Wild Bill

Bill Hixon is a US Police Chief who has just taken a new job in Boston... not the Boston in Massachusetts but the original in Lincolnshire! Here he is to take over as the Chief Constable of the fictional East Lincolnshire Constabulary. It soon becomes clear that it won't be an easy job; he isn't particularly welcome, with locals fearing he has been brought in to cut costs and thus jobs. Over the course of the series he will have to investigate a variety of crimes; most of which aren't of the type that would feature in a typical US cop show! If that weren't enough he has a fourteen year old daughter who must also settle into a new life far from home.

It is clear from the start that this will be a fairly silly series... the very first scene sees our protagonist chase crooks into a cabbage field and start throwing cabbages in frustration! While this isn't a problem there are details that will irritate some viewers... notably the fact that most of the 'locals' have Yorkshire accents and the fact that the way the police behave is very unrealistic; no Chief Constable would lead investigations and junior officers certainly wouldn't get away with talking to him the way they do here. Perhaps a little strangely these flaws didn't bother me as much as I'd expected. The stories are fun but not without their darker moments. Rob Lowe is the undoubted star of the show; doing a fine job as our protagonist; there is solid support from Bronwyn James as DC Muriel Yeardsley, the one local copper who seems to get on with Hixon; young Aloreia Spencer, who impresses as his daughter Kelsey; and Rachel Stirling, as local judge Lady Mary Harborough. The series ends with what I thought was its best episode; this wraps up some storylines but leaves others open for a future series... if there is more I'll watch. Overall I'd say that while this isn't the best British cop show I'd still recommend trying it as different to most shows and set in part of the country rarely seen on television.

What separates this from the usual pic featuring Rob Lowe are the moments in every episode of genuine human interaction without maudlin Hollywood triteness. The show is charming and disarming in a way that encourages binge watching and good feelings. The scenery and cast are all top notch and everything moves along without being bogged down by overdosing on soap opera moments. Watch it alone or with family; either way you will fall under the spell of its simple charms.

As others, I started watching because I was intrigued by how Rob Lowe would shape up. The first episode was intriguing, a surprisingly well balanced blend of dark drama, cleverly plot and character interplay. The Lincolnshire backdrop is really unusual and adds context and flavour. The second episode was even better. The plot kept me guessing; the writing avoided the obvious clichés, the acting remained solid.

I have high hopes for the series remaining as entertaining and engaging.

Not yet a tour de force, but it's in the zone

The opening episode prompted a tweet from the real Lincolnshire police as reported on the BBC

"In a tongue-in-cheek tweet, the real Lincolnshire Police said: "The inaccuracies are criminal".

"It's definitely not what we are really like."

The force said it would pass "concerns about the officers portrayed" to AC-12 - the anti-corruption unit featured in the BBC's Line of Duty.

What to say first.......well there's been better but there's certainly been a lot worse. Casting Rob Lowe was good move, his dry humour carries the show and has delivered some good one liners. Rob Lowe's take on our policing is very humorous as he questions how things are done differently here. Yes there are some flaws and questionable plots so far but so do other fictional crime/comedy series. I could name quite a few other comedies based round a local police station were the constables undermine and talk inappropriately to higher ranking officers and unbelievable plots told.

At the end of the day, it is fictional and a black comedy with made up plots and not a serious drama which I think some have forgotten. I have rated this series an 7 with the hope that as it progresses the humour will increase.