Bergerac

Unfortunately, this production chose to treat some common life occurrences as though it's all just a "Slag Him Off!", "Slag Him Off!", "Slag Him Off!" opportunity. It's tiring and depressing.

A man imbibes one evening and all the next day he gets comments about being breathalysed, smelling bad, etc. Does this upright hominid not know how to shower or use a breath mint? WTH with this relentless nonsense? Clearly, there's a writer/team that doesn't understand garden-variety functional alcoholism, or what a true, full-blown drinking problem looks like. Instead, they flip out over practically nothing, and verbally exaggerate incessantly. PATHETIC.

Clichés and poor choices galore: 1) A pushy, wrong-headed, nearly amoral journalist who'd rather listen to a convicted criminal provide nothing but slander and defamation on any day of the week.

2) Idiotic psychiatry/counseling scenes, consisting of repetitive interrogations and hounding, followed by a full medical confidentiality breach with an employer.

3) Family conflict on repeat, where a parent is being barred from contact, but has done little of substance to warrant that.

4) Treating a grieving, depressed person with an emotional crutch like an abnormal pariah.

5) Bad, obvious evidence 'discovery' scenes.

6) Pressuring people while they're on the phone for absolutely no legit reason ('cept fake drama).

7) A totally illogical setup involving a semi-employment scenario (unrealistic in every way), with predictably irrational risk-taking, and then a parade of undermining and backstabbing colleagues (as if they could be called that) always marching around the office right behind to lay on the pointless pressure.

I mean, a guy has a drinking problem, but the counseling he's forced into doesn't address it, then he gets sent home to do nothing but scrut around his house for open bottles to chug? Would his 'superior officer' seriously think that cutting him off would be a way for him to get his head on straight, when being a workaholic is all that's keeping him going? INSANE.

And, no one is spending their full days having to parent teenaged children unless they are disabled dependents. SO DUMB!

As others have said this is a lazy adaptation of an old classic. The story arc which goes over six episodes could have been done in two, the misanthropic cop who can't communicate with anybody let alone his daughter who is in desperate need of support is so old and overwritten it is ridiculous. The constant railing against authority which was nuanced and effective in the original is just a blunt hammer in this one. The main actor himself I'm not sure about if it's the script or his delivery but it is so wooden and unsympathetic is a hard watch. I must admit I fast forwarded through most of this as I guess who done it early on, and frankly the male "intuitive " posturing was so bizarre - literally just yelling at his boss in front of the team - let me just... I was like can you not...

Kate Wakefield is killed inside her home, DCI Jim Bergerac is off on the sick following the death of his wife and a problem with alcohol. Bergerac pleases with his boss to be allowed to operate as a special advisor.

I'm struggling to associate this show with some of the negative reviews I've read, this was a very good first series, very watchable, very consistent, a cut above most things I've seen recently.

I really liked the mystery, I liked the pacing, the characters and the production, the location work was terrific, I couldn't reply find a lot to criticise, even at six episodes long it worked.

I thought Damien Molony was very well cast as Bergerac, I definitely got the impression of a troubled man, trying his best, but failing. I grew up watching John Nettles, but I'm more than happy with Molony.

Very good performances from the likes of Pippa Haywood, Stephen Wight and Philip Glenister, I thought Aidan McArdle was terrific.

More please.

8/10.

There is nothing barely redeemable about this remake. The storyline isn't new, the acting is almost as bad as a children's school play and none of the characters had any depth.

It's incredulous that this even got funding. The 'whispering' DCI character, the back stabbing DI and lack of basic police procedure we know from other crime shows. There was no drama, no edge of the seat tension and no real motivation to watch the remaining episodes than to at least give it a chance.

Add to this a complete lack of plausible 'rich' people behaviour - we know any wealthy person would have used their private connections to sideline Bergerac sooner. It's dubious anyone had watched the original show or had a clue about how to write an evolving story.

With Phillip Glenister as one of the main characters, who is a brilliant actor may I add. His dialogue, his scripting and his acting in this has been totally wooden. Did he just not feel the script and saw it as a payday?!

The 6 episodes, are dire, slow and to be honestly totally mind numbing.

One murder and an abduction attempt. Every episode has just ended with a can I be bothered to find out who did this?!

This is supposed to be a murder mystery, so where is the suspense?! The intrigue?! No where.

Characters who I can't give a s*** about, they are ignorant, condescending, quiet and whispering at times. A DI who makes me wince.

Give me the John Nettles version over this!