North Square

A really excellent legal drama that has unfortunately been cancelled after one series, North Square was almost unique in combining witty dialogue, interesting plots, superb acting and a good sense of legal life both in the courtroom and out of it, without resorting to the sordid emptiness of 'This Life'. A true cult TV series.

A great, slick, angry, and so very intelligent legal drama. Great casting and acting, and my intro to McCrory. One of those series, oh fantastic, building up characters over episodes and then, for no good reason, being cancelled and wiped out. How very very annoying, especially seeing what Reality TV that Ch4 pulps out year after year instead. I still miss knowing what development might have occurred in this stunning show. And great to see a top lead vehicle for Phil Davis. That moment at the end, his fatherly role, looking round at his troupe in the pub... perfection.

This was a pithy, intelligently handled 10 part series that was a pleasure to watch each week.

Seldom if ever have I seen something that was as enthralling, fast moving and that had characters who seemed to jell.

Congrats. to TVO (TV Ontario - Canada) for having given me the opportunity to look forward to an episode each week. The ten weeks came to an end all too soon.

I'm really sorry to learn that the creators won't have a chance to make another 10 episodes.

BJS.

hello again. Its been ten years since my last review of this show and finally I got to see it again on DVD, only 14 years since I last saw it, and its even more wonderful than ever. I still mourn its cancellation. Mckliesh, as he looks around that pub at his family. Oh that's just a wonderful bit of direction, in fact the editing is superb as well. Great line of casting, I suppose I will have to check out SILK now to see how it compares. Oh yes and I love the intro graphics as well, good music and animation. I suppose its too late to bring it back, ah well, maybe ill write another review in ten years if IMDb will let me

Having just watched the 1st episode on 4oD, I am reminded just how superb this show was (and anything using a track from The Clash as a theme tune gets my vote!)

Far too many legal dramas on TV, yet this stand out got the chop, but I also recall Channel 4 not really hyping it much at the time either. In this respect it was like BBC's 'Bodies', in a TV world massively over saturated with medical dramas, this was a major stand out too, albeit uncompromising. But at least that got a 2nd series and a full length finale. (Like another soon axed work of art, the comedy on BBC3 'Pulling').

I guess it's demographics, they'll hype up the pandering, lowest common denominator 'reality' dreck knowing they'll get a decent enough audience however bad it is. The good stuff all too often has not only fight to get made, but also fight to get promoted.

For some reason, until I saw it again, I had it in my head that North Square was made around 1990, within minutes the mobile phones and Apple Macs in the show reminded me otherwise. This is I think, maybe a reflection of how not only was it axed after 10 episodes, but I don't recall it even being repeated or released on DVD either.

However I do recall newspaper articles citing North Square as an example of excellence that cost cutting budgets could not sustain, or rather Ch4 would rather spend money on lame imports and Big Brother.

It all started to go wrong for Ch4 when the TV expert that was the Pizza Hut CEO took over the channel.