One in all Blue Lights‘ creators has defined why season 3 expands the present’s scope significantly, because the story strikes previous Belfast’s metropolis limits for the primary time. Whereas Blue Lights’ main rookies have gained important expertise since their first days on the job, Belfast’s rising, organized prison aspect forces them out of their consolation zones and into much more harmful and unpredictable conditions.
The theme of organized crime runs all through the whole thing of Blue Lights season 3, led by the stoically terrifying Dana Morgan (Cathy Tyson). Somewhat than historic or political territorial feuds and small, native gangs, season 3 is full of fancy non-public members’ golf equipment, attorneys, and middle-class hedge fund varieties, as high-end medication are distributed all through Northern Eire’s capital by way of an untraceable cell app.
Throughout a panel for Blue Lights season 3 hosted by the BBC, BritBox, and Two Cities Tv in London in September, the place ScreenRant was in attendance, Blue Lights co-creator Declan Garden defined why the procedural drama focuses so closely on organized crime this season. “I believe Northern Eire is altering. The function of paramilitaries is altering. Worldwide organized crime is changing into much more prevalent,” Garden revealed.
“Northern Eire is getting used as a transit zone for cocaine smuggling into [the rest of the UK]. These have been all points that we… there is a sure sense of sort of skilled seize when organized criminals transfer right into a metropolis, like Colly [intelligence officer in season 3] articulated there [in episode 1], the place they must get attorneys on board, they usually want accountants. They should transfer cash.”
Garden concluded, “So, that is all of the stuff that was coming to us from conversations. Individuals have been telling me that this was the brand new panorama, and one of many issues that is necessary to me about Blue Lights is to only preserve shifting alongside. To have each season really feel completely different and present. So there have been loads of causes to sort of go down this route.”
Earlier than Blue Lights, Garden and his co-creator, Adam Patterson, labored as investigative journalists in post-conflict Belfast, producing documentaries for the BBC’s Panorama collection. The pair have all the time been open about their inspirations and connections with present and former legislation enforcement, with the hope of making “a police drama based mostly [in Belfast] that feels genuine, even to cops.” (by way of Queen’s College Belfast).
This season’s harrowing storyline has led to the introduction of compelling new characters and perception into different elements of the PSNI’s investigative drive. This consists of lead intelligence officer Paul “Colly” Collins (Michael Smiley), whose seemingly underhanded techniques affect each character’s selections and actions — even constables Grace (Siân Brooke), Annie (Katherine Devlin), and Tommy (Nathan Braniff).
Organized crime is an advanced matter to discover in simply six episodes, so it is unsurprising that, by the tip of season 3, there are nonetheless a number of unanswered questions. Fortunately, all these mysteries will doubtless be solved within the subsequent season, because the BBC commissioned seasons 3 and 4 concurrently earlier than season 2 had premiered within the UK. BritBox has confirmed it’ll carry Blue Lights season 4 as effectively.
Episodes 1 and a pair of of Blue Lights season 3 at the moment are accessible to stream on BritBox within the US. New episodes premiere weekly on Thursdays till December 18.