Art Detectives

This is definitely my kind of show. Not a lot of gratuitous violence and gore. But good "who dun it" stories that keep my attention. Love Stephen Moyer. Been a fan since True Blood. Nina Singh is a terrific partner for him. She's young but knowledgeable about art. They play well off each other.

The stories are varied, not just paintings but different forms of art. The episode I'm watching now is about wine. Another is about Viking treasure. And another, rare rock memorabilia. All quite interesting and well done.

I truly hope this gets renewed. Shows like this are quite enjoyable for those of us who just want a good mystery to solve without all the "grit".

Granted this review is based on the first three episodes, so it could change, but I have to respectfully disagree with Avidviewer-02847 and edyoung-90901.

I found the first three episodes to be intelligent, crisp, deft and witty. I don't want to give any spoilers, so I would encourage others to take a stab at the series.

As long as it is primarily case driven and avoids the temptation to indulge in tick-box family drama, I have high hopes for this. The three episodes thus far have been set in Yorkshire (Portraits and the National Gallery), Gloucester (A Viking dig and artifacts), Cornwall (a listed estate and rock memorabilia).

For those who like comparisons, I would say it's an amalgam of Lovejoy, Dalgliesh and Chelsea Detective. Like Dalgliesh, Art Detectives is also shot in Northern Ireland. What an amazing canvas from which to work.

As the Storyline says, "In the Metropolitan Police's smallest department, the Heritage Crime Unit, an art-loving detective tackles cases connected to the world of art, antiques, collectibles and cultural heritage."

DI Palmer is the head of the Heritage Crime Unit: in point of fact at the beginning of the series he IS the whole of the Heritage Crime Unit. In the first episode, which takes place in Yorkshire, he is paired with DS Malik, a female DS, who is assigned to help Palmer by the regional DI.

DI Palmer reminds me of Bertie Carvel's Dalgliesh, but with a sense of humor to go with gravitas. This is not meant to take anything away from Bertie Carvel's superb portrayal of Dalgliesh -- I am just saying Carvel's is serious, and rightly so, a different variety of the mystery genre. There may also be a bit of Max from Chelsea Detective. Palmer clearly knows his onions, and can notch up the intensity when the case demands it. He is also able to spot talent, separate the genuine from the ersatz (in people as well). He also is willing to listen to input, knows how to be polite, and how to handle hostile forces.

DS Malik reminds me of a combination of Layla Walsh (Chelsea Detective) and Kate Miskin (Dalgliesh). She is keen to learn and has a nascent instinct. It will be fun to watch her grow.

Each episode clearly states why the Heritage Crime Unit are being sent to the case instead of "major crimes or the murder squad." Not sure how edyoung-90901 missed that. Again it is also very clear why in the third episode they were going to commandeer the row boat.

So don't be put off by the other lukewarm reviews. If you like art and mystery, give this a try.

Something a ChatGPT or Claude would come up after consuming the entire contents of the Acorn, Britbox, possibly with some White Collar thrown in. Wooden acting by a cast of mostly C-listers - if you see someone you recognize, they'll be the victim, because the show didn't get the budget to keep them for the whole episode. Bloody awful writing, predictable, tedious, with plot twists you see a mile away, with cringey and corny jokes. Basically a Velveeta of crime shows, particularly disappointing because it's trying to climb into the art heist genre, where sophistication isn't just appreciated, it's expected.

Britbox and Acorn are loaded with odd couple detective series. Quirky/normal; rebel/by-the-book; amateur/professional; old/young, etc. Maybe it all started with the mercurial Holmes and the prosaic Watson. Anglophiles like me will suspend disbelief and go along with most of these tropes. Usually the writing, acting and production qualities are better than a lot of domestic fare.

This time it's a nerdy museum curator-type who wears duffle coats and happens to be one of those Detective Inspectors that seem to be ubiquitous in British law enforcement. He is the sole member of the Heritage Crime department the remit of which includes not just what would be considered "art crimes" but, apparently, any misdeed that might have a picture, statue, song or whatever involved, including good old drawing room-style murders.

In a fairly standard plot device, he pairs up with a young female Police Constable who knows nothing about art but is intuitive and insightful. She becomes a Detective Constable and the department doubles in size.

Like the American NCIS franchise which began as a unit that investigates USN or USMC incidents but degenerated into taking over any crime where the victim had USAA auto insurance, this show jumps right into ignoring whatever mandate the department is supposed to have. Since murders are the funnest crimes to solve our intrepid detecting odd couple jump right in and take charge without a thought of calling in major crimes or the murder squad.

The characters are pleasant enough, if a bit over-written and over-acted. (The DI in his duffle coat almost falls into the river after the DC, who is an expert swimmer and certified sailor suggests they commandeer a rowboat for some forgettable reason.) And the scenery is nice. But the stories are weak. I've watched three episodes and can't remember whodunnit in any of them. I'll keep watching, because I'm one of those Anglophiles. But my expectations have been seriously lowered.

I've watched 4 episodes and it's disappointing. I'm a big fan of British crime dramas, but the stories so far haven't grabbed me. It's a light crime drama led by a serious actor Stephen Moyer, so I expected more. This definitely isn't a "Grace" or even a "Chelsea Detective and not quite a "Shakespeare and Hathaway". Set someplace outside of London, but actually filmed in Ireland, the locations are great.

The character of DC Malik doesn't really work, she acts like she's an equal with DI Palmer when she doesn't have his rank, police experience or art education. That's down to the poor writing. A crime unit of two people really doesn't work, like this series really doesn't work.

The concept of art detectives has so many possibilities, but the plots and dialog just don't match the concept. There are so many great directions this series could go in terms of art and fraud besides murder. If there is a second series I hope the writing improves.