Yet another superb British cop show. Due to its size and dominance in British culture, a good number of UK police dramas are set in London, the capital. UK TV show makers have based a good number of cop shows in regional parts of the UK and the local customs and accents add flavour to the show.
With the exception of Whitechapel, which was East End specific, The Chelsea Detective makes a virtue of its specific London suburban location with lots of gorgeous shots of Chelsea landmarks, a focus on the mostly affluent lifestyles in what was once a village near the city rather than big city life in central London, a cameo by the famous Chelsea Pensioners, and the lead detective DI Max Arnold (Adrian Scarborough) is a local lad with long standing family connections to the area. Arnold adds Chelsea colour by living on a Thames houseboat and riding a mountain bike to work.
The show is gentle and very much steeped in the upper crust lifestyle of Chelsea but the plots are strong and the supporting cast of detectives, especial DS Priya Shamsie (Sonita Henry) in Season 1 and DS Lavia Walsh (Venessa Emma) in Seasons 2 and 3, are an excellent compliment to DI Arnold's mildly eccentric persistence and witty dry humour. Yes there's the obligatory racial quotas in the cast but the show avoids much of the PC wokery one sees in dramas in the 2020's. Seasons 2 and 3 are just as strong as Season 1.
