Rebus

/refers to all episodes/

As I am fond of British (and Scandinavian) detective dramas, I try to watch them as many as possible - preferably in sequence. Although recent decades have seen the bloom of series without single cased based episodes, it is sometimes nice to "look back" as well - as here in Rebus.

It is a bit odd that this series is divided into 2 - the episodes starring John Hannah and those with Ken Scott as DI John Rebus; both the approach and the depiction of Rebus are different, and now, after watching all series, I would say that I find Scott's performance more pleasing - he is rougher and his views and behaviour patterns include giggling moments, plus the episodes are shorter. Although not all episodes are equally interesting and sustained - in some cases I could guess too early who the wrongdoer was - the series in general is another nice example of respective British talent, with the beautiful city of Edinburgh within a supporting cast.

As a whole, 8 points from me - 7.5 for Hannah's Rebus and 8.5 for Scott's.

The date indicated for this series on Prime v Video is 2015. The correct date for this series is 2000 to 2004.

John Hannah may a good actor, but he was no Rebus. Which is a shame, because the Hannah series had longer episodes that let some of Rankin's genius through. And they had Gerald Morris Cafferty, Rebus' nemesis, a running feature in the books. But they got Rebus wrong and Clarke as well.

Word was that Rankin was not happy with Hannah, so when the series resumed, Ken Stott got the nod, and he is a much better Rebus. The stories are streamlined, which stinks, but any time spent with Stott is time well spent, as he nails Rebus' craftiness, as well as his emotional tension, perfectly. And the Stott episodes more accurately portray Rebus' partnership with Siobhan Clarke (Claire Price), both in its inception and then as it grows over time.

This should be addicting for fans of Ian Rankin's books, which are among the best in modern police fiction.

I have read the books but still prefer John Hannah in the lead role and the style of season 1. It became very average when Ken Stott (on paper a 'better' Rebus) got the part and the style of the show changed.

The first season has great film noir qualities. From the nearly black and white filming to the "mood of pessimism, fatalism, and menace", it is a current take on a neglected genre. My favorite added little feature is the audio narration voiced by the lead actor of season one: John Hannah. It was a very pleasant change to hear the insights, thought and reflections of the character that are not actually spoken aloud. It gave useful insight into the overall direction of the characters and the episodes.

I might agree that the lead actor John Hannah might not have been the best actor that could have been cast. However, given that I did not read the books, the only distraction he had for me was that he looked too young for the part.

After season one all the magic is gone. There is a change of lead actor. The film noir is gone. There is no narrator. It becomes just another lengthy British style detective story with no broken heart nor tortured soul. What a shame!