Rebus

I recently saw a list of the top 10 crime series in the US and I have to say that none of them were anywhere near as good as British crime shows. I love the ability to tell a story without all the vulgarity and sex that seem to be the mainstay of the US shows which by the way are just getting worse and unwatchable. My only problem with Rebus is that he is portrayed s a disheveled individual who enjoys his beverages a little too much and yet women jump into bed with him. While he might have charm his personal hygiene is certainly lacking and deems him undesirable.

I loved this series. It started well and end even better unlike many others that seem to drag to a close. The actors, both John Hannah and Ken Stott did a great job. I never read the books, so have no problem with John Hannah being younger than in the books. In fact I found the John Hannah season to be a bit more appealing due to the serious nature of the episodes. The supporting cast also did their job.

Stories were well written and intriguing enough to keep you wanting more. I felt like it ended too soon. I read somewhere they were planning to restart, but haven't seen anything yet. Hope they do it.

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.

Watched all episodes about a year ago, after enjoying one of the books, and I have to say I liked it. Having now read most of the books, it's disappointing watching the series again. Some episodes have nothing to do with the book, like Knots and Crosses, many others are loose adaptations which lose a lot of the plot intricacies and 'bite' of the books. Even allowing for the fact that they have to squeeze the stories into an hour long episodes, there could be more suspense. Stott is the best thing in it, good characterisation of Rebus, little else.

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