Touching Evil

I heard about this series in a commentary by John Leonard on the "CBS Sunday Morning" show. I don't recall if he compared it to the "Prime Suspect" series of a few years ago but I certainly would. This series kept you glued to your seat. You learn as the detectives do. The psychological drama is reminiscent of Hitchcock, ie."The Man Who Knew To Much".The intricacies of the relationships among the characters is fantastic - and I don't mean it was like a soap opera. It is shows like this that are the reason I keep my television. I'm not knocking shows such as "N.Y.P.D. Blue" or "Law and Order" as they are usually well written and acted. But you know from the start what is usually going to happen, and you don't need to be watching all the time - listening will usually do fine. With "Touching Evil" you really need to watch. To glance away to talk with someone or respond to some other distraction may mean losing the whole nuance of a segment. So those of you out there that may have missed it the first time around, be assured that PBS will run it again. My suggestion is that you make sure you are not going to be distracted for any reason, sit down and let your mind go to work.

"Touching Evil" is such a wonderful series, but sometimes it's difficult to watch. It's dark, gritty, atmospheric, sometimes sad, and sometimes heartbreaking. Bottom line: it's fantastic.

The series stars heartthrob Robson Green, a quirky, intense, sexy actor who, in his role as Dave Creegan. Creegan is a divorced man with two beautiful little girls; his wife is involved with someone else. Previous to the series, he was shot and had a near death experience, which has affected him deeply as well as leaving him with a physical scar.

When the series begins, he comes to work with the Organised & Serial Crime Unit, where he's teamed with Susan Taylor (Nicola Walker), an attractive, down to earth woman who realizes early on that Creegan is no typical detective. He works to get into the mind of the killer to figure out his next move.

The various episodes have dealt with child kidnapping, euthanasia, murders resulting from a web game, a serial killer who communicates with a reporter, and PTSD. At one point, Creegan realizes that he must take desperate measures to protect his ex-wife and his family.

Really excellent series, with absolutely no glamor, sometimes bizarrely photographed, dealing with Britain's underside. Highly recommended for the strong performances of all the actors, the charisma of Green, and the powerful stories.

Touching Evil is a remarkable mystery mini series. One of the best I've seen. It is gripping and compelling. The main character, Kreegan, is complex, enigmatic and sympathetic. The mini series is composed of 5 seemingly disparate episodes that somehow come together at the end in a way that is unique and satisfying.

It made me eager to see the next installment: Touching Evil 2, which was a disappointment.

I stumbled over this one on a Sunday afternoon during a top-ot-the-hour channel surf. Readjusting my American viewing apparatus to accept a cop drama that was cut at less than 10 edits a minute, this baby snared me hard. I drooled until I was able to catch the rest of the episodes, and I found myself moving through the day hungering to answer the phone, "D.I Creegan..."

This show rocks in that the viewer is REQUIRED TO WORK to figure out the details of the backstory, relationships that existed before, and to hang onto a storyline that is not concerned with over-explaining; you need to keep up with the pace. This story is real and happening, transferring a realistic impression of copwork from the inside, tempered with just enough "X-Files" in their "Elite Special Ops Force (or whatever it's called)" to be convincing not in the fantastic/horrific, but in The REALITY. No passivity in attention here; snooze=loose.

Think the complex, multi-episodicness of "The Prisoner" with the acting/directing savvy of "NYPD Blue" and the cinematic re-par-te of, say, John Sayles if he were to shoot contemporary London. (The EXT. - NIGHT's are a little too blue for me, but hell, I ain't the shooter...)

"Touching" is pretty dang good, guv-nuh, as hard-boiled as you'll get across the Pond.

I watched this series when it was first out in 1997 (god that long ago, I just realised I was quite young when I got hooked on Touching Evil no wonder my mum didn't really approve!) and I still think it's a bloody good series.

Personally, I was disappointed by Series 3, which they probably shouldn't have made but the first two series are so good, I just try to forget they sunk a little with the last series! What Touching Evil has, is a great mixture of entertaining and surprising story lines, humour and broken, life like characters (anti-heroes are always more interesting to watch). It revels in the darkness of human nature, without sensualising it, though it deals with all sorts of hard issues they never depress enough to make you stop watching, in fact this thriller had me on the edge of my seat for two seasons.

Robson Green has a nice mix of Lethal Weapon madness and pure genius with Creegan and humour (which I think is what he does best) doesn't ever make his character less believable if fact the opposite. He's an odd ball. But Creegan's been through a lot (being brought back from death after a gun shot to the head) and he doesn't do anything he's told by his superiors…Oh and he's always right! Green is backed up nicely by Nicola Walker and Shaun Dingwall, both of which work very well with Creegan's humour and darkness, from the beginning they are a very interesting and likable team and easy to watch. Green's Creegan does dominate the first series (nothing wrong with that) but I must admit I did prefer it when by the second series Walker and Dingwall also got some meatier bits too! I'm not saying this is an easy watch, because it's not Harry Potter. But Touching Evil still remains a clever, energetic and fast paced drama, with rounded, emotionally loaded characters.

Just make sure you have a cushion to hide behind, 'cos sometimes it's a little gory!

Recommended! But I've deducted a point for Season 3... Really you can do without it!