From Dot Cottan to Chief Wiggum: 10 of the best bent coppers on TV
DI Matthew Cottan
Line of Duty
There is only one thing anti-corruption unit AC-12 are interested in and that’s catching bent coppers. For three series of Jed Mercurio’s tense thriller, the slipperiest of the lot was “Dot” Cottan (Craig Parkinson), a double agent for organised crime, codenamed “The Caddy”. When rumbled, he texted “Urgent exit required” to armed henchmen and went out in a hail of bullets.
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DS Jimmy Beck
Cracker
When his bungling led to boss Christopher Eccleston’s murder by serial stabber Robert Carlyle (how’s that for a cast?), Lorcan Cranitch’s creepy cop descended further and raped colleague DS Jane Penhaligon (Geraldine Somerville). Even after Beck died, Fitz (Robbie Coltrane) was unforgiving: “I spit on the bastard’s grave every time his name is mentioned.”
Lieutenant Gilles Escoffier
Spiral
In the Emmy-winning Parisian police procedural, which just concluded its eighth and final series on BBC Four, “Gilou” (Thierry Godard) was the lover and most trusted enforcer of Captain Laure Berthaud (Caroline Proust). He’d beat up suspects, snort cocaine and steal from gangsters, then give a Gallic shrug and somehow get away with it.
Chief Clancy Wiggum
The Simpsons
“Springfield cops are on the take / What do you expect for the money we make?” Springfield PD’s main characteristics are incompetence, laziness and doughnut consumption, but they’re also corrupt. Evidence? They’re seen cutting deals with Fat Tony’s mob, and Wiggum’s badge has “Cash Bribes Only” written on it.
DCI Roy Slater
Only Fools and Horses
Jim Broadbent had a recurring role as Del Boy’s nemesis, who bore a bitter grudge from their Peckham schooldays. “Slater the Slag” would frame anyone, even his own father. Turns out he was also the ex-husband of Del’s sweetheart, Raquel. Extra fact: Broadbent had turned down the lead role of Del.
Det Vic Mackey
The Shield
“Mackey’s not a cop,” sneered his boss. “He’s Al Capone with a badge.” He might have resembled a gym-pumped Phil Mitchell, but, thanks to an incendiary, Emmy-winning performance by Michael “Thing” Chiklis, viewers couldn’t help rooting for the thuggish leader of LAPD’s gang-busting strike team.
Lieutenant Melanie Hawkins
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) and Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz) idolised NYPD’s top cop. Except Gina Gershon’s motorbiking, Die Hard-loving detective was secretly the criminal mastermind behind the “Golden Gang” bank robbers. Threatened with exposure, she framed Jake and Rosa, who were jailed in the season four cliffhanger.
DI Ulrik Strange
The Killing II
Knitwear icon DI Sarah Lund (Sofie Gråbøl) was grumpy enough before Forbrydelsen’s second series saw her betrayed by her own work partner. The aptly named Strange (Mikael Birkkjær), an Afghan war veteran, not only turned out to be a multiple murderer but shot Lund four times to silence her. Happily she was wearing body armour beneath that signature sweater. Tak God for that.
Sheriff Rosco P Coltrane
The Dukes Of Hazzard
You dipstick! The two-faced lawman from the 80s teatime classic overlooked the crooked schemes of Hazzard County commissioner Boss Hogg (his brother-in-law), instead trying to pin the blame on “good ol’ boys” Bo and Luke Duke. Cue the inevitable car chase that would leave Coltrane’s squad car upside-down in a creek.
Deputy Commissioner William A Rawls
The Wire
Pretty much every Baltimore cop was compromised in David Simon’s drama but Rawls (John Doman) was more despicable than most. His ruthless rise to superintendent of Maryland State Police was driven by bullying and spinning of crime stats. He was also a relentless git to people’s hero Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West).
