User reviews

I know it's the obvious kind of comparison that everyone is going to make, I've done so myself. The Bill was watched by millions, and when it ended it left a gap. The eight o'clock slot is a difficult one, it needs to be grittier then the afternoon offerings like WPC 56, and it can't be as dark or graphic as say Silent Witness or Luther.

The series aims to show what life is like on the front line for the Police, the lack of respect they face in their day to day jobs and the many obstacles in front of them.

Full of multiple story lines, a lot going on, possibly too much. The format jumps from one story to another. A distinct lack of reality in some parts, but then so did The Bill.

Nice to see Brighton used as a location, when it comes to mainstream TV you'd assume crime occurs in London, Manchester, Midsomer and Scandinavia.

It's not a show you'd cry if you missed, but it's watchable enough, it's good to have a cop show on at 8, one you can catch before you settle down at nine with a glass of Red wine. 7/10

First 5 minutes I thought "I'm not watching this" and the next 5 minutes caught me. Absolutely. Clever-smart.

This is a wonderful cross-over of (perhaps only) British black humor and the serious world of police work and its diversity, violence and opposition to violence, social and mental problems, politics of policing, and the personal. You need societal knowledge and empathy to understand all the links.

The USA police, maybe the whole nation, should watch this series because the underlying message is so positive. and so negative to US policing methods today.

Please. Laugh and cry, enjoy.

This is extreme, but I think the best since Monty Python.

As an aside, of course, I think we have a peak of British TV scripting, directing, cinematography, acting going on, and this comes out near the top.

If not for the perverted personal relationships, this show could have been a solid 8. The obligatory gay couples are totally unnecessary detritus but the rest of the show has a good mix of humor, drama, and interesting stories. The frustrations and trials of British police and the challenges of policing are highlighted along with the diversity of situations with which the police have to deal as effectively as possible. Obviously the Justice system in Great Britain is as dysfunctional as what we in the States have to endure.

I don't usually write reviews but I became so cross when I heard that 'Cuffs' was axed. I just could not understand this decision and wrote straight away to Ben Stevenson who chooses drama at the BBC. Cuffs is a brilliant programme, wonderful acting, clever story lines ... a programme which entertains as well as educating. I am 72 so you can imagine the load of rubbish I have seen throughout the years and suddenly this gem of a series crops up. I nearly missed it as I don't usually start watching anything until 9 pm. I have two grandchildren of 16 and 18 and this is the kind of programme they enjoy...much better than the rubbish and unbelievable story lines of programmes like Eastenders which I never watch. What is the BBC doing about this mistake? Please use some sense and bring this series back. Polly Perkins

Cuffs is a bit unusual for a police drama, it mixes a fairly light tone with some quite serious story lines. It's realistic and fast-paced but it generally isn't gritty. There's a lightness that reflects its summer-in-Brighton setting.

Once you watch several episodes back-to-back, you start to notice how the focus isn't on the crimes themselves but the people who deal with them. The characters' backgrounds and personal situations develop over the series, and by the end we can see changes in how they relate to each other. It's not a soap, but it has the same idea of presenting characters we can relate to in various ways and finding ourselves attached to them, and that's what keeps you wanting more. The episodes also make connections between the disparate characters and crimes in a way that you wouldn't expect, overlapping one theme with another. Some of these connections are a bit "blink and you'll miss it", but when you re-watch this comes across quite well.

The cast work very well together, it's a good and balanced ensemble. The interplay between Moffat and Hawkins for example really makes us feel they have been working together for ages, it feels very natural when they have to help each other with problems outside work as well. Prager and Moretti's police constables are another good "double act", thoroughly enjoying their job despite having very different personalities.

Paul Ready deserves a special mention for his portrayal of DI Kane, a very strange man indeed who is simultaneously harsh and vulnerable. His is perhaps the most intriguing character of all despite having relatively few scenes, because Ready seems to be able to give all of his lines a depth beyond what they are on paper, as if there is far more unspoken than spoken. At first he seems not to care, but the indifference turns out to be an obsession with doing his job as well as he can despite his difficulty with socialising. He makes us want to know what makes him tick, and hopefully there will be a second series where we find out more.

I binge watched this show over the last couple days and it was absolutely amazing! The action and the scenarios were exciting, adrenaline fuelled and at times, very intense! Each character was different and had there own advantages and disadvantages and were played very well. The writing was amazing and so so realistic. I really wish they made more episodes because this show is amazing.

Cuffs had a hard job. It set out low in people's expectations as they compared it to The Bill. I'm not old enough to have watched The Bill, so I can judge Cuffs on its own.

The show itself is gripping, intense and surprisingly funny. Cuffs weaves together a whole cast of unique actors and actresses in a variety of different roles whilst showing that the police aren't always successful.

In its first season, Cuffs tackled a lot of issues that are relevant in today's society such as mental illness, homophobia, domestic abuse and so much more.

Cuffs is such a great show to watch, it never feels slow and it never feels rushed. Each character gets their time in the frame and there is great depth to all of them. There wasn't a single episode which didn't make me laugh and I feel it is the best BBC drama produced in a long time.

If the (only exciting in the last episode) 'Doctor Foster' is supposedly worthy of a second series, then Cuffs should have ten more series already in production. The stories tie together nicely and there aren't any dull moments in this show.

Would recommend to anyone who's bored of the usual BBC dramas that don't have the pace and guts that this one has even before the watershed.

Cuffs is great. Don't let it end so soon.

The white people are dumb or junkie. The gay and lesbian and the black men are the good ones.And there is of course a moslim woman. That is how the BBC sees the cast in this copshow. The writing and acting is ok. It's entertainment but a lot of pc clichés. A 6 is enough.

I really like this show, and I can't believe there's only 8 episodes of it!

I quite liked the dynamics between the officers and between the detectives. I felt like each person had a distinct personality, that would have been so great to see unfold. I honestly ended up liking the people I didn't really care for in the beginning - and even the people I didn't like in the end, I couldn't really bring myself to hate.

I love how some of the main characters are homosexual police officers, and I would honestly have liked a bit more focus on their relationships (especially between Jake and Simon), as that seemed slightly rushed for my taste.

All in all a really good show, that I can only recommend - it's definitely worth watching those 8 episodes.

I came across this show a few weeks ago in Australia - I'm am hooked! I love the characters & storyline. This show has so much potential to go on with many seasons to come .. just look at the success of Law & Order, CSI & SVU just to name a few. I'm finding the UK based shows do this regularly to us just to torture us ..? Maybe. For eg, Doc Martin- another brilliant UK show that I've been reading season 10 will be the last - WHY?? Miss Scarlet & the Duke is another show I look forward to watching (not sure how many seasons are planned for that ) Do we need Rapper Drake to intervene here also ? Can someone for the love of everything that is good in England please continue with these amazing shows-please!

A fantastic show!! Casting did a terrific job, the actors are so good, perfect! The story lines are good very real to life, I can imagine that is just what it is like out there on the front lines for the police. I like that it is in Brighton. I am so disappointed there is only one series. Why were more not made? Whoever made the stupid decision to end this excellent series should be fired!!

Great character development and an entertaining account of personal and professional challenges in a Brighton police department. Good script and wonderful acting. A diverse cast with equally diverse characters under represented in many current shows. A real shame that the BBC didn't renew it. Shows of this caliber are hard to come by.

Very sad to hear the decision to axe Cuffs. Thoroughly enjoy the show and the characters. The story line is just starting to unfold and we the audience warming to the various people in Cuffs. Bad decision, sad for us. A change of heart would be great for fans. The events and the action is interesting and the fact that I have to write 10 lines about the show and my grievances at the loss of the show before it will be published is a bit of nuisance. All I can keep on saying is if the BBC changed their minds about cancelling Cuffs I think there would be some happy people around the world. The show is interesting and the people in the show Cuffs are varied and popular in my circle of viewing friends. It is also very difficult to ramble on to get ten lines up when all I prefer to do is be succinct and say, what a shame cuffs has been cancelled because I enjoyed the show and please change your collective minds, BBC. there I think I have ten lines, please publish this because I am going to look like some sort of nut case if I have to continue with this ramble. Now please rethink the ten line rule.

I came across this show by accident, having not having even heard of it prior to my first encounter, and it took only a short time for it to be one of those "not to be missed" among the dearth of good television that blights us currently.

The cast is "magic" and work so well together. The interplay between characters is excellent and never overdone. The characters are well developed and believable and don't go around blasting all and sundry.

I especially appreciate the continuing back stories of the characters.

I now hear that the show has been axed - what a insult! Is CSI, Bones etc. the pap that people really want?

It took me a couple of episodes to get into this series. It was the great characters and corresponding acting performances which won me over. By the time the final episode arrived it had become a "must watch" series, just as "The Bill" had in the 1990s. I was both amazed and shocked to read that the BBC had axed it! One has to ask "why?" and the answer has to be adverse reactions from those above in a time when the Powers that run the BBC are living in fear of being seen to support minority groups within the upper echelons of Society. Although they like to display political correctness on the surface, in reality, they are no different to the great majority of viewers.

Excellent show. Not enough episodes. Very well written! And of course well acted.

It made me about the characters on both sides of the law and that is the sort of TV I want to watch. Very well done.

The best 'cop' drama of all time for my money is 'Hill Street Blues' and while others attempt to reach that zen area of real, crazy and funny, none succeeds. I never got into 'The Bill' but 'Prime Suspect' was perhaps the best UK cop drama but 'Scott & Bailey' is well written.

This show has a great cast, alright script and makes Brighton appealing (which is difficult in itself) but it is mostly a star vehicle for the very cute, Jacob Ifan. Episode 1 is his first day on the job.

The other characters have perhaps more interesting stories and more talent and experience but get far less camera time. Each episode is centred on four beat cops who have different lives. 3 men, 1 woman.

Based on the poster, Amanda Abbington, who holds her own on Sherlock, should be the main star but it hasn't worked out that way. They dress her in colours that don't suit her to make her look as though she is on chimo. Her story is a cliché, unworthy of the BBC. She is in a no- win sexual relationship with her boss but nobody knows. The writers fail her and us. Changing the cat to a dog is the only creative move made here.

Why can so few writers write middle aged women? We are tough, experienced, own our own homes, survived having lived with men, in a world ruled by men and taken responsibility for all the difficult things in day-to-day life, take care of elderly parents, avoid siblings, change careers, survived over 1000 periods and I could go on. The writers failure here is to rely on a man's stereotypical view of women as needy when most people know that by the time a woman reaches 40 we don't care what you're thinking anymore.

Having said all that - it was very watchable and I immediately tweeted my LGBT friends to alert them to the show. It makes a good nights viewing with 'London Spy'.

This series is several notches above other BBC cop stories. I am sorry that there was only 1 season. The romance was handled well and the storylines interesting.

Ok, so I am an American. But I really was amazed of how no guns where used and still people were arrested. The one thing that bothered me the most is that the permission's the cops had to have to take care of some of the issue's, exp. lady on the train, chasing a bank robber. I hope that this still isn't an issue in the UK. Otherwise, loved the series, sorry to see there are no more seasons.

I enjoyed this show very much, hope there's a season 2