Dalgliesh

I wasn't convinced by the first couple of episodes but as the series continued it got better and better. On the whole the acting was excellent although the female officer was a bit wooden. The first story felt a bit rushed and muddled at the end but the other 2 were much better.

I should disclose that I watched the Roy Marsden Dalgliesh years ago and felt it to be fabulous and worthy of P. D. James' novels. That entire series was superlative; tender, thoughtful and often rather spooky. When I saw the ads for this new series, I couldn't imagine it would be good. The first two episodes were mediocre. Above average compared to American procedurals but nothing particularly special. I nearly skipped the third episode. Praise be that I turned it on. It is wonderful. I think from seeing it I can critique retrospectively what ails the first two episodes. Tone. P. D. James has a voice in her novels that the original series was able to translate to the screen. It is restrained but under the restraint lies both a mounting tension and an overwhelming reflection of sorrow, encapsulated and reflected to us by Dalgliesh himself. Bertie Carvel captured that perfectly in the third episode. I was touched.

Have only watched the first episode so far but it was truly excellent. Did not expect such quality drama on 5.

The acting from all members of case is of the highest standards with some very promising new faces.

Check it out.

Stylishly directed and photographed with an excellent cast all-round and a lovely score. Bertie Carvel (never seen him give a bad performance yet) nailed the lead role as Inspector Dalgliesh, adapted from three of the novels by one of the greatest British crime writers, PD James.

The scripts were sharp, with good plots and pacing, nice dialogue and lots of interesting character and period detailing. Everyone involved in this series seemed to be on song. I hope it gets re-commissioned as I really like what I've seen so far. Dalgliesh is a definite winner.

There are 3 standalone two parters, best watched in a single sitting.

Love this mystery show. I've never watched the previous iteration or read the books, but I feel that this show follows the feel, spirit, grit, and the time period of the source material. The British and PBS, etc. Are always great at this. Carvel...fantastic..as Dagliesh and as both of his side kicks mention he makes for a great detective and mentor.

But, for me, this show suffers from two issues:

1. It is so dark (visually)!! Seems like they've filmed all the episodes in the middle of a British winter. I live in Santa Fe, NM, (super high altitude sunshine), and I literally have to close all my curtains so I can see what's going on. It was very noticeable in this current episode (a couple of murders in a seminary/church/boys school). In one scene, a protagonist runs by some daffodils. They are so bright they look like they are fake. When the flowers are brought in, they seem to glow, and the entire background fades into grey/black.

2. Dagliesh is so deadpan!!! If there were a drinking game about taking a shot any time anyone in this show smiled or laughed, the bottle would never crack open. OK, so this show is not a funny, laugh-a-minute procedural a la "Murder in Paradise," or "Harry Wild," or "Shakespeare and Hathaway," but even the darker show, "Vera," has a handful of laughs and smiles per episode.