What TV gets wrong about police interviews, and how to fix it

Police interviews are a mainstay of TV drama – but so often they shown as a showdown, a shouting match in a small room: the detective bangs the table, the suspect cracks under pressure, and the confession arrives neatly before the end of the episode. The reality, of course, is less dramatic – such interactions are more controlled, more procedural, and far less theatrical.

I touched on this in one of my "top tropes" posts a few years ago. But I think it's worth looking at interviews in more depth.

As a writer or director of a TV police procedural, how do you make an interview interesting for the viewer? Well I’ll let you into a secret – based on my having carried out and observed many interviews – they aren’t always dull. Far from it. A good police interview can be tense, strategic, and very revealing. But the tension usually comes from patience, preparation, and precision.

They are not just “interrogations”

One of the first things scriptwriters get wrong is the language. In the UK, these interactions are interviews, not the Hollywood version of “interrogation.” That difference matters because an interview is supposed to be a structured, lawful, evidence-led process, not an intimidation session.

There’s a set opening sequence, things the officer has to explain, and it’s the same at the end of the interview once the recording has been turned off. Capturing at least some of this makes your scene feel more realistic, and could give you a dramatic opportunity for the suspect to blurt something out when they think they’re “safe” because the interview is over!

The idea that officers can simply pressure someone into talking is one of the biggest myths around and an easy pitfall to avoid. In reality, police interviews are governed by law and procedure, and anything that strays too far from the rules can affect the admissibility of what is said. That means the room is usually much calmer than people expect, even when the stakes are very high.

The best interviewers do not shout

TV loves the dramatic detective who leans across the desk, raises their voice, and corners the suspect into a confession. It looks good on camera, but it is not how effective interviewing usually works. More often, the interviewer is listening carefully, controlling the pace, and allowing the other person to speak.

That does not mean the interview lacks tension. In fact, a quiet interview can be more unsettling than a loud one. A suspect who thinks they are in control may gradually talk themselves into a corner, and that is often much more believable than a sudden outburst or a dramatic table slam.

NB: If you want an example of a great scene showing a tense interview with all of the above points, check out the 2026 Netflix drama The Witness, for the first police interview of Colin Stagg. You may also notice that he has a very dignified looking solicitor!

The solicitor is not a plot obstacle

Another common mistake is treating the solicitor as a nuisance who appears only to slow the story down. In reality, legal advice is a normal and important part of the process, and it should not be written as if it is some kind of trick or complication. Solicitors have an important role to play, but they too must follow the rules – there’s opportunity for dramatic tension and conflict between the interviewer and the brief.

If a suspect wants legal advice, that choice matters. It changes the pace of the investigation, but it does not mean the police have somehow lost the argument. Good writing should reflect that balance rather than treating the solicitor as a villain or a comic interruption.

Appropriate?

If your suspect is vulnerable, or a child, then they have to have an appropriate adult with them for certain procedures, including interview. This person can be someone known to them - a parent, guardian or social worker, or a volunteer. It's never a police officer or anyone involved with the police.

So as a scriptwriter, how can you make use of the appropriate adult to bring some drama and tension into an interview? The appropriate adult’s role is to safeguard the child or vulnerable person’s interests, including their rights, entitlements, and welfare. So how about an experienced appropriate adult who interrupts if they think the officer is overstepping? This almost never happens, so it'd be a shock for the officer. Or perhaps the appropriate adult, being a parent, doesn't know what's right and wrong in interview, and becomes obstructive, argumentative, derailing the interview?

Interview rooms are more controlled than TV suggests

Shows sometimes portray interviews as chaotic, improvised spaces where the detective decides to “have a go” and see what happens. In real life, there is a lot more structure. Officers prepare, review the evidence, think about the sequence of questions, and consider what outcome they are trying to achieve.

That preparation is where a lot of the skill sits. A good interviewer is not just asking random questions. They are listening for inconsistencies, checking details, and giving the suspect enough room to talk while still steering the conversation. That is much harder to write than a shouting match, but it is far more authentic. I can help – I’ve been in the room for real, so many times.

And while we are on the subject of a controlled environment – avoid the temptation to show people bursting into interview rooms, or leaving to talk it through with a colleague. This rarely happens and causes all sorts of issues!

Tone matters

Real interviews are rarely as aggressive as people expect, because an overly confrontational approach can shut the suspect down. The best interviewers usually stay controlled, professional, and calm — even when the subject is difficult or manipulative.

That calmness is what makes the scene feel real. A suspect may be evasive, defensive, or inconsistent, but the interviewer should not behave like a TV cop trying to win an argument. In practice, the professionalism is part of the pressure.

Confessions are not the only goal

In drama, the interview often ends the same way: the suspect admits everything, and the case is solved. In reality, police interviews are not only about getting a confession. They are also about testing accounts, gathering evidence, identifying inconsistencies, and understanding what actually happened. Often there will be a whole series of interviews.

That is an important shift for writers. A suspect who does not confess has not necessarily “won”, and an officer who does not extract a dramatic admission has not necessarily failed. Sometimes the interview is useful because it exposes a lie, clarifies a timeline, or strengthens the wider case.

“No Comment”

A lot of police interviews result in the suspect going, “no comment” to every question. They aren’t going to tell the police anything, let alone confess to a crime.

But these interviews give the police a great opportunity to put the sequence of events which their investigation has identified to the suspect – and if he or she doesn’t refute it when they have the chance, it can lead to all sorts of tension and drama. I’d say a “no comment” interview can sometimes be the best, both in the real world and in a drama.

Why this matters for your script

If you want to write a convincing police interview scene, focus on three things: preparation, control, and purpose. Ask yourself what the officer already knows, what they are trying to prove, and what they hope the suspect might say in interview.

The scene does not need shouting to be effective. It needs structure, pressure, and believable human behaviour. A quiet answer can be more powerful than a dramatic confession, and a small inconsistency can matter more than a big speech.

Final thought

Police interviews are one of those areas where realism actually helps the drama. If you move away from the stereotype of the angry detective and instead show the method, the patience, and the psychology, you will end up with something far stronger. The best interview scenes are not about forcing a confession — they are about uncovering the truth.

Writing or portraying a police interview scene? I can help make it dramatic and realistic – get in touch!