Patience

While Patience is pretty good in itself I have given it just six stars as it really doesn't hold a light to the french version, Astrid: Murder In Paris.

The acting is fine but Astrid (played by Sara Mortensen) takes it to awhole new level with the idiosyncrasies and details.

The stories are the same as those from the first series of the french version but just felt a little flat with the interaction between the main characters with the Astrid cast being more connected and their humour adding a bit of fun to the whole thing.

If you haven't seen the french series I implore you to give it a try (if you can stand reading subtitles) as Sara Mortensen is an absolute joy to behold.

In a world where the superb Franco-Belgian series "Astrid et Raphaelle" (2019; IMDb ID tt11950864) wouldn't exist, Patience would be a decent effort, meriting perhaps 6/10 or 7/10. However, we live in a world where (thankfully) the original series "Astrid et Raphaelle" does exist. I would strongly recommend anyone who plans to watch Patience to watch "Astrid et Raphaelle" instead.

In "Astrid et Raphaelle", Astrid is the main character and her autism and journey to interacting more easily with "normies" is the red thread through the (40+ so far) episodes. This is a slow process for which we get a first-row seat. Also, the actress playing Astrid is absolutely outstanding and you really feel empathy towards her, you root for her and are occasionally left with a lump in your throat.

By contrast, in Patience everything feels hurried. In only six episodes Patience/Astrid starts to smile, hugs a kid and kisses a man, more or less "just like that". No slow, shared journey with insights into Astrid's inner being. Patience/Astrid is barely the main character, which is odd since the series is named after her. It feels that the rush causes Patience/Astrid to be used as a deus ex machina more than a character - the bringer of missing links just in time to catch the culprit. On top of that, the story lines are recycled from the original series as well. All in all, Patience feels like a rushed and lazy series.

PS: One of the episodes of Patience features a character called Peter Venkman. Surely, this must be a conscious reference to Bill Murray's character in Ghostbusters... :-)

I am told by a friend that the French/Belgian series on which this is based is a superior watch. However, as I have yet to see that original I cannot compare, and can only judge Patience on it's own merits. So, I enjoyed it. It was a little different from the run of the mill detective series, and the better for it in my humble opinion. I thought the two leads were very good indeed, and were backed by a decent supporting cast. I thought that Patience's autism was handled with sensitivity although one or two elements of her condition seemed to be magically resolved by single incidents. That didn't, for me, take anything away from my overall enjoyment. I'll watch Astrid soon so I can make the comparison.

This has to be one of the best detective shows I have seen in years , story line catches you and pulls you in. I have watched all 6 episodes and am now sitting praying for more . So prepare to be begging for more.

As the father of a son on the spectrum I found this show in most spot on. One or two peace's of it were a bit unbelievable of which were the flashbacks otherwise it was spot on. Where she obsessed over items and doesn't like being touched but yet hugs the DI B'a son is very plausible as someone on the spectrum can feel accepting of one person but not another. As for the premise of the show I can really see it with the obsessions that a person on the spectrum can have they don't give up until they have learned or finished what thier doing. My son learned 4 languages 2 of which he did in 7 months.and sat his final exams in secondary school (high school) and passed with honors.

On its own this is a reasonable television series but unfortunately it has to bear comparison with the original Franco Belgian series from which it is derived. At the time of writing (March 2025) Astrid et Raphaelle is available on ITVx and is the superior watch.

Maybe Patience will develop the supporting characters if it gets a second series, in A&R the support group have a far greater part to play, the backstory of the lead character is far more fleshed out and she is more socially awkward and remains so for most of the five series so far shown.

The parent version seems to have better pacing despite taking far more time to show the lives of the characters away from the investigations, maybe having to follow the story via subtitles makes me more invested in A&R than in Patience.

For those who haven't seen Astrid et Raphaelle the made for UK version, Patience, is a perfectly adequate "police procedural with a twist" and has the bonus of being set in York, a location not often appearing in crime dramas.

For those of us who have seen A&R there is a sense of disappointment with this version, none of the first six episodes differ in plot from the first six of the original and the characters don't seem to have the same chemistry between them.

Let's hope that a second series, if made, addresses some of the shortcomings.