Back in 2003 Murphy’s Law went to air and unfortunately it never made it onto my radar. When I had the opportunity to review this, what looks to be the final two seasons of the show, I didn’t know what to expect other then what I read on-line as I researched the show. Some bloggers called it ruthless, others called it funny, and some just called it plain bad ass. As it turns out all of them were right.

The first season in the set, Season 4, DS Tom Murphy is on leave caring for his mother who has Alzheimer’s, but he is suddenly asked to come back and go under. The criminal’s he is sent to investigate are two Irish brothers, the Johnstone’s, that have been exiled from Ireland and reside in England now. A botched drug deal is Murphy’s way in and once he’s in he has to work fast to gather evidence against the two brothers. Unfortunately there’s more to the case then was initially expected when a third player comes into the mix and there’s a good chance that Murphy’s cover has been blown. Can he gather the evidence to break the case and escape with his life?

Season 5 has Murphy working as a cover officer for undercover agents Mitch and Kim who are posing as a couple. When Kim goes to Murphy about Mitch, telling him that she thinks Mitch is losing it, Murphy confronts Mitch who assures him everything is fine. The next go around Murphy discovers the agents mobile home unit is empty and there are signs of a  struggle. Not long after they discover Mitch’s body and Kim is nowhere to be found. Murphy quickly goes undercover to try and discover who murdered Mitch and if Kim is still alive. Its a frantic mission that leads Murphy into the underbelly of something far more corrupt and filthy then he could have imagined and he knows that if he doesn’t find Kim soon they may never find her at all.

Murphy’s Law Seasons 4 & 5 were a lot more then I had expected when going in. There is a fair amount of vulgarity, the show doesn’t shy away from gore or sexuality, and in short its just one of those shows that no matter how dirty it makes you feel you just have to keep watching it. I’ve seen movies that were so filthy yet so engaging that I couldn’t stop watching, yet when the film was over I knew I’d never watch it again, or couldn't watch it again. It turns out to be more then just your typical view and more of an experience in other words. Season 4 is not so rough on the constitution as it simply deals with Murphy tackling a couple of rough and tumble criminals. Sure they might be vicious and brutal, but season 5, that was something else entirely.

Spread out over three episode segments each, seasons 4 & 5 manage to leave you at cliff hangers each time, but the real draw is the characters themselves. James Nesbitt has to be one of the coolest actors to ever play this type of role. There is never one moment in the entirety of this two season entry that I felt like I was watching someone act like a cop on the edge. Nesbitt manages to be the part in such a way that it validates the world in which his character exists. I was pleasantly amazed by his abilities in this regard. Story played a huge role in how much I loved this series as well. It’s like you go in being lead by one notion and by the end your someplace entirely different and the show manages to do it without missing a beat. Lastly the world of Murphy’s Law, the locations mainly, are the final element of total and complete immersion for the viewer. Weather your at a bar, at the docks, or in a mansion everything seems lived in, the inhabitants within naturally placed. Its just incredible. I’d be extremely sad to see this show go by the wayside as it would seem it is and my only hope is that the BBC does it justice by offering up a movie finale or something as the series ends on a real question mark.  In any case I highly suggest, at least this set, they work as a great stand alone as is. As always final judgment is yours. Enjoy.