The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco

This is an excellent period piece bravely tackling the subject matter of sexism and racism in the storyline of a crime drama featuring strong female characters. The side plot of the challenges the women face being taken seriously during those times adds an extra layer of complexity to the plot line. They use their skills as code breakers that brought them together during the war to find clues about the murderer. Many serial killers have patterns and rituals so this is not a stretch. There are a couple of reviews that talk about "pushing agendas" and being overly "PC", but I couldn't disagree more; sounds like mansplaining to me.. I've seen the first 4 episodes and I'm waiting for episode 5. I believe there are supposed to be 8 episodes in Season 1, altogether.

I must be honest, I was gutted when the original series was cancelled, ITV seem to have a nack at cancelling shows when they're at their peak, or simply showing signs of developing into something good, The Halcyon and Home Fires to name a few. It was therefore hugely welcome news to learn that Omnifilm had decided to bring the show back from extinction, the challenge was always going to be whether or not they could capture the quality and feel of the original. For the most part the answer is yes, Julie Graham and Rachel Stirling survive from the original run, and provide enough presence to make it feel like Bletchley. It's well produced, the stories are good (maybe not Madhouse so much,) and it deals with some very serious issues, notably sexism and racism.

It's a good series, I think it's fair to say it doesn't quite have the quality of the original runs, but I'm glad to see it back, and I enjoyed it. I look forward to the next four episodes. 7/10

The characters are quite good and this series has potential. I hope they will grow in the next season and that there is a next season more importantly. We are BritBox devotees and this one could well be a keeper.

This certainly has a different feel than the original series. It's a decent crime drama, and it continues to showcase the women's personalities and skills. However, it tries to pack too many social issues into each episode. Of course, the issues are important, as they drive peoples' actions, but it often feels forced, as if they approached each episode as the last and had to make every possible statement they could. Overall, it's enjoyable.

Additional points I make address other reviews. Those who ranted about this being a horrible American series should know it is not American, but rather it is Canadian. It is produced by a UK company and filmed in Canada. Also, I cannot speak for every inconsistency regarding misused vernacular of the time period, but those who commented on the US not being in Vietnam in the 1950s are incorrect. The MAAG went to Vietnam to advise in the 50s.

Not a bad show with some interesting characters and good use of San Francisco. My problem is that we are told that the show is set in 1952. There is talk of someone being shipped off to Vietnam, possible but America did not start shipping troops there until the mid 60's. In one scene people are listening to music that sounds like it comes from the late 60's in an era before rock and roll. They also talk about converting a mono record player to a stereo player six years before stereo records were on general release. Then a character mentions the British invasion, if he is talking about music, he is over a decade ahead of his time. These anomalies take me out of the story. It is somewhat lazy writing, research is easy, it is basically what the show is about.