North Shore

North Shore feels like a airport novel, or perhaps the first draft for one where the plot intent of dialogue is written, but has never been fleshed out into anything sounding like real human speech. Moments that could have been lightened with humour are rushed through to get finish underlining whatever cliche the scene was putting up in neon lights.

Every plot point, every response is wooden or telegraphed; antagonisms between UK and Aussie police are set up so flatly and unreasonably that they seem unprofessional and childish.

The English leads deserve better but at least they got a paid working holiday down under.

I liked it. It's not the best show out there, but it's also not the worst. It was obvious who the killer was about halfway through, but the twist they used to show it was probably the best 5 seconds of acting in the series. It's a police procedural that you can watch with your kids. No intense shoot-outs, no car chases through the city with multiple wrecks, no sex scenes etc. Watching this reminded me of watching the last Crocodile Dundee; It definitely won't win any awards, but you can do far worse. It's a very pleasant 4 hour evening binge. I'm looking forward to a second season if they make one because the ending of this one could go either way.

As long as you don't expect something amazing then you have a good shot at enjoying this show. There are enough characters to keep it from getting dull. The episodes don't feel too padded with filler. The subplots are fairly interesting, and the overarching main plot is pretty good.

The best aspect of the show, though, is the cast. While they weren't always given great dialogue to work with, I did like the range of characters they displayed. They somehow made most of the plot feel realistic. I didn't fully buy into the ending reveal, but it was good enough to avoid letting down the rest of the show.

All in all, I would rank this show ahead of most new miniseries I've seen lately. This isn't Mad Men, The Wire, or Breaking Bad, but it's worth a view.

Ok so this isn't Line of Duty or the Wire but it it was much better than I was expecting due mainly to the two leads who carry it.

John Bradley seems to have mastered the smart cookie hidden behind the soft English 'buffoon' character.

Joanne Froggatt continues to show has the ability to lead. However, if I were being critical it does feel like she's being held back and not allowed to show her full range.

The one irritating aspect was her inability to maintain her 'posh' English accent. It slips every now and then revealing her northern roots.

Don't go into this expecting a breathtaking drama. Take it for what it is. A simple who done it with a great twist at the end!

Do people write bad reviews just to be pretentious or do they just have really peculiar, particular taste? The ratings on this site have become almost useless. Shows and movies are always either 10s or 2s. So many times i will read terrible reviews, watch it and like it. And the films critics love, I despise. I know I don't have totally horrible taste or don't have any standards.... I thought this was a completely enjoyable mini series and I hope for a second season. And I loved the cast. It had a satisfying ending, and a good twist. The series kept me engaged and I would recommend people give it a watch.