I, Jack Wright

I'm with several other viewers who are giving this effort a low rating nit because the idea of the story was bad or the production values were bad or the acting and directing or editing were bad, I giving it a low rating because it is not simply unfair to viewers but it is cruel to produce and air a first season cliffhanger without a pre-approved 2nd season deal. This happens far to frequently and the people behind the production - the studio - should not allow it if they are not going to green light a second (or 3rd ...) season. They should have aired an episode that wrapped the story up for viewers so that if another season did not arrive the story could be seen as complete. In the event of a second season, the audience could have been surprised by the "I'm guilty" announcement and the ingoing investigation. This is just a cheat and I feel that I have been duped into wasting 6 hours of my time on an unfinished "who-done-it". Nothing worse.

Murder, Money, and Mayhem: "I, Jack Wright" delivers a deliciously pulpy thriller that revels in its soapy, greed-fueled chaos. A wealthy patriarch's murky death sparks a vicious family feud over his £100m fortune, echoing Succession and Knives Out with a dash of Agatha Christie.

Chris Lang's writing delivers a fast-paced, hammy romp packed with unlikeable, yet magnetic characters-Trevor Eve's gruff Jack, John Simm's desperate Gray, and Ruby Ashbourne-Serkis' cunning Emily - shine. While not as sharp as Lang's Unforgotten, the slick production and twisty murder mystery make it a guilty pleasure. Perfect for fans of melodramatic whodunits, this is escapist fun MOSTLY done right.

While a couple of characters lose some of their lustre in later episodes, overall, the acting is good throughout. Directing, editing, all good. Parts of the script lose the mystery a bit, for the most part, the script is good, even if you work out what the ending is likely to be.

From the first few minutes you can tell that this is a quality series. Besides some of the better known cast, it is apparent in the plotting. You don't realize it at first, but the talking head in the side documentary is Sally Wright, from what seems like one of those prison interviews you seeing murder docs or 60 minutes, or such. And then we see Sally before hand in life. The gist is this...Elder statesman Jack Wright is dead. Speculation of suicide turns to murder investigation, where almost everyone seems to have motive for doing so. Jack has a third wife with 2 children (fantastic Sally played by Nikki Amuka-Bird), 2 sons from first wife (excellent John Simm & Daniel Rigby), some in-laws from hell and grandchild Emily. Everyone is vying for a large chunk of his will, which, was re-written 2 weeks prior to his death. In 6 VERY fast moving episodes, just as all the momentum is building, and think we might be near a resolution, we get a To be continued banner. I'm not mad at this. The acting is all top notch. Shout out to Harry Lloyd as the DCI & his partner. This series is smart, funny, sad and I look forward to picking it up when it returns for the finale.

Business tycoon Philip Wright takes his own life, allegedly, leaving behind a large family. The Wright family are keen to read the will, but get a shock by how he's chosen to divide his fortune, various family feuds begin.

It's always worth taking a looking and seeing what's on the U channels, every now and then a little gem pops up, this is such a gem, it's a cut above a lot of what's been on ITV and The BBC recently.

It's very Agatha Christie in the early stages, a dubious suicide, the reading of a will, a family at war, it's an intriguing and satisfying mystery.

You'll have lots of questions as it develops, the main one I had....where on Earth was Trevor Eve, he was all over the trailer, but sadly had minutes on screen.

A great cast assembled for this one, the likes of John Simm, Zoe Telford and Nikki Amuka-Bird, some fine performances.

A second series follows, they are running through risk of over egging the pudding, but I can see one, I binge watched it.

8/10.

I was intrigued by "I, Jack Wright" on BritBox which is a sort of soap opera about a rich patriarch who had three wives and several offspring (one daughter who is missing was remembered in his will), 100 million pounds, a supposed second "new" will, and wildly unequal bequests. My lawyer husband urges that everyone involved make sure the new will is valid and that the heirs settle among themselves; otherwise, millions will vanish in legal fees. Well, the unhappy heirs don't listen, don't validate the will and instead contest it in court. ~~ Having seen the first 6 episodes, I've decided that the police should (1) be sure that their evidence does in fact suggest murder - not all guns leave gunshot residue; (2) just because Jack was considered a self-made multi-millionaire doesn't mean he still had millions at the time of his violent death. No one checks his bank accounts or takes a hard look at his "new" will which could have been forged or not validated or witnessed before he dies of a gunshot wound. Maybe Jack lost all his millions and committed suicide which is why, in Ep. 1, he was on the phone just prior assuring Sally, his 3d wife, that he does indeed love her. Maybe the money all the squabbling relatives are fighting about doesn't even exist (the way I would write the plot)! Will we ever learn the truth? ~ I really like the cast here, especially Em (granddaughter), her dad Gray (John Simms), her Uncle John and the shrewd lead detective Morgan. Simms usually portrays mild detectives who adore Mum but here he is the first-born son of Jack and Rose, always bumming money, dodging loan sharks and cursing a blue streak. Countless lawyers haven't kept Sal, wife #3 (who herself attended law school!), out of hot water. She is either in elegant clothes and lush surroundings or wearing simple sweats in a gloomy echo chamber smoking and bemoaning her fate - which is what? I love the theme song and other music, the opening credits, the polished scripts. Definitely worth viewing.