THE INFORMER (AMAZON PRIME)

It's one rule that's rarely broken in post-9/11-era television: When battling terrorists, the ends almost always justify the means. Jack Bauer on 24 made torture seem like standard operating practice and constitutional freedoms a farleft plot to destroy America. Yet when the clock stopped we stood up and cheered his heroic efforts to stave off Armageddon.

Even a more nuanced character like Homeland's Carrie “Why shouldn't I sleep with my suspect?” Mathison could be excused for a few dozen ethical lapses if she beat the jihadists by season's end.

That's part of what makes The Informer so refreshing. It's just as addictive, suspenseful and binge-worthy as the others.

But the British mini-series' central terror-fighting protagonist, Gabe (played brilliantly by Paddy Considine), is disagreeable and unscrupulous. And we sense from Episode 1 that Gabe is unlikely to redeem himself by the time it all wraps up. The program never downplays the horrors of terrorism, but probes the murkier aspects of counter-terrorism, with the risk of its overzealous practitioners inadvertently expanding the ranks of violent radicals.

The story has Gabe recruiting Raza (Nabhaan Rizwan), a young Muslim man who finds himself in jail overnight for a minor offence. He clearly doesn't know any terrorists but, well, he's Muslim, so why not? Over the course of the series, Gabe exposes Raza to increasing dangers and prods him into more and more brazen betrayals, seemingly oblivious to the consequences for his young agent.

Rizwan is a revelation, one of those actors who has a natural magnetism and effortless charm. The Informer also uses flash-forwards beautifully, helping build to a truly shocking end.

Spoiler alert: it's an end that may not justify the dubious means.

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