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Murphy's Law

TV·2001–2007·5 seasons, 23 episodes·BBC One·Crime, Mystery, Drama·1h·Created by Colin Bateman

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Detective Sergeant Tommy Murphy is a maverick cop with a dark past. After failing a psychiatric assessment, he's given one last chance by his boss and given a dangerous undercover assignment. A loner with little to lose and dealing with everything on his own terms, this time around, however, Murphy has an ally in Detective Inspector Annie Guthrie.

Highest-rated episodes all ranked

  1. 01Murphy's Law S01E03Manic MundayS01E03 · 10.0When world-famous Irish snooker player Mickey Munday comes under pressure to rig the outcome of his game in the forthcoming championships, Murphy and Guthrie go undercover to protect his life and find the culprit when he arrives in London. The stakes are raised for Munday when his long-lost love and daughter reappear in his life.
  2. 02Murphy's Law S01E01Murphy's Law (Pilot)S01E01 · 8.0A team of undertakers moonlight as diamond thieves, and the bodies are stacking up. Detective Sergeant Tommy Murphy goes undercover and discovers a nefarious connection with Japanese heroin dealers. Meanwhile, team leader Hatcher plans the most audacious heist yet. Murphy has to hold his nerve in an epic final showdown.
  3. 03Murphy's Law S01E05Kiss and TellS01E05 · 8.0Following a bungled attempt to close down an elaborate Russian crime-ring, Murphy and Guthrie find themselves embroiled in what appears to be a textbook crime of passion. An unknown blonde is busy murdering London's successful businesspeople. The only link is that all the victims are members of a state-of-the-art health club in the heart of the City.

Castfull cast & details

Episodes by season

Season01Best seasonEpisode ratings across the season — the gold bar is its best episode5Episodes2001–03Aired 8.0Season avg
  1. S01E01Murphy's Law S01E01Murphy's Law (Pilot)September 24, 2001 8.0A team of undertakers moonlight as diamond thieves, and the bodies are stacking up. Detective Sergeant Tommy Murphy goes undercover and disc
  2. S01E02Murphy's Law S01E02Electric BillApril 28, 2003 7.0Richard Mooney, London's most infamous kidnapper, is brought in, and the race is on for Murphy and Guthrie to get a confession in time to sa
  3. S01E03Murphy's Law S01E03Season's bestManic MundayMay 5, 2003 10.0When world-famous Irish snooker player Mickey Munday comes under pressure to rig the outcome of his game in the forthcoming championships, M
  4. S01E04Murphy's Law S01E04ReunionMay 12, 2003 7.0In the glittering world of the West End club scene, the head of security of a well-known East End gang is found murdered. Prime suspect: gan
  5. S01E05Murphy's Law S01E05Kiss and TellMay 19, 2003 8.0Following a bungled attempt to close down an elaborate Russian crime-ring, Murphy and Guthrie find themselves embroiled in what appears to b

Season 1 ranked & reviewed

Season026Episodes2004AiredSeason avg
  1. S02E01Murphy's Law S02E01Jack's BackMay 10, 2004When Guthrie is fatally stabbed in an alleyway, Murphy cancels his holiday to investigate. She was working undercover in the case of three m
  2. S02E02Murphy's Law S02E02Bent Moon on the RiseMay 17, 2004Murphy is assigned to a drug squad headed by Nic Winters after one of Winters' team, Aaron Parmer, commits suicide. There is a concern that
  3. S02E03Murphy's Law S02E03RingersMay 24, 2004Murphy finds himself going undercover with INTERPOL to smash a car smuggling ring run by Godfrey Raines with his son and daughter. Murphy ma
  4. S02E04Murphy's Law S02E04Go Ask AliceMay 31, 2004Murphy goes undercover at a defence biotech contractor that may be covering up an industrial accident. Specifically, a young child is found
  5. S02E05Murphy's Law S02E05ConventJune 7, 2004Murphy goes undercover in a convent when a young nun apparently commits suicide and a second vanishes. Posing as a priest, he finds any numb
  6. S02E06Murphy's Law S02E06The GroupJune 14, 2004Murphy finds himself before a disciplinary review board after having shot a suspect during an arrest and soon out of the force completely. H

Season 2 ranked & reviewed

Season03Episode ratings across the season — the gold bar is its best episode6Episodes2005Aired 6.3Season avg
  1. S03E01Season's bestThe Goodbye LookMay 26, 2005 8.0Murphy is out posing as a criminal armourer to make an arrest. During the set-up he recognises Caz Miller, a man known for his connections t
  2. S03E02Disorganised CrimeJune 2, 2005 7.0Callard recommends Murphy to the McGeechan brothers. They plan to reactivate some assault rifles, but won't tell Murphy why they need them.
  3. S03E03StrongboxJune 9, 2005 6.5Murphy tries to get counterfeit Euros for Callard, and asks fellow undercover officer Jill Calder for help. She has infiltrated an organisat
  4. S03E04Extra MileJune 16, 2005 7.0After months spent trying to nail gangster Dave Callard, suddenly Murphy has a bigger fish to fry: a wealthy hotelier called George Garvey w
  5. S03E05Boys Night OutJune 23, 2005 3.0The operation against Callard builds to its conclusion as Murphy is hired to help complete a shipment of Afghan heroin into England. His und
  6. S03E06Hard Boiled Eggs and NutsJune 30, 2005 6.0Callard starts systematically destroying the forensic evidence. Murphy and Miller fear that he may want to destroy one or both of them too.

Season 3 ranked & reviewed

Season043Episodes2006Aired 3.0Season avg
  1. S04E01ExileAugust 27, 2006 3.0Murphy is called back to work after a leave of absence to be at his mother's side. His new job is to attempt to get close to Drew and Billy
  2. S04E02Hare TriggerAugust 28, 2006Working deep under cover, Murphy manages to gain the trust of Billy Johnstone, while trying to uncover the associations between his brother
  3. S04E03Strike OutAugust 29, 2006Murphy ends up being exposed and caught up in a vicious and final showdown between brothers Drew and Billy Johnstone.

Season 4 ranked & reviewed

Season053Episodes2007AiredSeason avg
  1. S05E01Food Chain (Part One)October 1, 2007Murphy is working as a cover officer for an old friend, Mitch, and his fellow undercover officer, Kim. However, there are tensions between t
  2. S05E02Food Chain (Part Two)October 2, 2007With Mitch dead and Kim still missing, it's time for a heavily guilty Murphy to go undercover in the hope of finding Kim before it's too lat
  3. S05E03Food Chain (Part Three)October 3, 2007Now that Baker knows Murphy is a cop, he must race against the clock to find Kim before her secret is revealed too. However, local Chief Sup

Season 5 ranked & reviewed

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