Plot Patrol
Plot Patrol is the ultimate ride-along for film fans who love a good cop story. Whether it’s gritty realism, pulpy thrills, or gloriously bad procedural nonsense. Host Duncan McCauley takes the badge and the popcorn in hand, breaking down famous detective dramas and crime thrillers with the help of real-life officers, legal experts, and the occasional smart-mouthed cinephile.
Each episode, we put a movie or TV show under investigative scrutiny, asking the big questions: Would this arrest hold up in court? How much paperwork would this take? And how does this loose cannon still have a job?
From Zodiac to Hot Fuzz, True Detective to The Wicker Man, Plot Patrol blends sharp analysis, wry humor, and behind-the-scenes insight to separate fact from fiction in the world of on-screen crime.
Plot Patrol
Episode 6: TV Cop Shows: Faster Than Justice
This week on Plot Patrol, host Duncan McCauley interrogates the TV cop procedurals that dominated the ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s, miracle crime labs, rule-breaking “loose cannons,” and cases wrapped up before the final ad break.
Joined by former LAPD Lieutenant Alvarez, Duncan breaks down what these shows got right about the grind and emotional toll of police work, and what they got wildly wrong, from instant lab results to dramatic interrogations and consequence-free rule-breaking. The episode also explores how these series shaped public expectations of justice and policing. Comfort food or copaganda? According to Ray, it’s a bit of both; just don’t treat it like a training manual.