Safe

I liked it. It's nice to see a series that has a head and a tail, that doesn't leave you in limbo at the end, vaguely aiming at possible sequels. Here we start with a murder and a disappearance in episode 1, and every next episode brings new clues (alongside new questions), so that more and more the mysteries get solved. While the script (by creator and famous thriler-writer Harlan Coben) keeps you on the edge of your chair until the last minutes of the last episode!

The acting is - as in any other British detective series - flawless by every character, up until in the smallest parts. But Michael C. Hall (Dexter, Six feet under) really stands out as the concerned, frustrated and gradually exasperated father who desperately tries to find his daughter, behaving in the process as a bull on the loose in a china-shop. Co-star Amanda Abbington is also great, but I kept being a bit distracted by her weird haircut. And special mention of the actors that played the family Marshall, who were very funny!

Greatly recommended!

I'm amazed that so many people have slated this series.

I'm a pretty discerning viewer, with high standards in regard to production values, quality of writing directing and performance, and overall technical and artistic excellence. I'm a stickler for detail, violently object to having my intelligence as a viewer insulted, and am very critical of everything that I watch. But after avoiding this series (due to bad reviews) for some time, I eventually decided to watch it, expecting the worst.

Perhaps, then, my lowered expectations were partly responsible for me enjoying it so much. It certainly wasn't perfect, but I was gripped from beginning to end, and was very well satisfied with the overall quality of the production and all the elements I listed earlier.

I did feel that the last episode was a little rushed, and rather desperately flailed around trying to tie-up all the various narrative threads, but it was a satisfying (if somewhat predictable) conclusion.

My main concern before watching, having read numerous comments and reviews about it, was Michael C. Hall's accent. I have been a huge fan of his through Six Feet Under and Dexter, but had very low expectations of him being able to pull-off a convincing British accent. (Americans doing bad British accents is also a big pet peeve of mine!)

So I was frankly astonished at how well he did it. I am British, and speak with basically the same accent as his character. He sounded just like me, consistently and throughout, apart from two very brief and minor slips - neither of which would have betrayed him as an American (more likely a Brit with a regional accent who's had elocution lessons to sound less provincial).

Anyone knocking his accent in this is either just looking for ways to attack and fixing on an obvious target (though an unwarranted one) or else is unable to properly recognise or analyse accents because of their own poor ear for such things.

In my opinion, this was very much an above average series, and Hall was fabulous in it.

This series had me hooked after episode one which is rare for me. It reminded me a great deal of Broadchurch in relation to the twists and the possibility that anybody could be the perpetrator(s).

Some strong acting really drove the suspense and it was nice to see M C Hall's strengths as an emotional actor which is the complete opposite to his character in Dexter.

Overall I would give this an 8 out of 10. It kept me entertained and I watched all episodes in one sitting. My only slight grief I can not explain without spoilers so will leave it there.

Give it a go if you liked Broadchurch.

Safe is about a family living in a sort of a community. After the loss of his wife, he is trying to move on with his daughters and new girlfriend. But everything falls apart when is daughter turns out missing after a party, and everyone seems to have one small bit of a puzzle, which is otherwise also connected to a mysterious shared past.

Michael C Hall plays the father who was never there, and is now desperately searching for his daughter in a series that brilliantly merges flashbacks with strong storytelling. Besides Hall, the supporting cast is amazing as well.

The minus, is the stupidity that appears more and more. Decisions like confronting bad people alone, instead of informing the police, thrusting unknown people and not your own family, not recognizing blatant lies etc. etc. All this is used to create tension and momentum, but wouldn't it be refreshing if series depended less on stupid decisions and find more creative ways to expand a story? Still, this series is interesting and exciting and absolutely worth a watch.

I loved the series although MC Hall's British accent was awkward! The series gets nicely complex until Ep 6 when the underlying thread becomes evident and thus predictable ending even the final twist was seen a mile away. That said, it doesn't take away from viewing as it still engrossing albeit you know how it will end. It is also clearly a British production which is far superior to any US broadcast network junk one sees on major networks. All in all I recommend watching it