55 Degrees North

Was 55 Degrees North the precursor for The Night Detective? I'm totally hooked to this show! It has only been on BBC America for two weeks and I would rather watch it than CSI: Miami. Tonight's episode, where Don Gilet's character, Nicky, is asked to strip -- not once, but twice -- I must admit I will tune in every Monday night to see what happens next! I enjoy the fact that the Night Detective seems realistic; there are no story lines that feel forced or out of sync. I like the racial dynamic, especially in the series' opening scene, and as an American, I think a lot more Americans could learn a thing or two about coexisting with those that are "different" than ourselves. But getting off of my soap box, it doesn't hurt that Don Gilet is cute. He's got this boy-next-door feel. I'm really digging this show! Does anyone know how I can go about finding 55 Degrees North on DVD? Is it as easy as going to my local video store and finding it on the shelf?

I had absolutely zero interest in seeing this when it first started. Not another cop show, I thought. Just what the world needs. But I was persuaded to try it by my mother who lent me the first episode on video. And I glad I made the effort to see it. Because this is actually one of the best cop series of recent years. Okay, so it's not "Between the Lines" but that was a series of such brilliance that it would be a miracle if the BBC managed to produce a series like that again, especially given the current obsession with reality shows.

Don Gilet, an actor I've been unfamiliar with hitherto, makes Nicky Cole an engaging and sympathetic hero and the inevitable racism he faces is not ladled on with a trowel as I feared it might. You know it's there but it's not always an issue. Contrary to some of the comments made by others on here, although Cole is perhaps too good to be true, he isn't infallible. He makes mistakes and doesn't always manage to wrap up the story neatly in 60 minutes. Something which makes a refreshing change. The plots hold the attention and the grandfather/son dynamic adds an interesting dimension as well.

It's certainly not perfect by any means though (why is Cole's rank just plain Detective? Surely that's an Americanism. It should be something like Detective Sergeant or Detective Inspector or something. And why the reference to John Doe and Jane Doe instead of IC1 or IC3 or something - another Americanism). Most unforgivable of all though is the waste of Dervla Kerwan. I assume that the intention, as others here have already said, is that Cole and Dervla Kerwan's character are supposed to get together at some point in the future, thus providing some good old UST (Unresolved Sexual Tension). But it isn't working people. Kerwan is a good actress but the role is grievously underwritten and the net result is that you don't care about the character at all (Kerwan should sue her agent for persuading her to take such a nothing part - it does absolutely nothing for her). Personally, I'd like to see Cole get it together with Sgt Brookes (Emma Cleasby). For a supposed supporting role, it seems that Cleasby gets more screen time than Kerwan (either that or she manages to make a bigger impact with what she has been given). Certainly, the few scenes between her and Don Gilet sizzle with the sort of UST that I suspect the producers were hoping would happen with Kerwan's character. This is the relationship I would like to see developed further in the next series (if there is one).

So if there is going to be a series 2 (and I hope there will be), then here's my advice to the BBC. Save your money, get rid of the Kerwan character (who's name I can't even remember, which gives you an idea of the little impact it has made on me) and promote Brookes to be the main female character before Emma Cleasby gets snapped up by Hollywood like Catherine Zeta-Jones and Minnie Driver before her. Because on the strength of the talent she shows here, trust me people, one day it's gonna happen.

Yes, Night Detective does not have all the flash and violence and outrageous plots that are so common and predictable in the US. I feel like it leaves some imagination for me to use. I like the low key approach and very much like how Don Gilet and the other actors are portrayed. I also like that the characters are actually believable. I tire of seeing people portrayed never making a mistake and there is no way a real person can relate to the character because he/she doesn't exist in the real world. Watching the season finally I thought it was very exciting and had twists and again left us wondering if Nicky an Claire are ever going to get hooked up. The addition of Mark Jones was an excellent move and the expanding role of Andrew Dunn and Emma Cleasby has added some fun to the series. Both are very likable characters. I myself am tired of most US police/detective shows. Except for CSI/Miami/Las Vegas. I go out of my way to watch any detective show from the UK and have not been disappointed.

OK so i read the last post about the series, and while i agree that this program has a lot of clichés in it that doesn't make it a bad program.

Now-a-days too many programs and films give you either an anti hero or a hero who is not clean cut, sometimes its nice to have a hero who does always win in the end.

What i see as the major selling point of the program is the overall story, DS Nicky Cole moves to newcastle after he informs on his senior officer in London on corruption charges, when he arrives (he moved police departments too so now he works in the newcastle police) he find out that his new senior office may have knowen his old one, and he is stuck on the night shift.

Nicky proceeds to solve all the crimes put before him, and get past many of the problems facing him (racisim - although thankfully this is a minor pert in the show, i don't like shows where the colored hero is always either facing large amounts of racist comments and deals with it proving everyone wrong, or where they continually feel the need to prove themselves and ever second line it 'its because i'm black' this show has just about the perfect balance there is tension with some of the newcastle 'locals' but Nicky seems to just take it in his stride, on episode he is very cool with a banana, just watch it and you'll see what i mean) such as tension with other officers and locals and never being given the chance to get moved to the day shift.

As this is only a 6 part story continuity is hard as they are trying to put a lot of story is to a short time, you have all the 'daily' stories, the over all 'big' storyline, the little tangets with the other characters and such like.

all in all i recommend you watch this, you may like it you may not, but at the end of the day its all about what you like isn't it!!

RATING: 15 out of 10!!!

There are a number of venomous expletives and expressions I could spew which would make the Ecuadorian tree frog seem like a pleasant alternative, but I shall refrain from doing so because of a three-word, God-given right we all (or SHOULD all) enjoy:

FREEDOM OF SPEECH!

That said, can I ask why all the cerebral effort to pick such a fine series to pieces?! Surely such shows are meant to serve as a means to unwind after what had been (most of the time anyway) a long hard slog of a day, which I believe 55DN achieves hands down?!

Don Gilet wears the role of Nicky well, a put-upon man trying to do the best he can with precious little, in a place that by and large either flat-out refuses to accept him or are having a hard time doing so.

So I'm glad to see that he is able to come home to a family which, although unconventional, oozes positivity. After all, it should come as no surprise that not all Black families are as chaotic and "ig'nant" as the Crouches (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0375290/) or cursed with the obligatory "black sheep" such as Paul Trueman in EastEnders (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0088512/) And as for the sweet, sweet, not-at-all out-of-place title sequence (and funky theme tune)... oooh baby, that NEEDS to be a single already!

And that's my two cents worth for the day...