The Sweeney (1975)

This is where British cop shows left the studio. Euston Films shot The Sweeney on 16mm film almost entirely on location, so London itself, all scrapyards, pubs and half-demolished streets, becomes part of the cast. John Thaw's Jack Regan and Dennis Waterman's George Carter of the Flying Squad bend every rule to nail armed robbers, and their partnership is funnier and sadder than the car chases suggest. Some attitudes have aged badly, but the energy hasn't. The fourth and final series reached Blu-ray in February 2026 in a new restoration from the original 16mm negatives, completing the set.