The Chelsea Detective

The bad review bears all the hallmarks of someone who read the synopsis and cast list but didn't actually watch the program and therefore doesn't understand it. OK, it's not the deepest, most thought-provoking programme you'll ever see, but having watched the first I'm looking forward to watching the rest of the series to see how the characters develop, particularly the complex relationship between the protagonist and his estranged partner. The crime-solving is an added bonus!

Yet another superb British cop show. Due to its size and dominance in British culture, a good number of UK police dramas are set in London, the capital. UK TV show makers have based a good number of cop shows in regional parts of the UK and the local customs and accents add flavour to the show.

With the exception of Whitechapel, which was East End specific, The Chelsea Detective makes a virtue of its specific London suburban location with lots of gorgeous shots of Chelsea landmarks, a focus on the mostly affluent lifestyles in what was once a village near the city rather than big city life in central London, a cameo by the famous Chelsea Pensioners, and the lead detective DI Max Arnold (Adrian Scarborough) is a local lad with long standing family connections to the area. Arnold adds Chelsea colour by living on a Thames houseboat and riding a mountain bike to work.

The show is gentle and very much steeped in the upper crust lifestyle of Chelsea but the plots are strong and the supporting cast of detectives, especial DS Priya Shamsie (Sonita Henry) in Season 1 and DS Lavia Walsh (Venessa Emma) in Seasons 2 and 3, are an excellent compliment to DI Arnold's mildly eccentric persistence and witty dry humour. Yes there's the obligatory racial quotas in the cast but the show avoids much of the PC wokery one sees in dramas in the 2020's. Seasons 2 and 3 are just as strong as Season 1.

Good choice of actors; a bit more normal than we usually find in crime series (no bizarre issues or personalities). Crimes are fairly normal also, but just different enough to be interesting. Forensics (important) are well done.

Just what I expect from a British detective show. No fancy car chases, no blazing gun fights, just solid police work.

I hope there will be more seasons.

You review this show in terms of what it is not. Not Morse. Not Lewis. Not even close. Not written by Moffat. Not something you would go out of your way to schedule for a family viewing. Not fast moving. In fact if Scarborough's detective were any slower, he would require dusting. But it is safe, it is comfy, it is not excessively woke, and it holds the attention. Sonita Henry does an especially decent job as the sidekick, packing a massive amount of dignity and self-confidence into a role nobody usually pays attention to. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))