Vera - Ein ganz spezieller Fall

The plot lines always seem to grab our attention. My husband and I actually enjoy Vera's character. To me she seems like a female version of Colombo, but she is not quite as corny--instead she is more human...just as clever and determined...never giving up until she finds the killer. I think one needs to develop a taste for British detective stories (they are not nearly as "glamorous" as American whodunits) in order to enjoy watching them. We also notice the same actors appearing and reappearing in different series, inevitably playing a variety of different character types. We find British shows well-written and often more original than their American counterparts. In fact, when we started watching British shows we could barely understand the actors and now we are quite comfortable listening to British English. So many excellent shows would never be available in the US if we didn't have public broadcasting. Thank you public television for hours and hours of commercial-free entertainment and a variety of intelligent, stimulating dramas from which to choose.

I recently binge watched several series of Vera. I feel the review I give has to cover not just the lead actors but the support cast. I love Brenda Blethyn and Kenny Doughty and the chemistry between them the interactions between the rest of the squad but I would also like to mention the weekly guest cast. These are actors who don't always have a huge portfolio of starring work and yet some (heck most) of the performances are amazing. The episode I have just watched the confession of the father to killing his son was heart wrenching and having watched several series in a row the quality never fails. Credit where it's due I say pet!

Gutsy, gritty police drama series has an unusual format and a great star: Brenda Blethyn.

This is not a weekly series, nor is it a miniseries. It's a yearly series of four 90-minute movies that loosely tie up together, especially in the character of Vera Stanhope, a driven and crotchety character who excels in her work but who has trouble connecting to the people around her or in dealing with her past life.

Brenda Blethyn is just perfect as the middle-aged copper and just as changeable as the North England weather. She's just as likely to lash out at her colleagues as she is the suspects in the series of murders she must solve.

Chief among the supporting cast are David Leon as Vera's sergeant Joe Ashworth, later replaced by Kenny Doughty as Aiden Healy. There's also Jon Morrison as Kenny Lockhart and Riley Jones as Mark Edwards. In the first couple of seasons, Peter Ritter as the weirdly comic pathologist Billy Cartwright is a delight. But there are plenty of other quirky coppers and suspects lurking about the Yorkshire dale and towns. The location shooting is quite stunning as well.

The mysteries are based on characters created by Ann Cleeves and most of them are excellent. It's never easy to guess the killer. You won't see a parade of famous actors but that works in the show's favor.

A great show for mystery fans and those who like great acting.

And how is it possible that this great show has never gotten a single BAFTA nomination?

What a relief to have a good detective series back on the tele that doesn't rely on bad language, bad acting, shock topics and model style looks of the main character. Blenda Blethyn, with her "pet"s and "luv"s is just delightful as the down to earth, emotionally damaged but very clever detective Vera. She allows herself to be stripped back to basics, dressed in frumpy clothes, often shot at unflattering angles, and by doing so "becomes" Vera. As for Vera herself, what a woman to work with! I don't think I'd last long if I were poor old Kenny but the fact that everyone does stick around and work well together getting good results shows that Vera, although in all appearances is so ordinary, she really is extraordinary.

I have to totally disagree with the previous reviewer who said Vera's character isn't believable. Certainly Vera is moody and temperamental (aren't we all flawed in some ways?),but she gets the job done and gets her team to produce results. While she has her own demons, she's tenderhearted when she needs to be and ultimately kind to her staff if they do their jobs and deserve her kindness. The way she gets people to tell her things is calculated, but the method works on the show and in real life. I find the acting in "Vera" to always be superb, and the plots are clever, fresh and full of surprises. Also, David Leon (Joe) is gorgeous--and this from a 75-year-old woman. I'll miss him in upcoming episodes, but I'm sure the shows will still be top quality. Vera is one of the reasons this U.S. Midwesterner has become a fan of British TV. Aside from public television, sports and a couple of series, I hardly watch any U.S. TV anymore.