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I just got the series from Netflix after reading about it in one of my Brit-com books. I was sorry when the two discs were done. It is laugh out loud funny. Atkinson as Fowler is right on form and the rest of the ensemble cast matches him. Haig as Grimm is amazing he never falters even in his most tongue twisting lines ! Constable Goody is amazing the facial expressions alone are worth the rental cost. If you love Brit-coms this is a must see ! This is also one where you don't want to miss a word of the dialog. Sharp and witty. I noticed that in almost each episode there appear to be two- three distinct plot lines and how they do it is a mystery but everything comes together and is shown to be interconnected by the final fade out.

This series was a bit of a step back for Elton and Atkinson after the audaciously original Blackadder and Mr. Bean series. The Thin Blue Line is an old-fashioned farce set in a city police station. That's not to say it's bad--it's actually very funny, just not anything groundbreaking. A lot of the humor derives from playing stereotypes against themselves: our heroes are bumbling cops who manage to make fools of themselves while eventually solving the crimes and making fools of the bad guys (not to mention the detective division) in the end. Goody, who could be described as a flaming heterosexual, manages to combine a full repertoire of "nelly" mannerisms with a hopeless crush on Habib. Habib herself is both a stereotype (attractive young female character constantly pursued by almost every male character) and a skewerer of stereotypes. This show has its cake and eats it too, but the viewer is too busy laughing to question any of it. And in the tradition of the best British farces, it goes to unbelievable lengths to track down and hammer home every conceivable double entendre and smutty one-liner. When one finishes groaning and/or laughing, one can't help but admire such perseverance in the pursuit of craft.

This is a fantastic British police comedy! It's simply so funny with all the characters like Inspector Fowler (Rowan Atkinson), Inspector Grim (David Haig), Constable Goody (James Dreyfuss), Constable Habib (Mina Anwar) and Constable Gladstone (Rudolph Walker). Each episode has individuality from 'Honey Trap' to 'Come On You Blues' and 'Yuletide Spirit', Ben Elton seems to cover all storyline areas with ease and brilliant invention. It's a great show that takes a light-hearted look at the life in a police station and beyond which I thoroughly enjoyed and watched over and over again. Great stuff!

As an American I have no problem with saying that British sit-coms are light years ahead of the crap that plays well here in the U.S. After being a huge fan of "BlackAdder", I was reluctant to buy "Thin Blue Line" for fear of being let down because "Blackadder" was so incredibly good, especially "Blackadder Goes Fourth", but I was immediately taken with these characters and the crisp, witty writing. With America's lame sex-coms, uh... I mean sit-coms being so sophomoric and so completely predictable, it's always a breath of fresh air to watch a Brit-com. I'd rather watch "Red Dwarf" or "Thin Blue Line" repeatedly than most of the tripe offered on the major U.S. networks these days. Brit-coms are funnier, smarter and always more colorful. If you love brit-coms don't miss this little jewel!!

I had all the episodes of TTBL on tape at one stage. The whole family watched them over and over. Ben Elton must be one of the best writers going. To spoof a police station and have such a variety of characters is fantastic. Each episode a comic delight. This show suits just about any age group too.