In a result that was hinted at by the overall ratings trajectory of the series this year, Line of Duty wrapped its run last night with just under 3 million viewers; an overall season high in the overnight’s for the show’s second season.
Last night’s audience of 3 million/13% share viewers was up by 0.4 million or 15% on the overnight audience of 2.6 million who watched last week’s episode. In the overnights, the second season of Line of Duty has averaged 2.4 million viewers, down 25% on the season one overnight average of 3.2 million viewers. The complete ratings picture for season two wont be available until the consolidated figures come in, but the series has been a big gainer with some episodes posting as much as a 52% gain with 7 days of consolidation.
While BBC Two has yet to commission a third season from World Productions, Executive Producer Simon Heath recently confirmed to Broadcast that plans were underway for a third run and that lead writer/showrunner Jed Mercurio would have the time to focus on Line of Duty once he finishes up on his new Sky1 series Critical. It is understood that BBC Two will wait until a new Controller has been appointed before deciding on a third season. That said, between the critical acclaim and ratings trajectory this season – beginning with 1.8M viewers in week one and ending on 3M viewers on week six – the series is considered a shoo-in for a pick up.
See Also – Analysis: A Look At The Ratings For ‘Line Of Duty’ Season 2
