Paranoid

I love English crime shows, mostly because of how real they can be. This one looks the part but the storyline doesn't cut it. The characters routinely do things that just make no sense. It was decent entertainment but also frustrating to watch.

It's a crime drama with a tone problem. The tone problem comes from the awkward and melodramatic romantic subplot between the lead detectives, and the odd construction of Indira Varma's character, which is the fault of the writer. Varma delivers a great performance even though the bad dialogue written for her role makes her character codependent on men. The relationship between her and her longtime boyfriend is forced, in order to manufacture conflict with her detective partner, and not believable. The series would have been better served by focusing on the role corporate corruption played in the crime. Christiane Paul, Polly Walker, and Kevin Doyle offer strong performances in their supporting roles.

Watched this recently and was a bit disappointed. The writer or perhaps the director seemed to be in a muddle. There were some good sections, Germany some of the police investigations but then it diverted into soap opera world. This must be one of the worse police sections in the world. Nina intentionally annoying, I hope, would not last a day on a real police force and as for Bobby he should have been on sick leave a year ago. Germany was good but when Nina came on I was almost throwing the remote at the tv. Worth a watch but be prepared to be frustrated.

The reviewer who gives one star is misguided. He likes Marcella which i felt was scattergun drivel. This Paranoid show has some soul and some pathos. Plus only 2 episodes in its all very interesting and mysterious and i have no idea where its headed. Don't listen to then reviewer he likes pap clearly. The main characters in this are believable and flawed and the story is believable enough to swallow. I say the actors are good and are a good mix that work well together. Its also not eerily dark tones which is all the rage these days and was good for a show or two but now is pretentious and annoying. Anyway i like it and it has enough mix of plot, storyline and character unrevealing to keep me going.

Having now watched 3 episodes I can't understand some of the reviews for this show. While not Emmy winning, the performances certainly don't deserve some of the awful criticisms - especially Indira. Don't be deceived by those who only watched 20 minutes. I thought the episodes moved the story along well and that the German detective team were first rate. Like most British detective shows, it will hold your interest throughout.Thanks to Netflix for introducing me to this genre. If it's not renewed for a 2nd season, it is at least worth your time as a stand alone mystery story. Can't wait to watch the 5 remaining episodes.