frieda-92366

This is one of the most interesting crime shows I have seen, and I've seen many. The pace is excellent -- not a slow moment in any episode. They choose a number of lawmen (from FBI to the local sheriff) to recall their experiences on major killer crimes. Of course, these are all familiar territory. I have seen several different shows on each killer and his/her crimes and they almost always tell the same story the same way. Even when they involve family members, it doesn't feel as fresh and riveting as this show. I love seeing the attitudes of these retired lawmen/law-women and how it affected them and their families. But it doesn't dwell on that, it also hits the highlights of the crimes. And it doesn't focus on the criminals. It is like getting to sit a table with the good ol' boys and their war stories. Great stuff.

When I read about this show online, I was all hyped up for it. But from the opening lines to the end of the second episode (I didn't watch the third) it was a constant struggle to understand what was being said. I understand the interview tapes of victims and killers are of poor quality, but surely there is a way to enhance them. I finally put on over-the-ear headphones and turned them way up to hear the dialogue clearly enough to keep watching. Even the rest of the show's audio was bad. It gave me a whole new appreciation for rape victims then and now -- how tragic that they were rarely heard or believed, or worse, blamed. Hats off to Ms. Burgess for doing the work and making a difference.

After getting hooked on great British crime shows like Broadchurch, Vera and Sherwood, this was a disappointment. Chelsea Detective hits all the low-lights and few of the high-lights. It contains way too many characters for one thing. They would do better to completely eliminate at least half the suspects. It is not even good filler, it is just junk. Plus all of Scarborough's domestic problems like plumbing going wonky and the dead coffee machine -- who cares? And what's with the facial emoting -- with Sonita Henry drawing back and frowning at her partner and he doing the same toward her, and once again it does not make for progress of the story.. Too much of a mix of boring home life that never gets really interesting, and the actual murder cases that never really go further than the front door. A snore/bore. I'd rather watch Sherwood for the 5th time.