Will There Be a 'Ridley' Season 3? Dunbar May Have Other Plans

ITV announced it was commissioning Ridley in June 2021, less than a month after Line of Duty's sixth season concluded. At the time, most viewers assumed Line of Duty Season 7 would still be along in a year or so and didn't think twice about it. However, that announcement turned out to be a bellwether, as Line of Duty's other leads, Vicky McClure and Martin Compston, also moved on to lead new shows. (Trigger Point for her, The Rig for him.) With Ridley's first season hitting PBS in 2023 and now a Season 2 in 2024 (not to mention the second seasons of Trigger Point and The Rig), it seemed like everyone was moving on. However, it is now an open question if that will continue, as Ridley Season 2 concludes just as rumors of the long-awaited Line of Duty Season 7 re-emerge.

Thus far, there's been no word on Ridley Season 3, but that's not as odd as it might seem. As we reach the middle of the decade, there's been a recent radical shift in shows co-produced by ITV. Several now air in the States before they're released in the U.K., a stunning reversal from how things have worked since the invention of television. For example, D.I. Ray, Grantchester, and Van der Valk aired in the States first in 2024, with the latter two still without U.K. premiere dates. Ridley Season 2 is in the same boat, with no set release date for Season 2 in the U.K.

However, with the rumor Line of Duty may return, things may be more complicated than just "waiting until the show is confirmed to have an airdate in the U.K."