Black Work

Police Officer Jo Gillespie learns that her husband, an undercover Detective is killed, she sets about learning the truth for herself.

I am so glad ITV put this out again, as I must have missed it when it first went out.

Ok, there are several times when you need to suspend your disbelief, at times it is a little bit far fetched, but then it is TV, and it's rather good TV.

She has her critics, she has her fans, personally I adore Sheridan Smith, and for me she is the standout, I think she's wonderful throughout, she's well supported by Geraldine James, Matthew McNulty and plenty more acting talent.

It's a good story, it's a topsy turvy, rollercoaster ride, you are made to question and doubt, you are made to wait until the very end.

Very satisfying, well worth a look, 8/10.

When Jo's husband is murdered, ostensibly while undercover, she starts digging into whatever was going in her husband's life - because she obviously didn't know anything about him.

And I must say...

Whoever wrote this has a very low opinion of Yorkshire Police...

They're all either dirty, inept, or just plain thick as a bag of extra strength sludge. All the cops go down the pub on the first or second day of the murder investigation for lord's sake!

The only one doing anything in this show is Jo, who by doing what her colleagues in the police force should do, actually finds stuff out about her lying sod of a husband. All while every other cop on the force does nothing at all.

The main downfall of this show is that, besides Jo, every other character is just too stupid and annoying to be real. From the useless Superintendent to the violent DS that goes mad on a suspect in an interview, everyone is a collection of clichés with a large helping of stupidity thrown in for good measure.

Example. At one point the mother of the dead guy yells her daughter in law for "not caring who murdered her husband", then in almost the next scene she's in, she yells at Jo for investigating her husband's death and "not caring about the kids".

Actually, the mother in law is a terrible character and I found myself hoping she would die.

I also managed to guess the murderer from the moment they appeared, most by casting choice alone.

Otherwise, could have been great, but the writing is too poor to have it be any good.

I am a fan of British suspense and crime thrillers. Catching up with offerings on Acorn network led me to this series. I am beginning to understand why PBS picks up on some things and leaves the rest.

There is no reason why this series should not have been better rated, except for Sheridan Smith's lead performance, which sucked the life out of it. The doll-faced musicals actress displays all the emotions from A to B, as one critic once said of a young Katherine Hepburn on Broadway. Her supporting players only make her inadequacy in the role more pronounced. Ms. Smith succeeded in making Douglas Henshall look hysterical by comparison. Geraldine James stood out, as always. And Matthew McNulty's enthusiastic performance as a smitten suitor crashes on Ms. Smith's wooden facade.

Another example of programming on Brit-export channels that makes me wonder whether they think we Americans don't know the difference between mediocre and quality productions.

For decades, the UK has produced so many high-class crime dramas, that it is impossible to "shoot without fail" all the time. Tastes develop, as well as circumstances, and viewers may move beyond the approaches and issues they used to like in Poirot or Morse, for example, or have begun to like "new age" in the form of Luther or Prey... Black Work is a kind of related mix, but worrying and grief overshadow other elements, including credibility, several male performers are too look-a-like, and the final 20 minutes or so add unnecessary sophistication.

True, Sheridan Smith as P.C. Jo Gillespie is catchy and the background realism is up there, but I am able to "blurt out" dozens of more interesting (mini)series I have seen in recent years. To me, Black Work is more a long film than series, and when you see all 3 episodes in a row, you could realise that many scenes and dialogues could have been more compact.

The show kept my interest and I was able to connect with the characters... the biggest distraction for me was Sheridan Smith's haircut and her duck face expression at times... I know, superficial things.... but still were a distraction. Overall though, it was worth a watch.