* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The first show in the franchise to feature an original theme tune rather than a remix of the original. The result is ''epic!''
* CrackPairing: Basically anything that isn't Matt/Alesha, or James/Alesha, given that in each case, a genuine mutual attraction existed. But the "out there" ones include Ronnie/Natalie, Ronnie/Matt, Matt/James, and Natalie/Alesha.
* EstrogenBrigade: The young cops. Some would say Ronnie as well, and the {{Hello Attorney}}s James and Jake also.
* FanonDiscontinuity: Most fans reaction to anything after "Deal". The number of fanfics in which Matt recovers from his wounds and marries Alesha ''vastly'' outnumbers those that focus on the aftermath of his death.
* FirstInstallmentWins: The first batch of 26 episodes with the original cast are considered the best; the replacements in the subsequent seasons, while not bad, just didn't have the same chemistry as the original cast.
* HarsherInHindsight:
** DI Chandler comments to Ronnie and Matt that whoever cleaned a crime scene "must be a fan of CSI". Shortly after leaving the show, Creator/JamieBamber, who played Matt, guest-starred on an episode of ''Series/CSIMiami''. Even "funnier", after several years of playing a by-the-book cop, he was now playing a criminal. . .named Ronnie.[[note]] To top it off, he killed someone named [[Series/{{NCIS}} Ellie]][[/note]]
** In the first episode, Matt and Ronnie have a discussion about the pros and cons of gentrifications -- mainly how low-income people are getting displaced and being forced to move from neighborhood to neighborhood as the rents get too high, Ronnie even comments that in twenty years, Matt will have to live in a caravan because he won't be able to afford anything else. Matt believes it's for the good for the city, and people are just exaggerating the problem since this is really nothing new. Today London is infamous for being a "millionaire's city", with low-to-average income people simply being unable to afford a flat anywhere without going broke. And amongst other things people have taken to living on house-boats on the Thames simply because it's the only cheap housing they can find. It got worse when a public housing high-rise got on fire killing hundreds of people, later revealed because the local Council refused to pay of adequate fire protection.
** In the episode "Samaritan", not only are they investigating the shooting death of another police officer, Matt muses to Ronnie that it must be tough to lose a partner, then fumbles as he realizes that he's just reminded Ronnie of his previous experience. Then, in the episode "Confession"--which is ''also'' centered around the shooting death of an officer--Ronnie tells the man's grieving partner, "God forbid Matty here got himself shot, I'd be out there straight away trying to find out who did it and string him up myself."
** A year later, that's precisely what happened, making both situations and statements an eerie, inadvertent {{Foreshadowing}}. The irony becomes even crueler when you recall that throughout the show, it was ''Matt'' who would flip out if/when Ronnie seemed to be in danger.
** And an "out-show" example: Matt was killed by someone seeking revenge against the police for bungling the investigation into his brother's murder--something he had ''nothing'' to do with. [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_killings_of_NYPD_officers#:~:text=On%20December%2020%2C%202014%2C%20Ismaaiyl,which%20were%20deaths%20of%20black The December 2014 murders of two NYPD officers]] by a man who wanted to avenge the death of Eric Garner (a man suffocated by the cops as they attempted to restrain and arrest him for selling loose cigarettes. The officer who applied the fatal chokehold was not indicted) bears an eerie similarity, right down to the fact that the officers in question had nothing to do with the aforementioned incident and that their killer was intentionally targeting the police.
* HesJustHiding: Most fan's reaction to anything after "Deal". Literally depicted in the story "[[https://m.fanfiction.net/s/7712514/1/Happy-New-Year Happy New Year]]", when it turns out that he was sequestered away to recover from his injuries and protect him from his would be killers, being brought back in time for their trial.
* HollywoodPudgy: Brooks is at worst moderately overweight, yet teased as though he's morbidly obese.
* HoYay: While most people interpret Matt and Ronnie's relationship as surrogate father and son, a few have this take on it.
* SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound: The recurring two-note sound heard across the ''Franchise/LawAndOrder'' franchise.
* {{Narm}}: The extremely noticeable and comical StockSoundEffect of the firefighter puking near the start of the episode "Paradise" presents a [[MoodWhiplash jarring contrast to the other things happening in the scene.]]
* [[OneSceneWonder One Episode Wonder]]: Creator/JohnBoyega as Jamal Clarkson in "Survivor Guilt", who infused his character with so many different emotions--grief, anger, remorse--that one could almost feel sorry for him had he not murdered such a beloved character.
* ReplacementScrappy:
** Sam, both out and in-universe. He wasn't a bad guy, he just wasn't Matt. Some of his less-than-stellar moves--sarcastically pretending to be racist, sleeping with a victim who turns out to be the killer they're after, rebuffing Ronnie's efforts at mentoring and friendship--didn't do him any favors either. It's telling that he only lasted 2 series and disappeared without any explanation.
** Kate also. Her very first appearance was as the defense attorney responsible for killing 15 people by causing a train crash, she answers Jake's cell phone without his permission, then proceeds to relentlessly butt into his personal life by badgering him about going to his mother's funeral, and she foolishly--and perhaps deliberately--tips a defense lawyer off to the tactics that Jake intends to use.
** Inverted by Joe, who was far more popular than Sam. Despite still having to fill the spot that Matt left, he was far better received for not having the negative qualities that Sam possessed.
* RetroactiveRecognition: Yes, ''Franchise/StarWars'' fans, [[Film/TheForceAwakens Finn]] is [[Creator/JohnBoyega Matt's killer]]. At least he managed to redeem himself.
* SeasonalRot: Starting with Series 5, following the departures of Ben Daniels and Bill Patterson, kicking into high gear in Series 6 with Creator/JamieBamber's defection before maxing out in Series 7 with only one original cast member remaining -- Bradley Walsh. Their replacements, while not bad actors or characters in their own right, simply did not have the flawless chemistry of the original cast--in particular, Ronnie and Sam never had the rapport that Ronnie and Matt did. As such, the episodes, while still very good overall--"Deal[=/=]"Survivor's Guilt" are unanimously considered among the best--were not as good as those from the first several series.
* ShipToShipCombat: Matt/Alesha vs. James/Alesha, although neither pairing got beyond UnresolvedSexualTension (and the vast majority support the first one).
* SpoiledByTheFormat: For fans of The Mothership, once you see which episode forms the basis for the UK episode, who did what and why, as well as what will happen is fairly apparent from the start. Especially bad with the "Survivor's Guilt": Once you know it's based on "Suicide Box", you know Matt wasn't shot in retaliation for a drug dealer's conviction. That said, the UK writers tend to change things enough to keep it interesting, and most episodes aired so long ago, it's virtually impossible to remember every plot twist that took place.
* StoicWoobie:
** Alesha. When Matt tries to comfort her following her rape, she simply hands him a videotape of her assault and asks that he arrest her attacker. Later, she manages to keep it together during the investigation into Matt's death and the prosecution of his killer, and in the episode "Line Up", she conducts a virtually flawless prosecution of a young girl's gang rape. Although she's clearly motivated by her own experience, she shows no signs of letting it adversely affect her.
** Matt himself could count. In several episodes--"Alesha", "Confession"--despite clearly being deeply personally affected by the circumstances of the cases--his friend raped, another has committed suicide--he does his best to put his feelings aside in order to support those involved and see that those responsible are brought to justice.
** Ronnie as well. There are numerous scenes in "Survivor's Guilt" and "Hard Stop" where he's clearly just an inch away from breaking down, but without fail, every time, he pulls himself back together--to the point where at the end of the latter episode, he actually buys a bottle of vodka before walking out of the store without it--and redoubles his efforts to make sure Matt's and Wes's murderers are caught and duly punished.
** And Natalie, who waits until she's alone in her office with the blinds drawn to cry over Matt's death, and refuses to break down during "Pride", despite the overwhelming evidence that her father is a killer.
* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Jamal Clarkson of "Survivor's Guilt". Yes, his brother's murder was tragic. Yes, he has every right to be angry at his killer and at the racist cops who botched the investigation. But instead of going after any of them, he deliberately targets someone who had nothing to do with it--thus completely failing in his goal of avenging his brother--smearing him with the same--''undeserved''--"bigot" label and has now caused even more agony, devastating not only Matt's loved ones, but ruining his own life and causing his mother to lose both of her sons.