Prey

I only recently caught up with Prey which starred the excellent John Simm. It was a three part series which was a whodunnit drama with a twist. As he is charged with the murder of his wife and child Farrow, who is a detective himself, manages to escape and then goes to investigate the case whilst being on the run from the police at the same time.

The mystery was quite clever because it seemed like it was really complicated but in the end turned out to be really simple. The twist of being on the run at the same time was great and there was some really clever scenes where Farrow escaped in some excellent ways. It had fantastic characterisation and although John Simm is excellent in every role he plays I really thought this was one of the best.

A great drama and it is nice to see ITV being able to now compete with the BBC with high-quality dramas.

This is one weak British crime drama. Falsely accused fugitive...got. Implausible at best and not remotely entertaining. Not a lot of coppering going on but plenty of running back and forth. Acting...not much to work with give the story and available dialogue.

Both series were excellent tho, of course, for me the draw was John Simm.

In series 1 a police officer must clear his name in the murder of his wife and son. Betrayed on all sides, he never knows who to trust.

Series 2 follows a prison guard who is forced to assist a prisoner escape to free his kidnapped pregnant daughter.

Both men are relentless in seeking justice and in protecting the ones they love.

The entire cast is brilliant. Well worth watching!

Nick Murphy's drama 'Prey' is a fast-moving, gritty crime drama, with a typically strong performance from John Simm in the lead role. Although the plot is complex, the audience isn't really encouraged to waste too much time on it: the twists and turns are mainly Maguffins, serving mainly to justify the next explosive chase. If aspects of the series (lone hero set up for a crime he didn't commit) are generic, Simm keeps it real, and with just three episodes, it doesn't outstay its welcome. It's not quite up to the level of 'Prime Suspect', but it's nice to see ITV still keeping their hand in with authentic-feeling police procedurals.

/refers to Season 1/

I like British crime series - they are less "explosive" than those coming from the US, and do usually include some witty twists or turns, plus the use of distinct character actors not selected upon "cute" looks. Prey includes all above as well, but the story is not too plausible, and references to the motives were revealed too soon (I would have preferred to have longer doubts whether DC Farrow was guilty or not, and in what), and the very ending could have included some upside-down solution...

Nevertheless, the events are catchy to follow, and John Simm as DC Marcus Farrow and Rosie Cavaliero as DS Susan Reinhart, first of all, give splendid performances. "Only" 7 points from me, since I regard e.g. Line of Duty, Luther meatier and more seamless.