In Deep

I don't often write reviews, but I was bemused to see the high rating that four of the other five reviewers gave this show. It is, in my opinion quite dreadful. I watched the first story and was hugely disappointed by the frankly unbelievable plot lines and poor acting . The actors are woefully miscast and the very idea of Stephen Tompkinson and Nick Berry as 'hard men.' Is laughable. The police officers who are the subject of the investigation are cack-handed idiots and the ones investigating them are laughably naive and incompetent, not to mention clueless. There is not one shred of reality about any of it. There is no excitement, no tension and it is more like a comedy than a thriller. I strongly advise anyone who is thinking about watching it not to do so.

The usual quality of BBC police dramas is questionable. They are either depressing (e.g. Messiah) or just plain awful and unbelievable (e.g. Mersey Beat). In Deep gets the mix just right. It doesn't go too far with gadgets, action, abilities of the main characters etc.. but has the right amount to keep you enthralled without going into "yeah - right" territory. I didn't believe Nick Berry could pull it off (I loathe Heartbeat) but he produces a great performance every episode.

The stories are written very well, with twists and turns, humour, drama and action. It is split into two episodes per story, and the suspense that grips you between episodes means that you are sat in front of the tv well in advance to make sure you don't miss it.

If you haven't seen it yet. Do so.

Loved this series. Wish I knew how to watch it on here?

I'm not a fan of either Nick Berry or Stephen Tompkinson - and regardless how much the BBC tries to ram down the throat that these two guys shouldn't be messed with - I just don't buy Nick Berry as a hardman. I don't care how much melodramatic music, lighting or story they pump into the script I just smirk as an unshaven Berry tries to con his way into every eb of the episode's bad guy.

To its credit, the writing isn't bad but the idea's been done many times before - such as "Thief Takers", "99-1", "The Knock" and the inevitable comparison to "The Professionals", which I find quite bemusing.

Sure there's action sequences, stunts and the bravado of these Bodie and Doyle wannabe's - but somehow I just don't care about the characters as much as I want to. I care more about Berry's family and Berry's view on fathership than what he does to sting a drug baron.

Anyway, its not bad for what it is. Another Professionals type show. Shame it doesn't have the charm of Bodie and Doyle, but then again - not many shows have.

I don't buy Nick Berry has a hardman, I'm sorry - but I don't.

Overall: 4/10

I just now watched In Deep and loved it. Each showed left me wanting to watch the next. I just wish they had made more seasons.