The Fate of This 96% British Crime Series Has Finally Been Decided
You waited. You argued about that finale. You wondered if AC-12's story was really over. Now we've got the answer: Line of Duty is officially coming back for Season 7.
After three years of questions and a lot of hopeful noise from fans, the BBC is moving forward with a new chapter of Jed Mercurio (movies and tv series)'s hit corruption thriller. And yes - the core trio is back. Martin Compston (movies and tv series), Vicky McClure (movies and tv series), and Adrian Dunbar (movies and tv series) are all returning.
"Line of Duty has been a job of a lifetime," Compston said in a statement. "Not only in terms of the show's success but the people (movies and tv series) I've had the opportunity to work with I now call some of my closest friends. I can't wait to pull the waistcoat on again and get the team back together."
Filming is set for spring 2026 in Belfast. It's a long runway, sure, but it gives the team time to reset after that divisive Season 6 ending - the one (movies and tv series) that left a lot of viewers feeling like the hunt for 'H' didn't land the way it should have.
Creator Jed Mercurio kept it simple and, honestly, a little cheeky: "Everyone involved in Line of Duty feels enormous gratitude to the show's fans. We're privileged to have had so many of you follow the ups and downs of AC-12 over six previous seasons and we couldn't be more delighted to be returning for a seventh. Corruption in this country is supposed to have come to an end while Line of Duty was off air so I've been forced to use my imagination."
What this means if you cover TV news
- Core cast locked: Compston, McClure, Dunbar.
- Production timeline: shoots spring 2026 in Belfast.
- Positioning: a fresh start after a polarizing Season 6 finale.
- Distribution: expect a BBC One/BBC iPlayer rollout in the UK (catch up on past seasons via BBC iPlayer).
What Is 'Line of Duty' Season 7 About?
The synopsis isn't coy. The show is spelling out the stakes up front - and they're different.
"In series 7, AC-12 has been disbanded and rebranded the Inspectorate of Police Standards. Anticorruption work has never been more difficult and in this challenging climate Steve Arnott (movies and tv series) (Compston), Kate Fleming (McClure) and Ted Hastings (movies and tv series) (Dunbar) are assigned their most sensitive case so far."
Enter Detective Inspector Dominic Gough (movies and tv series). On paper, he's a star - a charismatic officer racking up wins against organized crime. But the accusation on the table is serious: abusing his position to act as a sexual predator. The big question the show's asking is whether that case is the real story, or a smokescreen for something larger still lurking in the shadows.
Why this comeback matters
- It's a reset of the show's core engine. No AC-12 as we knew it; a new structure and pressure from above changes the game.
- Thematically, the series is leaning into the cost of oversight in a climate that doesn't want watchdogs. That's fertile ground for Line of Duty's brand of slow-burn dread.
- For audiences still debating Season 6, this is a chance to see if the team can stick a new landing - and maybe rewrite the aftertaste of that finale.
Here's what this could mean: a tighter, more contained case with the same institutional rot creeping in from the edges. Maybe it's timing, but the setup feels like a deliberate pivot - smaller at first glance, riskier under the hood.
We'll keep tracking casting updates, episode count, and scheduling once production gets underway. For now, the waistcoats are coming out of storage. AC-12 may be gone in name, but the fight isn't.
