Catch Me A Killer

I like this show, it was better than I thought it would be, but it's hard to believe the science part in all of the storytelling. I know it's based on actual events, but I just can't imagine in 1994 she's allowed to walk right up to bodies smoking cigarettes with no gloves on. Not to mention, we get it, she smokes, but it doesn't need to be a thing every 5 minutes of every episode. BY the end of the season, they've literally wasted a half episode worth of time focussing on her smoking. She's also constantly handling evidence and moving in crime scenes smoking. It just doesn't make any sense, and I can't believe that's how the handled crime scenes in the mid to late 90s in South Africa. But she's good, the cast is solid, the stories are compelling, its beautifully shot, so it was a solid watch.

The.content of the episodes was interesting; and all well acted. Some early episodes seemed forced, as if the resolution of the crime came too easily; but it is a tv episode, not a documentary. The main character became too intense and basically unlikable; yet none of her colleagues intervened. Some of the supporting actors, Vaughn Lucas, and the actor who played Mark, softened her and added dimension, but essentially she was becoming ego maniacal believing only she could solve the case. I found this aspect excellently acted. In reality this aspect would be a huge problem for co-workers.

The smoking was ridiculous. It was distracting and it appeared to be a police force of chain smokers.

As a long-time fan of UK crime dramas, Scandi noir, Korean revenge films and series, this one piqued my attention. I'm nearly done with it and it's only been a couple days, so that's a good sign.

The series opens with a bit of a reference to Cracker (UK), and throughout there are touches of UK forensic psychology dramas like Wire in the Blood and Touch of Evil, as well as Prime Suspect for the resistance local police departments put up to psychological profiling and detective work.

The stories are all true. Most are just one episode, which is unfortunate insofar as there's less of the juicy build we are accustomed to with classic crime series. There's also a bit of rotation amongst the actors, as the crimes occur in different places.

These are not crimes that we get to try to solve - it's not a puzzle crime mystery series.

But if you've ever wondered if ScandiNoir can be done in a bright and sunny location, the answer would be yes.

Charlotte Hope does a fantastic job. Not unlike Holly Grainger's step up from her partner role in CB Strike to lead in The Capture (also good!).

As a South African it always surprises me how much violent crime exists in South Africa and barely makes the news because in order to live and function in a hostile environment you don't want to be reminded just how bad it really is. I was surprised to learn of how many serial killers existed in South Africa without hearing about it in the news. The reality is violent crime in South Africa is some of the worst statistically speaking in the world. Also SA has the highest rape count in the world. This series is brilliantly done,the cinimatography the writing and the acting was impressive! 10/10 for me!

I had no idea what this was when I started the show. Despite part of this being hard to watch - it's very well done. This is the true story of horrific crimes, but I give the series credit for showing the crimes in a respectful way. There is not much gratuitous violence - most of what we see of the crimes comes from the profiler and her reactions to them. We also see what happens to a person when they are exposed to so much violence. Nobody can see terrible things every day without consequences.

The landscape of South Africa looks incredible, and it's a stark contrast to the crimes committed. The acting is great - Charlotte Hope is amazing. The direction is good. It's a bit slow, but appropriate for its subject matter. You can tell it's based in the 90s - they caught that vibe perfectly.

Give it a watch - it's a bit sad, but a very good series.