Quirke

Honestly I do not know they expect to get viewers on a regular basis with only 3 episodes? It did not play like a mini series or long movie. Was it suppose to? It is well done. Different and interesting. The acting was good. But I was sure this was a TV series. Three episodes does not make a TV series. I guess it was not meant to be more. This is from Wiki. Quirke is a British-Irish crime drama television series that was first broadcast on BBC One and RTÉ One in 2014. The three-part series is based on the books by John Banville, writing under the pseudonym Benjamin Black, and was adapted by Andrew Davies and Conor McPherson. I would like to see them actually turn this into a real series.

The new BBC drama 'Quirke' takes us into postwar Ireland - seedy, drunken, dominated by the twin evils of the church and the wealthy and corrupt. It's a somewhat clichéd view, made palatable by the series' muted tone, although at times in the first episode I struggled to follow the softly spoken dialogue and relatively (for a murder drama) understated plot. Unlike many such series, there's an overall narrative as well as individual stories; the fact that Quirke's niece has a separate, personal connection to all three murders reduces the overall plausibility. The cast is an impressive one, but the scripts don't really call on them to do anything extraordinary; the detail with which their characters' feelings are observed is often weaker than its symbolic depiction (endless booze and cigarettes). To me, 'Quirke' fell between two stools: too low-key and gloomy to be fun family entertainment, but not truly deep either.

I recently discovered this hidden gem on Britbox in the US. It's well-written, has a great cast, and is gritty without being overly cynical. Gabriel Byrne as pathologist, is offbeat and troubled, but never descends into the narcissism of so many post-House medical characters.

The wonder of Quirke as that they only made 3 episodes. To be sure, the episodes are long, around 90 minutes each. That said, there were many untapped story lines left to be explored in this series. It's a pity that they didn't extend it. It's well worth the watch.

Quirke is an excellent miniseries. Hence, I can't believe all the low ratings and bad reviews of Quirke. I don't normally post reviews on IMDB; in fact, this one may be my first. But the naysayers prompted me to action.

Quirke is brooding. Atmospheric. Serious drama with more than one plot line. Excellent acting performances are delivered by Gabriel Byrne, Nick Dunning, Aisling Franciosi and others.

Perhaps thoughtful, serious drama isn't for everyone. But Quirke shouldn't be panned because of it. I highly recommend this drama and only wish there had been additional series produced.

If you love Gabriel Byrne you will love this. The soundtrack is on point. It's a great representation of alcoholism and depression. The character relationships are very believable. The family dynamics are accurate as well. I really enjoyed it and it was way to short. There is a sad grit to it I appreciate. It's not the most original thing I've seen but if you like the actors involved than you will really enjoy it.