I may be wrong, but this is IMDB, people, and TV shows are TV shows.
It gets complicated when we use the reviews tab for debating politics, racism or political correctness instead of assessing a production as a whole, or try to 'punish' the show with a poor review just because the angle or the ideas portrayed in the plot do not match our view of the world. Yes, it happens, sometimes we get incensed about some messages (this is not the case, Criminal Record is certainly not about the message), but, as a reader seeking for reviews before watching a show, I prefer less opinionated perspectives and find them more helpful.
In purely cinematographic terms, this is a quite enjoyable show, even though the theme is not new to the genre and has already been visited before by quite a few crime and procedural series.
However, the premise still holds, and so far the story is intriguing enough and ambiguous enough to feed the mystery about how things will resolve in the end. You wonder, is the 'bad guy' really that terribly bad or is he not, and a surprise awaits at the end of the season?
It is a pleasure to watch the extraordinary performances of Peter Capaldi (kudos) and a very accomplished Cush Jumbo, who add complexity and nuances to their characters.
Capaldi, in particular, is magnificent. His facial expressions are austere and exuberant at the same time (how does he do it?).
All the supporting roles are well performed and the script hooks the spectators enough to have them waiting for the next chapter. It is not The Wire, it is not Line of Duty, and it stretches some plot lines a bit. But it is still a fine show. I have watched a few hundreds of procedural and detective shows, and this, so far, I am enjoying.
