The Sketch Artist (Portrait - Robot)

By the end of series 2, I'm afraid I was bored with the characters, bored with their personal problems, which sometimes just swamped the crimes being investigated, and bored with the visual aesthetics. Some time ago, I ducked out of another Canadian series, 'The Coroner', after the last 20 minutes of the first episode attempted to make me interested in the private life of the central character. I can take a certain amount of this - it goes with the territory - but here the setup with the four central characters appears to have been strategically devised with this aspect in mind. I like crime dramas but I do not watch soap opears. Adieu a tous.

I checked this out on the PBS website, because it looked like a bit of a change from the copycat crime/mystery series populating PBS offerings these days.

I was right. From the very start, we learn that the four main characters are a fascinating little group of misfits, and the actors who portray them are wonderful too. Then add in the two or so other characters who are regulars on the show, and you have a full deck of entertainment.

So it's sort of immaterial what the investigations and crimes are, because the characters' personal lives are even more interesting. But the writers are good and have cooked up an imaginative slate of crime and mystery events, some of which regularly intersect with a mob boss and some which give the viewer a gasp of surprise and shock when they suddenly happen.

One other interesting thing is that the series takes place in Montreal, so the characters speak French (with easy-to-read subtitles), or rather a Franglais mix of weirdly accented Montreal French called 'Joual' mixed with English words, phrases, and sentences. It's pretty interesting in itself.

Like the other reviewer mentioned, this is a very watchable show. Yes, there are obvious choices in characters and surroundings, but that's because it works! Just like how I hate it when they implement all sorts of weird or new factors to a romantic comedy, when all we always want to see is girl meets boy, something happens that keeps them apart, but they find eachother in the end. With detectives it's the same. And does it have to be completely credible? No, then I'll watch the news for what actually happens in the world.

What I also like is how they combine old detective work with new methods, exact with less exact science, and use electronics and social media like they are actually used nowadays.

The only downside to this old (en new) skool detective show is that they always have to use grewsome storylines. And since having a baby my mind does not want to handle this anymore while watching a show for fun. But this show kept me fascinated enough to overrule that feeling. Hoping to see the next season soon.

Both my wife and I have watched the series. I binged it over a week and my wife is still catching up. There are some glaring holes in the storylines and also some actual facts pertaining to the characters as to their conditions that are well documented and spoken about on social media but the characters are naively unaware. That can be annoying at times but correctable in later series if the show continues. It is TV, after all, so we enjoy it for what it is. Critics who are nitpicking are just looking for recognition and can go elsewhere for their desires. Even if we do have to watch it with subtitles and annoying commercial breaks.

I have been a forensic specialist for 50 years. I have seen every movie x 5. Sick of searching for something new and then i stumbled on this. It's not the plots, it's the characters. I particularly like the forensic scientist. Shades of the bbc series, silent witness, and not quite so good bec it's too quick. I like silent witness for its slow pace and multi episode format. Also the relationships are given, and have been given, lots of time to develop. Apart from that, some of the plot lines in the sketch artist are intriguing - even if you've seen them x5. I will watch this to the end without feeling this it time i will never get back.

Full marks..