Something happened to those fabulous British crime and cop shows. Most of them finished and other than repeats, nothing much has taken their place.
I'm talking about the movie length series where we had coppers that no matter how tough the exterior, underneath was a genuine understanding of the human condition. There was usually just one murder to investigate, but they were always realistic investigations.
I don't count the Miss Marple's or things like "Midsomer Murders" with their endless novelty murders, and not "Death in Paradise", which depends a lot on the exotic location, an eccentric British detective and Josephine Jobert in shorts.
The ones I am talking about started out based on novels. "Morse" morphed into "Lewis" and now "Endeavour", but we also had "Wallander", then a throwback to another era with "Inspector George Gently". However we still have "Vera".
"Dalziel and Pascoe" belongs with this group. In a way it was one of the most complex. The best series are buddy movies. More effective than the lone hero, I am surprised more shows don't use the format. In a way Andy Dalziel (Warren Clarke) and Peter Pascoe (Colin Buchanan) are almost like brothers. Peter is more refined than Andy who can be rude and crude, and they often fall out usually with disapproval written across both their faces, but these guys are there for each other when it counts. Their relationship, almost co-dependence, even outlasts Peter's marriage.
Some of the stories are better than others, but the writers have nailed what makes these characters so appealing. It's their empathy, and their exposure of hypocrisy in high places. Humour was definitely a strong point.
Nearly all those series ended for various reasons and it wasn't necessarily low ratings. Sometimes the stars had had enough, and sometimes it was through whim. Occasionally a series "jumped the shark". You can usually tell when that happens; one story gets stretched across a whole season. "Hinterland" did this and is now gone. "Shetland" is doing it; a series that was slow, is now slower. "Dalziel and Pascoe" didn't do that; it actually left us hanging. But of course Warren Clarke is now gone.
There are few heirs to those shows. "Manhunt" with Martin Clunes, but episodes are few and far between. "Endeavour" and Vera plough on, but I can't help feeling an era has ended.
