Eye For Film >> Movies >> The Sweeney: Series Two (1975) Film Review
The second instalment of The Sweeney was shot in the immediate aftermath of the first season. There is barely a six month break between S1E13 and S2E1 being broadcast. It uses the same actors, crew, writers, sets and locations. Most of what can be said about the first season also applies to the second. The acting talent in the non-recurring roles is consistently high in both. There is no drop off in the quality of the scripts. The action still revolves around DI Regan (John Thaw) and DS Carter (Dennis Waterman).
There are some differences between the two. A few of the episodes have a more comic tone than any in the first season. The best example of this is episode seven, Golden Fleece, in which two Australian con men, Colin MacGruder (Patrick Mower) and Ray Stackpole (George Layton) try to fit up DCI Haskins (Garfield Morgan). Here the crooks are treated less seriously, more like lovable rouges, than the violent criminals The Sweeney normally features. The pair get away in the end, flouting not just the law but the broadcasting code that The Sweeney was supposed to adhere to. Justice has to be seen to be done, at least on TV. For compliance they had to be brought back for a second episode, Trojan Bus, which doesn't end so well for them.
This episode also shows the two other ways that the seasons differ. The relationship between Regan and Haskins is considerably more collegiate, sometimes friendly, and the A10 unit is referred to. A10 was the real life anti-corruption squad formed by Deputy Commissioner Robert Mark.
What you get is more of almost the same. The second season leans a little heavier into the tropes of its predecessor, low camera angles and the catchphrases. If you don't like that then you can "Shut it!"
Reviewed on: 30 Aug 2025
