Blu-ray: To Live and Die in LA

TO LIVE AND DIE IN LA Stylish 1985 thriller replete with car chases in a welcome restoration

Stylish 1985 thriller replete with car chases in a welcome restoration

William Friedkin’s super-stylish bad cop/bad villain thriller was his return to form after the disasters of Cruising and Sorcerer. To Live and Die in LA didn’t achieve the instant classic status of The French Connection when it was released in 1985, but it's enjoyed a cult following ever since, and this new edition in a restored print is a treat.

Removal Men, The Yard Theatre

REMOVAL MEN, THE YARD THEATRE Tight, nervous tragicomedy with an original take on immigration issues

Tight, nervous tragicomedy with an original take on immigration issues

If you thought that a contemporary drama about forcible repatriation, set in an Immigration removal centre, would be about the plight of those confined in places like the infamous Yarl’s Wood, in Removal Men writers MJ Harding and Jay Miller give us something unexpected.

Deep Water, BBC Four

DEEP WATER, BBC FOUR Promising, disturbing opening to Sydney gay-themed detective drama

Promising, disturbing opening to Sydney gay-themed detective drama

Australian drama has come on in leaps and bounds since Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, The Sullivans and Prisoner: Cell Block H. While Neighbours and Home and Away continue to play in the sand, other shows – The Secret Life of Us, The Dr Blake Mysteries and Cloud Street – display more ambition. Their reach may sometimes exceed their grasp but that’s what TV is for. Do check out the five-star metrosexual comedy drama Please Like Me on Amazon Prime. You’ll like it.

The Night Of, Sky Atlantic

THE NIGHT OF, SKY ATLANTIC A dark voyage through the heart of American law and order

A dark voyage through the heart of American law and order

On the face of it a murder mystery, The Night Of develops steadily into a panoramic survey of the American justice and prison system and attitudes to race and class. Produced by BBC Drama and HBO, it's based on the BBC's 2008 series Criminal Justice (which starred Ben Whishaw). The good news is you can watch all eight episodes right away on Now TV.

Ripper Street, Series 4, BBC Two

RIPPER STREET, SERIES 4, BBC TWO A slow start back in Whitechapel: London busy before Jubilee

A slow start back in Whitechapel: London busy before Jubilee

H Division has a new home in Whitechapel that basks in the white heat of the technological revolution. The police station not only has a telephone but a “microreader” that allows the user to check thousands of miniaturised card indexes. Alas, a wry smile is all the viewer is likely to get from this opening episode of the fourth season. Nothing happens until the last ten minutes.

19-2, Spike

19-2, SPIKE Variation on cop buddy drama unfolds on the clean streets of Montreal

Variation on cop buddy drama unfolds on the clean streets of Montreal

Canada has been Uncle Sam’s body-double in countless drama productions. Shooting on location is easier and cheaper north of the border. One twinkly city skyline looks very much like another. 19-2 is set in and around car number two as it patrols the clean streets of the 19th district of Montreal. And yes, from the very first moments – “Maybe we should call for back-up?” – it feels like we’ve been here before.

Marcella, Series Finale, ITV

MARCELLA, SERIES FINALE, ITV London-based Scandi noir avoids Stockholm syndrome

London-based Scandi noir avoids Stockholm syndrome

In the end, the swirling fragments of Marcella all fell together quite nicely, though Anna Friel's portrayal of Marcella Backland never made you think you were watching a real detective in action. Afflicted with memory loss, blackouts and intermittent "fugue states", she was more like a series of devices and obfuscations to make sure you never had a fighting chance of being certain about what was going on.

Undercover, Series Finale, BBC One

UNDERCOVER, SERIES FINALE, BBC ONE Implausible drama about institutional racism in the UK and US had its heart in the right place

Implausible drama about institutional racism in the UK and US had its heart in the right place

In its final episode Undercover tied up a lot of loose ends and introduced a number of new ones. The biggest loose end to remain unaddressed was pretty big. Nick Johnson was the alias of a policeman who in 1996 went undercover to spy on black activist Michael Antwi and his lawyer Maya Cobbina. Nick promptly fell in love with Maya; they married and had children.

Line of Duty, Series 3 Finale, BBC Two

LINE OF DUTY, SERIES 3 FINALE, BBC TWO Vicky McClure takes charge in pulsating showdown to round off gripping series

Vicky McClure takes charge in pulsating showdown to round off gripping series

At last, after three series, Line of Duty delivered a denouement that felt like a satisfying jackhammer to the solar plexus. In the first series the bent copper under investigation escaped justice by jumping in front of a lorry. In the second there were more loose ends than are generally produced by a rope factory. It turns out that patience is a virtue and we should all have had faith.

Undercover, BBC One

UNDERCOVER, BBC ONE Sophie Okonedo and Adrian Lester play a married couple caught in an intriguing cat's cradle

Sophie Okonedo and Adrian Lester play a married couple caught in an intriguing cat's cradle

The BBC Drama department can’t be faulted for reading the news. Last year London Spy riffed on the mystery of the corpse of the spy found in a suitcase in an MI6 safehouse. Now Undercover sinks its teeth into another juicy set of headlines about coppers who go into such deep cover they sire children with the activists they’re spying on.