"Prime Suspect" is explicitly concerned with sexism within British police agencies; "Between the Lines" focuses on corruption and collusion in police agencies. The author argues that these issues are all linked by a police subculture or "canteen culture," from which they stem and by which they are sustained; sexism is a symptom of a malaise that is also manifest in corruption, since both are rooted in the masculinity endorsed by police subculture. This argument is supported in this paper by reference to the television programs examined, to published research, and through interviews with men and women serving with London's Metropolitan Police Force. The author concludes that the hegemonic masculinity fostered by the "canteen culture" of the police is destructive not only of the moral well-being of men and women who are police officers, but also of the processes of justice and accountability that should characterize police work within a democracy. "Prime Suspect" and "Between the Lines" have presented the viewer with the possibility of concluding that hegemonic masculinity may be a damaging and destructive force, but it is one which underpins much of what we take for granted in our perception of law enforcement and the maintenance of social order. 37 notes