Ridley

I was a little dubious about RIDLEY, the "singing detective," but after watching all of the episodes available so far, I'm now enthusiastic about it. Each episode contains a good mystery, is beautifully filmed, and packs an emotional punch. And yes, Adrian Dunbar sings in each of them. I think a second season is in the works, and I wonder how they can maintain the premise that Alex Ridley is a contractual consultant; he seems to boss the newly promoted DI who used to be his subordinate. That minor quibble aside, this is an excellent series, one that ranks with SHETLAND and VERA in my mind. Highly recommended!

I love police crime series, and if they are British even better, they are of great quality. The actor Adrian Dunbar does a fantastic job! The whole casting is just great.

It's not the best English series I've seen at all, but each episode embraces you in a mixture of tension and pleasant melancholy, like a bonfire and a glass of red on a winter's day.

Ridley delivers exactly what you can expect from a British police series that consciously does not want to be innovative. You'll probably forget this series after a week, but that doesn't apply to Dunbar's musical talent, and it's real, Dunbar sings in real life.. and I like it! It's a style of singing that I appreciate, and the nice jazzie music gives a relaxing touch to the series, to take a break from crime. The photography is again exceptional.

The plot of each episode is very smooth and beautifully structured scripts. They always start with a murder case or disappearance and are connected by developments in the lives of Ridley and his right hand Carol. In some cases it can be a little predictable, since I guess some things, but each viewer will have their personal experience.

This is another solid police procedure British series! And the low rating surprises me.

It's OK. That's all it is. There's a laziness about the idea - a former detective called back to investigate. You know when you play a rail shooter? This is drama in that vein. You know exactly what to expect and you get it, but none of it is that good. It's just all middle of the road. Adrian Dunbar is always great and I can't fault any of the cast. It's the by-the-numbers writing and production. It feels like Vera meets Happy Valley in Ireland, except it's not as good as either of those shows. It's safe, safe, safe. Soap opera level crime drama. That's all I have to say but I need to add this up to 600 characters so will waffle on a bit more here.

I see mixed reviews for this which just shows how many different kinds of people with varying opinions and taste there are. For me, I enjoyed Ridley a lot. It wasn't violent and full of hyped up graphic grossness. It was just a good story that didn't need to rely on a dog and pony show to sell it. For people who like grisly horror, move along, nothing to see here.

I particularly liked the jazz, which was a refreshing change in a British drama, and who knew that Adrian Dunbar could sing. It thought that was cool. I'm usually an armchair sleuth, and figure out whodunit half way, but not in episode one. It kept me guessing right until the end, which I like.

The scenery was a bonus - fog, snow, rain, autumn colors in the woods. I won't watch a detective series unless it takes place somewhere that has some of the features. No city dick shows for me anymore. They're too depressing and ugly. This is a beauty!

I enjoyed this series and found some of the storylines genuinely moving (especially the first episode) and was in tears several times. I love UK crime dramas and have watched many others and thought this was a worthy effort.

I also enjoyed the musical aspect. The songs were chosen well and enhanced or reflected the storylines. I also enjoyed the mellow performances in contrast to other reviews.

This may appeal more to older viewers (like me ;)) as it deals with life and loss of mature characters.

There are many familiar and reputable faces in the cast.

I hope there is a follow up series and would happily watch further episodes.