Suspect N°1 Tennison

I have to admit I've never seen any of the original Prime Suspect shows even though I'm a big fan of British mysteries. That said I really like this show a lot. The cast is fantastic, the look and settings are spot on, the music fits perfectly. Once again the British have done a great job on a mystery show. I loved it. The time it's set in really brought back some memories, I graduated high school in 1970 so the setting is about when I was around 18-19 years old. Now I need to track down the original show. If it's anywhere near this I know I'll love it.

It's a typical British police procedural but really well executed. It feels like '70 London.

It's 1973. Jane Tennison (Stefanie Martini) is a young probationary police officer in London. She gets coffees and types up reports. She still lives at home with her parents. Her mother disapproves of her life choices. A drug-addicted prostitute is found dead and DI Len Bradfield leads the investigation. Bradfield takes her under his wing and develops a romantic relationship with her. Meanwhile, lifelong criminal Clifford Bentley (Alun Armstrong) is in prison waiting to get released as his family plans a big heist.

Stefanie Martini looks to take over the prequel version of the iconic TV character created by Helen Mirren. The biggest question is that if she can match the legendary Mirren. The character maintains her personal flaws and superior mind. She struggles with murky ethics which leads to her later mistakes. Martini shows flashes of acting power but time will tell if she is up to the task. She's definitely plenty cute enough. There is good 70's settings with dirty earth tones. I'm glad they kept the smoking although it's a little toned down. The murder mystery is perfectly fine. Alun Armstrong holds the other end of the story quite well. This is a solid start although a second series is unlikely.

I thought episode one was an excellent start to the series. It feels like a whole new show. Not the Prime Suspect we're used to. Not Life On Mars. Something new and different, which I think is the only way to go. Stefanie Martini is really good as the young Jane Tennison and presumably the first series will see her become the steely DCI Tennison we've met before (Helen Mirren). The book its based on is kind of like an origin story, so I'm sure the series is going to be great.

What I love most is the supporting cast. They're all amazing. I wanted to see and know more about every single character. I was really intrigued by the prison story and how it links to the murder. Lots of interesting questions asked, which I'm sure the rest of the series will answer. Bravo, ITV.

A quality, solid new crime drama. 10/10.

I've just finished watching this show and I was impressed with the attention to detail, it really does transport you back in time, the acting was good as was the storey line. I never actually watched the original Prime Suspect show with Helen Mirren so I watched this show with fresh eyes and can not compare it to the original show.

I hope this gets renewed for follow up seasons.