Aurelio Zen

As I am an eager follower of UK and Scandinavian police dramas, it is logical than I have finally reached Zen, although, apparently due to 1 Season of 3 episodes, it has been "lost"/forgotten somehow. And that is pity - as the characters/performances, pertinent environment enhancing the general mood, and some unexpected twists make it a far-above-average miniseries. The events take place in Italy, all the cast is very local type (mainly from the UK though), but all communication is carried out in English (the same approach as in the e.g. Wallander UK version). The chemistry between Rufus Sewell as Aurelio Zen and Caterina Murino as Tania Moretti is sweet, yet realistic, ironing out some irregularities in the plot and scenes included just for thrill, but mystery is maintained and the Italian scenery makes you want to revisit Central Italy again...

PS And Rufus Sewell is a really versatile character actor, just recently saw Man in the High Castle where he stars as well. And so differently!

The idea of taking a team of British actors and placing them in a crime fighting scenario in another European country can have mixed results. It worked with Maigret and it didn't work with Wallander.

It DOES work with Zen. Whether or not it adheres to Michael Dibdin's novels I don't know because I haven't read them.

Visually this series is a treat. The men are impeccably dressed and all look like James Bond! The stories themselves aren't going to win any awards but the journey is nonetheless an enjoyable and satisfactory one.

If you're worn down by the usual shaky-cam stupidity of most modern trashy UK drama featuring the hyper-melodramatic plot lines and scripts with the usual, overly used actors and you need a reassuringly glossy and understated look into a world of low key drama then Zen is for you.

Not masterfully intelligent but neither is it insultingly cringe-worthy.

ZEN is a thoroughly enjoyable drama and a refreshing change of pace.

I think everything has already been said in the above reviews about this series of three 90 minute episodes.

Its a stylish, beautifully shot,well acted,classy piece of entertainment, with fairly decent story lines with Rome as the backdrop.

Though i haven't watched the third instalment i felt the second 'Cabal' was a definite improvement on the first 'Vendetta' which i thought was slightly preposterous

No, it won't appeal to everyone, think of it as Bergerac with style, it has an upbeat Midsommer Murders pace to it.Like someone has said, it bucks the current trend of hard nosed police dramas, and it works, give it a try. You might just be pleasantly surprised like i was.

Some might condemn this as escapist TV but what's wrong with that? we all need to get away sometimes so why not summer in Rome, i can't think of a nicer place.

Zen is a three part series made back in 2011. Rufus Sewell brings the character of Zen to life, he's an intelligent, elegant and maverick Detective.

Three good mysteries for the dynamic Detective to solve, the best, Cabal being the second episode.

What always used to amuse me, was how attractive the cast tend to be, you have the beautiful, model like ladies, and the handsome, suited and booted chaps, it is very noticeable.

I've read some criticisms about the adaptations being highly altered from the books, I have only read one, I like Sewell's character, it worked for me.

I imagine these cost a lot of money to make, they look incredible, beautifully shot, great scenes. I wonder if that was one of the reasons why it lasted just the one series.

It's worth watching, 8/10.

After the success of the BBC version of the Swedish police drama 'Wallander' it appears that they decided to make another police show set on the continent, this time trading Scandinavia for the warmth of Italy. Set in Rome this series follows three cases for Detective Aurelio Zen. It quickly becomes apparent that he is one of the few honest cops but that doesn't stop politicians leaning on him to solve cases that serve them whether or not justice prevails. Zen isn't perfect though; he is having an illicit affair with a woman he works with for starters. The stories themselves are gripping and there are plenty of suspects for Zen and the viewer to wonder who did it.

This series is very different to Wallander, he isn't full of angst or suffering family problems; he just gets on with the job while enjoying life and being dressed in a very sharp suit; Rufus Sewell is great in the role. The series is filmed in a way that conveys the heat of the setting so that even though most of the actors speak with English accents nobody would think they were meant to be British. The decision not to have non-Italian cast members speaking in mock Italian accents was wise; ever since 'Allo 'Allo false foreign accents have seemed humorous rather than clever. It is just a pity that the series was only three episodes long; I hope it will be successful enough to warrant further series in the future.