Murphy's Law

I'm late to the party, but spotted this on Prime and decided to give it a go. I'm really glad I did. This is a fantastic series; well written, with fine acting, and as believable as these shows go. James Nesbitt is perfect in this role; Murphy is a complex and memorable character with plenty of great one liners mixed in.

It's been nearly two decades since it initially aired, and it still holds up well.

I wasn't sure whether I would love Murphy's Law, the fact is I do. It is gripping and very well structured, perhaps a little bleak at times, but hey Taggart is bleak as well, well sort of. One thing I like about Murphy's Law is how it is shot. The photography is very well done, and the scenery is atmospheric. The music also adds to the gritty and tense atmosphere that is evident in some episodes. And then all this is coupled with some brilliant writing that is gritty yet intelligent, taut direction and interesting and well structured story lines. But I can't write this review without mentioning James Nesbitt in the title role of Tommy Murphy, a great actor who gives a superb performance throughout, bitter and indifferent, yet we love him for those reasons. Some episodes are indeed stronger than others, but it is like that with almost every show ever in existence. 10/10 for a very gripping detective series, and well worth watching for Nesbitt especially. Bethany Cox

My wife and I just completed this series. We really liked it. It is very tense due to the undercover assignments that Murphy gets: one mistake and he is dead. James Nesbitt is great as Murphy.

This show is gripping. In the first season, Murphy is flirting, cracking jokes, and catching bad guys. Then it goes dark, way dark, but thrilling. He's a man who has nothing left to lose and doesn't shy away from the most dangerous situations. Nesbitt here is a far cry from the sad dad of Missing. Very attractive. No wonder all the women in the show are drawn to his extreme masculinity!

I've only recently watched all five series of Murphy's Law - series 1 started off well but soon became mediocre. Series 2 was better but still not brilliant. All that was to change with series 3 when it all became much darker, grittier and with far superior story lines and scripts. Don't get me wrong, series 1 and 2 are still worth watching, but they are very inferior to series 3, 4 and 5.

James Nesbitt is utterly superb in the role of Murphy - he's totally believable and never lets the viewer down.

Fantastic. If I was only marking series 3 to 5 then I'd give this a 10/10, but it's only fair to judge all five series so far, in which case I reluctantly knock off one mark, so it's 9/10 overall.

Very highly recommended.

And if you want to see James Nesbitt in another excellent series, do give 'Jekyll' a go. It too is fantastic.