Survivor
star
7.71
157 votes

#22 - Survivor

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/7/2010

Survivor begins with the investigation into the murder of Prison Officer Charlie Tyner who is found shot dead on a council estate in Hackney. It soon comes to light that, rather than being the good clean officer of Her Majesty's Prison Service we first believe him to be, Charlie Tyner is corrupt and taking advantage of his position in prison in a number of ways. There are plenty of prisoners inside with reason enough to want to kill Charlie but, being in prison, they have solid alibis so who killed Charlie and why? Crown Prosecutors James Steel and Alesha Phillips find themselves at odds with their boss, George Castle, who is keen to bring to justice the killer of a prison officer. James and Alesha can't help but feel Tyner's abuse should be brought into consideration when charging the accused. And they have their eye on a much greater prize - a career criminal connected to Tyner who has evaded the justice system for too long. Can James and Alesha convince the key witness to give evidence against a man she claims to love?

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Fault Lines
star
7.70
129 votes

#23 - Fault Lines

Season 6 - Episode 7 - Aired 2/17/2012

The frenzied stabbing of a police forensic lab technician unsettles the team in a way they never expected when Detective Sam Casey falls for the killer's next intended victim.

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Skeletons
star
7.68
187 votes

#24 - Skeletons

Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired 4/11/2011

DS Devlin and DS Brooks investigate the murder of a 13 year-old boy boy, Sean Monroe, the son of a fellow police officer who was killed and put down a storm drain. A note found on the body points to the work of Andrew Dillon, who was sentenced for an earlier racial murder and is serving his sentence. The racial motivation for the killing seems confirmed when a second boy, Dev Desai, is found strangled with the same note in his pocket. However, their investigation leads to a security guard, Marcus Wright, who admits to having encounters with both boys at the shops where he works. He says the boys deaths were God's will and he was simply doing God's work. If Wright is to be believed, it means that Dillon was wrongfully convicted. The case becomes personal when James Steel is accused of having purposely buried a witness statement that would have likely exonerated Dillon. He finds himself in dock but the judge allows him to conduct his own defense.

Directors: Andy Goddard
Writer: Dick Wolf
Watch Now:Amazon
Duty of Care
star
7.65
187 votes

#25 - Duty of Care

Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 3/28/2011

The police investigate a suspicious fire that resulted in the death of 13 year-old Ian Parnell. His mother Megan managed to escape but the pathologist confirms that Ian died of smoke inhalation. The boy was severely disabled and unable to care for himself. They follow several false leads including an absent father who is behind on his support payments and a couple of neighborhood lads who were known to have harassed the dead boy. In the end, the evidence points to the mother. In court James and Alesha come up against a barrister who refuses all reasonable offers to settle the case. His disdain for his client leads him to mount a series of increasingly ridiculous defenses. When the truth finally emerges, the Crown prosecutors face a moral dilemma.

Directors: Julian Holmes
Writer: Dick Wolf
Watch Now:Amazon