I watch a lot of crime dramas. I also did a final paper on Jack the Ripper for my high school forensics class. These two facts led me to this program. At first, I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. It seemed to be teetering between "Well, why keep watching?" and "I have to know what happens next!" in the first two episodes, but by the third episode, I was hooked and by the end of the second series, I was sold completely especially as it branched out into historical parallels. This program got me on the historical parallels because well, frankly, I have a History degree. This is my field.
The real strength of the show is in the actors. First, Penry-Jones, Davis, and Pemberton make a strong core. You have the rookie/leader, the experience cop/family man, and then the intelligent/semi-creeper tropes mixed and played so well. The strength in acting carries through to the secondary characters. They become believable people, which sometimes gets lost in other crime dramas. That believability of the team, however, makes up for the somewhat lack of believability in the foes the team faces. This is where that fine line occurs. The show is wonderful, but sometimes the foes or story line circumstances push the boundaries of believability.
The real strength of the show is in the actors. First, Penry-Jones, Davis, and Pemberton make a strong core. You have the rookie/leader, the experience cop/family man, and then the intelligent/semi-creeper tropes mixed and played so well. The strength in acting carries through to the secondary characters. They become believable people, which sometimes gets lost in other crime dramas. That believability of the team, however, makes up for the somewhat lack of believability in the foes the team faces. This is where that fine line occurs. The show is wonderful, but sometimes the foes or story line circumstances push the boundaries of believability.