Jericho

ITV spent a few years seeking a replacement for Inspector Morse. I firmly believe if they'd kept with Jericho it would have developed into something rather special. Only four episodes to judge, and on the whole I'd say the standard was excellent, each story had a unique case, but there were multiple threads which spanned the series, and would have been developed.

Each episode is intriguing, my personal favourite was The Killing of Johnny Swan, such a quality episode. Superb production values, great atmosphere, most notable in the concluding episode.

The acting was fantastic throughout, Lindsay and Troughton were a fantastic duo, and played off eachother particularly well, both great in their respective roles. Shout outs for Brendan Coyle, Peter Bowles, Williams Ash and Jane Horrocks.

Such a shame the series was cut short early. 9/10

Jericho's name alludes to THE classic Scotland Yard detective, Gideon. Gideon's Way was the best cop show on British television before the Sweeney. The main reason was the excellent writing and the great characters. Jericho picks these high standards up and develops them further by giving the series a dark touch. Also in terms of cinematography Jericho looks more like neo-noir than TV. So all in all it's a very classy production. Robert Lindsay proves to be not only one of the best actors of his generation but in the UK. He does high brow and entertainment with the same ease and elegance. After about 10 minutes you don't evcen remember that there ever was a series called My family. His Jericho is dark and brooding. The other great performance in this series comes from Peter Bowles. We know him as suave man about town from many TV productions but here he gives the performance of a life time as dark, menacing crime lord. Perfect!

Jericho is a middle-aged over-achieving Scotland Yard detective, tormented by witnessing the death of his father as a child. This may sound somewhat formulaic, but that would be unfair to this tremendous series. The evocation of 1950s London is superb: even down to details like a "blink-and-you-miss-it" sign in a window advertising for tenants stating "no Blacks, no Irish" (A common sight in post-war Britain: I can vouch for this - my parents were Irish and told me about it).

The performances are superb, and the cast includes the cream of British acting: Robert Lindsay of course, but also Peter Bowles, James Wilby, Jane Horrocks, among others.

Anyonewho has seen "Foyle's War" will appreciate the sense of period and the way the stories intelligently explore contemporary issues. Highly recommended.

Absolutely love JERICHO and all the cast, it's like seeing a TV-series out of the Michael Powell movie PEEPING TOM, the crumminess of Soho in the 1950's, the grungy NIGHT AND THE CITY bars and clubs. This is a gripping show, with tons of depth and so many great back stories and characters I watch the episodes again and again just to enjoy the details. I'd never seen Robert Lindsay before this, and he IS the role. I love the way he moves--he's a blast to watch. So many movies and movie-genres have slid downhill in the last decades---but television series are now serious cinema art, and JERICHO is a super example of the detail and emotion an audience deserves. 1950's noir, British noir as it was meant to be!

There have been only a few television shows (and movies) that have compelled me to recommend them highly to others - "Foyle's War", "The Sandbaggers," and "Horatio Hornblower" come quickly to mind. I'm adding the Jericho series to the list, based on the two installments that I've thus far been able to view, "A Pair of Jagged Claws" and "The Killing of Johnny Swan".

Both episodes were well-crafted and very atmospheric. The acting, as expected given the actors involved, has been outstanding, and the mysteries themselves - both of which touch upon key social issues - have been intriguing. I do agree that the music can distract attention and cover over the dialog. However, for me it was a minor nuisance. Overall, these two episodes have been wonderful to watch, and I wish more television series and movies were as well-constructed and well-acted. I am waiting rather impatiently for the US versions of "To Murder and Create" and "The Hollow Men" to become available, and hope there will be even more installments of this excellent mystery series available in the near future.