Criminal Record

The acting from the two leads doesn't get much better. Jumbo and Capaldi give an absolute masterclass in acting. Cush Jumbo gives an incredibly nuanced performance expressing emotion and feeling with every word and look. Capaldi suitably scary as the big bad cop. The story has twists and turns and keeps you guessing. There really is very little to dislike about this show. If you like quality drama it's definitely worth giving it a go. Some reviewers have decided the show is about white folk always being cast as villains but I'd suggest they're bringing some already existing hang ups and looking for ways to reinforce the view. I didn't find any evidence of any prejudices in the way the story was told or cast.

I may be wrong, but this is IMDB, people, and TV shows are TV shows.

It gets complicated when we use the reviews tab for debating politics, racism or political correctness instead of assessing a production as a whole, or try to 'punish' the show with a poor review just because the angle or the ideas portrayed in the plot do not match our view of the world. Yes, it happens, sometimes we get incensed about some messages (this is not the case, Criminal Record is certainly not about the message), but, as a reader seeking for reviews before watching a show, I prefer less opinionated perspectives and find them more helpful.

In purely cinematographic terms, this is a quite enjoyable show, even though the theme is not new to the genre and has already been visited before by quite a few crime and procedural series.

However, the premise still holds, and so far the story is intriguing enough and ambiguous enough to feed the mystery about how things will resolve in the end. You wonder, is the 'bad guy' really that terribly bad or is he not, and a surprise awaits at the end of the season?

It is a pleasure to watch the extraordinary performances of Peter Capaldi (kudos) and a very accomplished Cush Jumbo, who add complexity and nuances to their characters.

Capaldi, in particular, is magnificent. His facial expressions are austere and exuberant at the same time (how does he do it?).

All the supporting roles are well performed and the script hooks the spectators enough to have them waiting for the next chapter. It is not The Wire, it is not Line of Duty, and it stretches some plot lines a bit. But it is still a fine show. I have watched a few hundreds of procedural and detective shows, and this, so far, I am enjoying.

It took me a while to get into this series, but I'm glad I did.

It accurately captures the zeitgeist of inner-city policing during the austerity years; over a decade of funding cuts mixed with the normalisation of xenophobia and racism that were an inevitable consequence.

It's a (very) slow burn that frequently keeps the viewer flipping between sympathies. Personally, I love a series that challenges me to keep guessing who are the good guys and who are the bad guys! Ably assisted in this drama by a superb cast whose complex characters you couldn't help but like.

Simply put, Criminal Record could be described as a dish best served cold. And for everyone who didn't make it to the end? Your loss.

The last 10 minutes made the wait soooooo worthwhile! Well played everyone.

First: wow. It's been such a long time since a crime drama kept me off my phone. The pacing is perfect for me as often crime drama's for me feel a little overdrawn not this one.

Cush Jumbo is as ever amazing in her role, Peter Capaldi was also brilliant I even forgot about his previous roles I usually think of when I see him (Sid's dad in Skins and his roles in Doctor Who).

The twist at the end was genuinely surprising (I'm pretty good at this whodunnit game) and here I am writing a review to recommend anyone thinking of watching it to do exactly that.

Lastly I think there is enough left from the season to justify a second season and I really hope they renew this one rather than leaving it to fade as a limited series.

I admired and appreciated this memorable series more than I enjoyed it. The power and control of the lead male detective Dan Hegarty and his veteran cohorts - all (not coincidentally) older white males - to bend the law, exert their biases, intimidate colleagues and shape events and outcomes to their liking was chilling.

Veteran DCI Hegarty (a frightening Peter Capaldi) and younger colleague June Lenker (the phenomenal Cush Jumbo) clash over her questioning of an old murder conviction Hegarty and cohorts obtained against Errol Mathis, a black man.

The main plot plays against a myriad of personal and family problems afflicting all characters. Some scenes are stressful to watch, and Capaldi's character by the third episode made my stomach tighten with every appearance.

The script is unflinching, the acting is first-rate and the bigger-picture story of unequal justice is memorably driven home. But if it's escapist entertainment you seek, look elsewhere.