I, Jack Wright

I was intrigued by "I, Jack Wright" on BritBox which is a sort of soap opera about a rich patriarch who had three wives and several offspring (one daughter who is missing was remembered in his will), 100 million pounds, a supposed second "new" will, and wildly unequal bequests. My lawyer husband urges that everyone involved make sure the new will is valid and that the heirs settle among themselves; otherwise, millions will vanish in legal fees. Well, the unhappy heirs don't listen, don't validate the will and instead contest it in court. ~~ Having seen the first 6 episodes, I've decided that the police should (1) be sure that their evidence does in fact suggest murder - not all guns leave gunshot residue; (2) just because Jack was considered a self-made multi-millionaire doesn't mean he still had millions at the time of his violent death. No one checks his bank accounts or takes a hard look at his "new" will which could have been forged or not validated or witnessed before he dies of a gunshot wound. Maybe Jack lost all his millions and committed suicide which is why, in Ep. 1, he was on the phone just prior assuring Sally, his 3d wife, that he does indeed love her. Maybe the money all the squabbling relatives are fighting about doesn't even exist (the way I would write the plot)! Will we ever learn the truth? ~ I really like the cast here, especially Em (granddaughter), her dad Gray (John Simms), her Uncle John and the shrewd lead detective Morgan. Simms usually portrays mild detectives who adore Mum but here he is the first-born son of Jack and Rose, always bumming money, dodging loan sharks and cursing a blue streak. Countless lawyers haven't kept Sal, wife #3 (who herself attended law school!), out of hot water. She is either in elegant clothes and lush surroundings or wearing simple sweats in a gloomy echo chamber smoking and bemoaning her fate - which is what? I love the theme song and other music, the opening credits, the polished scripts. Definitely worth viewing.

I'm with several other viewers who are giving this effort a low rating nit because the idea of the story was bad or the production values were bad or the acting and directing or editing were bad, I giving it a low rating because it is not simply unfair to viewers but it is cruel to produce and air a first season cliffhanger without a pre-approved 2nd season deal. This happens far to frequently and the people behind the production - the studio - should not allow it if they are not going to green light a second (or 3rd ...) season. They should have aired an episode that wrapped the story up for viewers so that if another season did not arrive the story could be seen as complete. In the event of a second season, the audience could have been surprised by the "I'm guilty" announcement and the ingoing investigation. This is just a cheat and I feel that I have been duped into wasting 6 hours of my time on an unfinished "who-done-it". Nothing worse.

Business tycoon Philip Wright takes his own life, allegedly, leaving behind a large family. The Wright family are keen to read the will, but get a shock by how he's chosen to divide his fortune, various family feuds begin.

It's always worth taking a looking and seeing what's on the U channels, every now and then a little gem pops up, this is such a gem, it's a cut above a lot of what's been on ITV and The BBC recently.

It's very Agatha Christie in the early stages, a dubious suicide, the reading of a will, a family at war, it's an intriguing and satisfying mystery.

You'll have lots of questions as it develops, the main one I had....where on Earth was Trevor Eve, he was all over the trailer, but sadly had minutes on screen.

A great cast assembled for this one, the likes of John Simm, Zoe Telford and Nikki Amuka-Bird, some fine performances.

A second series follows, they are running through risk of over egging the pudding, but I can see one, I binge watched it.

8/10.

It's a decent drama that keeps you coming back. Lots of interesting twists and plots underpinned by greed and entitlement which makes it binge worthy.

Most of the cast are great. Some appeared to be stuck in one gear throughout but you tolerate it.

I liked the mixed characters and personalities. Each episode you learn more about each of them and you eventually only really caring about a couple of them.

Each episode was well written until the final episode when all logic and common sense goes completely out of the window. You do expect some things to be unrealistic to add dramatic effect. But when people in positions of authority (Police officers and Judges) are dumbed down to the extent that their decisions are comical it takes the shine away from what could have been a great show.

Excellent, suspenseful, many twists, edge of seat. The last episode was a disappointing cliff hangar that left me wishing I waited till next year so I could binge through a next season to finally get some answers to the many questions. The actors are very good. The writing is excellent and the production and sequencing is gripping. That's all but I need to keep writing something because there's a requirement for reviews to contain at least six hundred characters. Good thing the series didn't have that many! Give it a go if you don't mind waiting at least another year to get answers to the questions it raises.