Code 37

If you like punchy police, crime drama, this is for you. The lead actors are all excellent and believable. The detail is good and their mannerisms, eating habits etc... pretty much what you might expect. That is, not pretty but accurate! Some stories are a little too similar to others, but overall a good watch!

This Belgian crime drama certainly has me glued. Although it deals with some of the most heinous sexual crimes, these are portrayed in a sensitive, and sometimes darkly humorous way, so that they're not too harrowing. Of course, it's fiction, and thus how Hannah Maes et al deal with crimes and have them all wrapped up within the hour - and how the police in real life deal with crimes are two distantly related concepts. Hannah's subplot, throughout S1, is somewhat difficult to follow. Events become more opaque every week, and Hannah seems to fall more and more off the rails as the weeks go by. I haven't started series 2 yet, so I'll have to reserve judgement on whether that becomes clearer. As far as the regular week to week stories go, they're interesting, engaging to watch and sensitively dealt with. Of Hannah Maes' male charges, Bob is to me the most interesting to see his development, from a somewhat ignorant sexist pig to diligent cop. Kevin is the cutest - I really want him to come out as gay (remember I have 2 series still to watch!) and he seems to be the most empathetic towards the victims. I'm afraid Charles, likeable though he is, reminds me of the cowardly lion from The Wizard of Oz, with his walrus moustache and all!

This is an excellent show and Veerle Baetens is excellent in the role (also watch ehr in The Team and Tabula Rasa - different roles, but she's also excellent) I have to wonder if the reviewer who commented on her poor acting has a personal vendetta against her - as they take several personal swipes at the actress herself in the review. The review said she constantly screams, but she rarely screams in the show and is quite calm a lot of the time (I sometimes think too calm!), so again, I wonder if the negative reviewer has even seen the show?

I find the cases interesting and the acting great, the rapport between the team eventually becomes enjoyable too..Bob is intolerable for most of season 1 though, namely the first half. Someone that sexist should not work in sex crimes in real life, but this is just fictional. Sometimes I think they let his behaviour slide too easily, especially for a sex crimes show (such as his degrading jokes and taking a naked photo of his boss and spreading it in poster form telling men to call for sex). But overall, it's a great show with interesting characters and decent storylines. Highly recommend.

Do not listen to the reviews, watch for yourself and decide! It's a very decent police procedural show.

The other reviews say it all, I just had to say how I loved this!

The main characters develop wonderfully almost to the point of being a superhero team, one with fags, sexism, fluid sexuality, diets entirely of fast food, and who all spatter the series with very realistic emotional fallout.

The storylines vary on all levels, with the bigger story thread running through that will draw you to binge watch. But it is more the interplay of the characters, the realism and the humour that makes this series stand out.

It's got the feel of a very good version of The Sweeney and some other top cop dramas of the same era, very much updated and fresh but with remnants of the 70s.

If the expanded title has a ring of click-bait about it, then be assured that the show in no way relies on titillation to keep your attention. That's not to say there isn't the odd seedy interlude here and there, but all emphasis is placed on the continuous development of the characters, the humorous banter between colleagues and a well engineered, slow-reveal, long story.

Initially, I found the shorter, episodic cases to be a little patchy, but with the passage of seasons two and three, they have improved immensely.

Of course, one of the most endearing features must be Baetens' sulky, yet enigmatic acting. In Season 3, her character's ongoing backstory is elevated to new heights, making for some truly memorable moments. I found her quite mesmerizing in 'Tabula Rasa', and even more so here.

My rating of the show so far has been - 7.6/10, 7.8/10 and 8.2/10