Granite Harbour

Like many Scots I had high hopes of Granite Harbour, only to have my expectations dashed within the first few minutes. To say the script is creaky is an understatement - it is a prime example of how a lack of continuous re-writing at the pre-production stage results in a disaster. This is certainly not helped by a narrative which is wholly unoriginal, and a bunch of lead actors who are clearly out of their depth. It takes an old pro like Dawn Steel (Monarch of the Glen) to show that you can indeed polish the odd t**d if you are experienced enough. Most of the cast here are not, and therefore cannot wring any conviction out of dud dialogue. It was like watching painting by numbers. On the plus side it was pleasant enough to see Aberdeen, shot both on the ground and from the air. But good technicals are not going to save this car crash. In rating it 4 out of 10 I'm being generous; it could have been so much better.

What a disappointment. It has the performances, script and look of a daytime TV show, but this is supposed to be prime BBC crime drama. Lovely views, though. So if it was a tourist PR video, then job done. But as it is a crime drama, it's seriously, seriously lacking. The plot is not as good as those found in episodes of Silent Witness or Vera. The characters are incredibly poor. The casting is all a bit off. Police who don't look or act like police. Generally, it fails to entertain or intrigue and thus, it fails. But if you want to see beautiful Aberdeen, then it's about as enjoyable as staring at a postcard for 3 hours.

Another reviewer likened this program to a paint-by-numbers version of art. That is just how I experience it. There is some potential for the lead character and his cultural and family issues to become interesting, but they don't. There is no real tension or depth...to anything. No life in any of the secondary characters; all are predictable types, and mostly poor acting. Then there are the central crime plots: unoriginal, drawn out, and uninteresting to solve. Predictable dialogue and scenarios. No feel for the city either, an underused element of an overall dull series. Wondering if it's written by AI.

Seldom have I seen such a contrived plot, leaden script and wooden acting. It has the feel of a pilot for yet another formulaic crime series. It feels like an inverted " Death In Paradise " where the quirky Caribbean detective comes to Britain to teach the inept Scots how to do their jobs. The characters are as unbelievable as they are predictable. The conflicts between the characters are straight out of the DIY, Distance Learning writing manual : lesson one.

This is clearly a low budget affair but to its credit, it has given employment opportunities to a mix of apprentice actors. No second series PLEASE!

I enjoyed reading the other reviews, I watch most shows alone so it's great to see how people reacted. Many Scottish people were very turned off, I see. (I'm American. I watch mostly UK shows.) On the whole I'm going to vote yes. It must be because of what a few other people highlighted, it manages to go without the grotesque, the hateful or heavy violence. If something will keep my interest well enough, and not be repugnant, I'm game. I could see where people say this is more afternoon TV than evening. But the older I get the less I can take what seems to be ever-increasing action, violence and intrigue. I finished series 1 and haven't started series 2 yet. Overall, I was decently entertained. The acting is a bit spotty. :)