User reviews

Down on his luck Detective Danny Frater attends the mortuary to see a young woman, in a tragic twist the young woman is known to him.

I thought the first episode showed a little promise, it was intriguing premise, it boasted a first rate cast, and offered a different setup, 8 twenty five minute episodes, on paper, this should have been great.

Sadly, it just isn't that good, so much potential, but it's repetitive, it's a little dull, and it really is hampered by the restrictions that were clearly in practice at the time.

Episodes one through to seven follow pretty much the same format, chat, accusation, link to the next person of interest, the finale tries to offer something different, for me, it didn't work.

Some decent acting, Nesbitt is always good value, Sacha Dhawan and Richard E. Grant are both good, but their efforts feel wasted. Not one single character, with maybe the exception of Susannah, is likeable or easy to relate to, most of them are loathsome.

I wish I could come up with more positives, I really did want to like this, I just found it so dull.

5/10.

We have come to like James Nesbitt, whose face resembles a chunk of hard road that broke off & landed in a ditch. This show starts (it's no secret) with him as a cop visiting a morgue, greeted by an unenthusiastic lab tech and discovering the corpse under consideration is, in fact, his own daughter. I want to share a tidbit with you. Nesbitt thereupon tears up and lets out a grievous wail. Where does THIS come from?

Nesbitt, no doubt, borrowed the device from Lear- last Act when the aged King carries dead Cordelia in his arms. 'Howl howl howl howl.. O you are men of stones. Had I your tongues and eyes, I'd use them so heaven's vaults should crack.. ' (I think-- my high school Shakespeare is decades ago!). So, Nesbitt pulled this out of his hat! Lear is 'unactable', of course-- especially THAT scene! But Olivier and Finney have done clinics with their own interpretation. Nesbitt 'tries it on!' (Wondering if anyone would make the cinnection?)

The series may be a but slow, but Nesbitt always shines, if you stick with him. 7/10.

One reviewer completely misses the point when criticising there generally only being 2 people in each episode. That's the premise of the show! It's a decent concept which clearly worked in covid times of filming. Give it a chance and ignore the low scores.

This show is terrible. Every episode is the same Meets up with a suspect, beats them up, gets info out of them then moves on too the next episode and does the same thing. Meet, beat, repeat.

But I am mesmerised by JN incredibly dark eyebrows, they give him the look of Ming the merciless and Griff Rhys Jones!

I am enjoying his portrayal of burnt out policeman grieving the death of his daughter and the mystery of her life!

A little slow at the start but I stuck with it and by episode 4, I was invested. I don't ever remember seeing a format like this but I think it worked and I didn't see the ending coming.

Don't bother with this, slow, boring over acted.,James Nesbit what have you done here? Watch the Danish version and see how it should have been done!

Give it a big miss!

You'll either hate it or love it. I loved it. Each episode had the feel of like a scene in a play. Only a few characters and not a lot of background noise. I love a whodunnit and I've been on a BritBox kick lately bingeing as many as time allots. I think the "overacting" and "claustrophobic" videography that others mention is to help the viewer get swept up in the whirlwind of the grief, the conspiracy, the feelings of immense frustration of being blown off about said theories by creating a severely taut environment. The main characters would have been dealing with all of these elements and holding onto their gut feelings while doing their best to uncover answers even though they're being thwarted by everyone at every turn. And I think the intention was for the viewer to feel these things, too.

They managed to pack a lot of info and story into 30 minutes vs the normal 45 min -1 hour shows to which I was off-put at first then came around to respect it.

I'm actually quite shocked at all of the overly negative reviews tbh but then again, society always has a very polarized reaction to anything that is not within the constraints of the rules to which they're accustomed. Give it a shot and make up your own mind about it. ✌🏽

Suspect has an unusual format with 30m episodes that are essentially two handers between detective Danny, (James Nesbitt) and a different character each week that he believes will bring him closer to the murderer.

Its a straight remake of a 2019 Danish Noir,' Forhoret' which had two seasons and it keeps the dark tone of the original.

On the positive side production values were good and a lovely score by Stefano Cabrera helped a lot. The major draw was the cast and the format allowed the big names the chance to show off their acting chops.

Unfortunately it was let down by the uninspired script, there were a lot of improbabilities in the story, (detective investigates his own daughter's murder?) some of the dialogue was downright odd and the two handers made it one-paced. Nor did we get to know the daughter except for brief and often inaudible flashbacks. I watched four and gave up.

This was quite thrilling and I binged it.

I am surprised by some negative reviews, because I was hooked from about ten seconds in. It's a very good well played out mystery-thriller series. I also love James Nesbitt, someone said he looks like a rock? I disagree, he is still a handsome man. He's terrific as a father of a deceased daughter. No spoilers just a really good series that I couldn't stop watching. The acting is great and the story is very compelling. I loved it and I was so happy when I saw a second season! I can't wait to watch it and I hope you please give it a shot and if you like it (or love it like me) you will be happy you gave it a shot. If it's not for you, then you can just pass and look for a series you need to feel captivated. I will watch this again and again. 7!

This says it all. Trying so hard to be cutting edge it's just a mixed bag of overacting, weird camera angles & shots, overly long slow zooms on an embarrassingly anguishing actor, bad editing and dreadful direction that just doesn't work. It's an implausible storyline with everyone just immediately fessing up to the detective (each in their own episode) the role they played in his daughter's downward spiral. I was really looking forward to the sterling cast but it just shows how important a role the director plays in eliciting a great performance even from the best. By episode 6, I felt I was watching a Shakespearean play and James Nesbit's acting was as unbearable as his ridiculous drawn-on eyebrows. And what's with Sam Heughan's accent? He began his scene speaking with a strong Scottish accent but quickly lapsed into an upper class English one. He threw in some cockney and then jumped around all over the map. I couldn't follow any of his dialog because it was so distracting. Harry's episode was so boring and ludicrous I found myself wondering if I was, instead, watching an Ibsen drama.

This could have been so rewarding but massively fell short.

This is a really confident production with some great names - but it is dubious how easily the characters spill the information to the grieving father... also some unfortunate stereotypes which lacks a little bit of imagination. Still I enjoyed it whilst doing the ironing.

Suspect (Season 1) is a British crime drama on Channel 4, starring James Nesbitt as Detective Danny Frater, a grieving, volatile cop investigating his estranged daughter Christina's death, initially ruled a suicide. It is adapted from the Danish Forhøret.

The story follows Danny's rogue mission to prove Christina's murder, uncovering her secret life in London's underworld. The series has eight 24-minute episodes each featuring a two-hander between Danny and a new suspect or acquaintance, including Joely Richardson, Richard E. Grant, and Anne-Marie Duff. The two-hander format, with minimal locations, creates a stagey, dialogue-heavy narrative, unlike the sprawling ensembles of British dramas (Midsomer Murders) or action-driven American shows (24).

The series' claustrophobic, theatrical style and intense pacing distinguish it from typical British procedurals like Line of Duty but feel overstretched compared to American thrillers like Your Honor. Pacing is brisk due to short episodes but feels monotonous, as each episode repeats a "confront-accuse-move-on" cycle, and which is undermined by implausible plot points, like Danny's unchecked vigilantism.

Nesbitt's raw performance carries the series, though his typecast "sad copper" role echoes Bloodlands, drawing comparisons to American antiheroes (Breaking Bad). Supporting actors shine, but characters lack depth, making emotional connection uneven.

The series engages with its whodunit but falters in the finale, which critics called unsatisfying.

It's a bold but flawed thriller, recommended for Nesbitt fans or those seeking a compact mystery, though it lacks rewatch value due to its repetitive structure.

Not very family-friendly but gripping for adults who enjoy Luther's intensity. Compared to other British series, its experimental format is ambitious but less cohesive than Sherlock.

Hard not to laugh at the implausible scenes and the tailored eyebrows.

This was boring and after 4 episodes of Mr Angry we stopped watching.

Ultimately it seems intended to be a clever idea that is just not enjoyable to watch.

*Minor Concept Spoilers*

The first season was one of the slowest burns I've managed to endure and, honestly, I mainly left it on because I couldn't be bothered trying to choose something else to watch. Plus James Nesbit is usually a solid performance so between him and decision fatigue I pushed through it.

The format makes it a hard watch, there's barely any scenes or conversations with more than two people, and I don't feel the dialogue or writing is strong enough to support the concept. It's... claustrophobic.

The season 2 continuation is decent, although the gaslighting intensified and felt like a lazy cop out. (No pun intended) And the number of smart people who need to be quite foolish to make this story work doesn't feel fully believable... although in this current world, who knows. Maybe it's realistic.

Overall above average, but not something I'd recommend to friends over all the other superior shows out there.

Why did I watch this? Channel 4 and great cast. James Nesbitt has been in some good dramas of late. But. This show involves James Nesbitt meeting a different person each episode, shouting at them, and them giving him some information. That is literally it. The viewer sits passively while they are told or shown "some stuff". Do we care that his daughter died? No. We do not see her or them together at any point. Do we care how her mum feels? No she's in it for 10 minutes. Is there any suspense? No we're just told things in sequence. THERE ARE NO CHARACTERS, JUST PEOPLE SAYING THINGS. THERE ARE NO RELATIONSHIPS. THERE IS NO POINT. It's also hilariously bad at times. The fight scene in the gym had me cracking up.

Have you ever listened to a child tell a story? "And then, and then..." It's that.

Two stars for Nesbitt's eyebrows, the most interesting and compelling thing about this series.

This looks like a bad comedy. Poor storyline, poor acting and dull generally. I usually love a good murder mystery but this doesn't got the spot. Either Ann Marie Duff's acting isn't great or it's brilliant but her character is really annoying. Either way, it's not for me. I have to write a review with 600 or more characters but it's really difficult because I don't know what to write, all I can say is don't bother watching it. That's my recommendation! Each episode is only 30 minutes long which I don't understand either. I'm so writing inanely because I can't post the review, don't bother watching it, there are much better series out there.

This is an odd show, what I want to call a concept show. The concept is 20 minute episodes of two people in a room talking for 20 minutes. Sometimes called bottle episodes. Def.: an inexpensively produced episode of a television series that is typically confined to one setting.

Yes, there's heightened emotion and James Nesbitt emotes with his usual intensity. But, short as they are, these episodes dragged for me. At episode 6, the range of the short episodes enlarged a bit to include a couple of exterior scenes, or more than one scene. But the whole things takes place in a single day. The last episode (no spoilers! I promise) finally brings some of it to a conclusion, but it is far from a satisfying conclusion, at least for this viewer.

Another problem I had with this show, and it's a common one, is that there's a person we're supposed to care about-I'm not giving anything away to say this is a dead person! How do you get the viewer to care about someone who's already dead? Hm... maybe with some ghostly sightings? But it's a losing battle. The other characters may care about that person quite a lot, but viewers? Eh. You can't "bring to life" a dead character by trying hard to show how deeply other fictional characters care about him or her. In my opinion.

Funniest line in an unfunny show: "I'm a venture capitalist-- I'm interested in creating value, not value judgments."

I really don't understand why people say "Don't waste your time" or "Don't bother" Do they really think that we don't have minds of or own? Give I've a go and see for yourself. Each to their own I say. I personally like everything that James Nesbitt is in, so I'm quite biased. I'm enjoying it so far, as the twist at the beginning already has me gripped. I will certainly watch it until the end. I quite like the fact that each episode is only 30 minutes long.

Despite a strong cast of actors the plot is very transparent and plodding. This may be down to the writing or direction. Not easy to tell. Each of the characters is so typical in an obvious narrative. Shame. We know most of the actors and they have all done much better work. Clearly there is a conspiracy or coverup at play yet the storyline fails to pull the viewer along. The dialogue between the characters is often irrelevant and yet tries so hard to create a sense of urgency and danger but lumps in behind the story. Just shows that good actors can still end up delivering a poorly constructed show.

I've watched 4 episodes so far but I am struggling with it as I am feeling quite bored. I want to continue as I like James Nesbitt in most things, but there is something about this that stops it from holding my attention and I've probably missed some key dialogue in the fourth one by only half concentrating on it.

I am sticking with it because I want to see Sam Heughan, who I love in Outlander, but that is really now the only reason I'm not giving up on it.

Nothing rose above the weird eyebrows on James Nesbit in this repetitive series. We know he has alopecia - which can be a challenge- but just get a good makeup artist so the overly-black distracting brows could blend in with the rest of James' face!

The ridiculous coincidences where Nesbit's character just happens upon all the people he's looking for just throws me more out of my suspension of disbelief. Then add the daughter sparkling and smiling and encouraging from the beyond... well I didn't even finish watching the thing.

There's a little fun ridiculing every ridiculous conversation followed by an outburst of Nesbit's constant smoldering rage... but a VERY little I'm afraid. Skip it, I say.

This can't really be called a series as such. 8 episodes of about 20 minutes each gives it a running time of around 2.5 hours. Despite that, it is far too long and at least an hour could have been shaved off this backwater dirge. Perhaps in this way they could have released it as a film and sent it straight to DVD saving everybody else the misery of having to watch it.

James Nesbitt plays a completely unlikeable character. To the point that I never want to see his face again. By around halfway through the first episode, I really didn't care what had happened to his daughter, I was just wishing he would hurry up and join her. Any of the characters whose lives he barges into and attempts to intimidate could have quite easily taken him out - and deservedly so. In fact, it might have made the show more enjoyable if somebody had.

This is a stereotypical English drama - dull, plodding, grey, devoid of any form of life, humour or fun. Stale plot, stale dialogue, no real thought put into anything. Just give it up already Channel 4, these are atrocious. Even as a daytime police/detective show this is really scraping the bottom of the barrel.

With any luck, Nesbitt will crawl back under his stone and disappear from screens everywhere. He has certainly disappeared from mine.

After reading all reviews I worried going into this. I was very happy with this show. Ingenious filming. Each short episode had me wanting for more disclosure and when all started to show a dynamic plot, I was totally intrigued. I can only assume the other reviews were entitled to their opinions but personally I was beyond happy with this show. Going from a dutch series to a new English british translation was superb. I loved how each episode had a single actor of suspicion involved giving this a novel approach to the mystery unfolding. I had no idea the true reason, suicide or murder till the very end.