User reviews

The first episode of this Irish TV show gives very little indication of where it is going. It begins slowly with a family tragedy, the random murder of Sarah Manning's husband, Lee, in Montreal.

The series shifts its focus to the investigation of Lee's murder, which draws covert international interest. Sarah takes a central role in the investigation. She and the others involved face constant obstacles in their search for truth and justice as the investigation leads them ever deeper into a web of intrigue and corruption. I could not stop watching it until I had reached the conclusion.

This series is unusual in that most of the main characters are strong women who have found success in tough, male-dominated professions.

The only real downside for me is Morten Suurballe's strange robotic speech pattern. It sounds so unnatural.

I'm a stickler for good research and continuity. I got off to a bad start with the scenes in Ireland being in early fall and the ones in Montreal (supposedly happening at the same time) being in freezing cold February. When production errors like that happen, it's distracting and I find I simply can't get fully absorbed into the plot.

And could they not find a francophone actor to play the Montreal police Detective Dusquene? Instead, they chose Alberta-born Geordie Johnson, who I'm sure, could at least have uttered a few words of French now and then to give him some credibility.

At best, the acting is OK, but maybe I was spoiled from just finishing the amazing Night Sky, with Sissy Spacek and J. K. Simmons.

I made it to the end, which is something. But without the above glaring issues, I would have rated it much higher.

What an excellent series, very well written, as far as I could find, by an older writer. The twists and turns will keep the viewer waiting in suspense for answers. Treachery at every turn, characters and dialogue excellent. A good even pace is achieved from the opening episode. Once I started watching I couldn't turn my tv off. I watched it all through in one sitting, all 6 episodes. An excellent Canadian an Ireland coproduction. Hope to see further by this team.

A few of the actors are pitiful and unconvincing in their roles. Elaine Cassidy and Angelina Ball are very good, however.

Good intrigue and well written ( only one gratuitous bit ) along the lines of Prime Suspect. I like that it wasn't cut and dried but messy and gritty. Didn't really like the woman lead, she reminded me of an ex girlfriend who was a look alike and just as intense to the point of exasperation. Enjoy.

Watching on Amazon Prime and only 5 epiosdes available!!! Also-to the one revieweer-this was set in Montreal, there are no RCMP in Quebec..they have ther own provincial police.... but, you are right -for the miniscule canadian connection, they manged to get Canadian funding. That sucks when so many of us Canadian producers are desperate for funding for our films!

A story of twists, turns, and murder in furtherance of corporate greed. One will not figure out the resolution. Dr Hoffman is terrific as the protagonist.

Worst Camera work. Fake Jitter. Up down left right repeat.

Disclaimer - I only watched 2 episodes. Then I bailed.

Lots of little things add up to a poor series. Some bad acting (Canadian Detective, 2nd husband), obvious villain's (Pharma head), and some low budget constraints perhaps (both Canadian and Irish detectives working solo without partners). Elaine Cassidy knows literally nothing personal about her husband, and he was just murdered and she shows almost no grief (I know- she was just holding it in).

This is one of those programmes that seems to have been written for people who think of it as a high-gloss, clever drama. But, sadly, it isn't.

What a shame. The usual predictable plot: a bad thing happens to the new husband of a nice woman, and she is left finding out more and more about the truth re his life. All the while she is struggling to be a good mum to her 2 children. The peace of her life is ruined. We have seen this type of story a thousand times before . . . !

Layer upon layer of her husband's true circumstances are revealed . . . So it should have been interesting as a drama. But instead there are too many incredible plot points.

The main character has an old job that her previous employers beseech her to return to. This is ludicrous, as no boss has ever done so in quite such a self-humiliating way. She is clearly meant to have a high-level demanding job, but somehow we don't see her as the executive type. It all seems made-up. The character is unlikely; rather like Nancy Drew, thinking she can solve the crime when the cops can't. Teenagers believe in Nancy Drew - but then they're teenagers, so that's to be expected! So maybe younger people who watch this series will believe this near-on tosh. As for adult viewers, I'd have expected grown-ups to be told a tale about a more believable character. So why do the producers think their adult audience will believe in our protagonist, when she is created so cartoonishly?!

Overall, it looks as if the producers decided that if they pop a female character in shiny, sexy, mega-heeled red shoes - and add a trouser suit - then she will come across as a clever executive . . . But this is not the case! If instead they had created her character as a woman working in an average job, I'd have had more respect for the drama. Then the story would have felt more realistic, rather than just an excuse for a dress-up.

The woman seems to have gone through a marriage ceremony without having found out anything about her intended. She hadn't even asked him where his relatives are, and which of them will be turning up for the wedding day. As she'd only recently lost her husband to a fatal accident, this quick marriage is also unbelievable. To have 'snaffled' husband #2 so quickly, with two young children in play . . . ! She also has seen no photos of his past. That a woman could do that, with vulnerable kids to protect? And - as we are told that she is a lawyer - would a woman of her executive status, achievement and intelligence really make such a risky move?! Daft indeed!! In fact, IMO this is just one example of the series being purposely designed to make some viewers feel superior - superior to a character who could make such foolish decisions. Again, tailoring the drama series to a particular type of audience. This restricts its target viewership.

Other hackneyed plot features also get dragged into usage - like the sister who is her only support, but rather conveniently (for our heroine to look the better of the two) is less successful in a steady career, plus is divorced with a conman for an ex-husband. A nice line in sisterly competition then reared its predestined head. Very soap'ish.

Plus the old tropes: Was her obsequious old boss the evil killer? Is the head of the police department part of the deception? Why had her hubby the business sales director secretly carried a gun? Was her sister also secretly involved in some way? And had her previous husband also been murdered as part of the same cover-up?

Not to mention overdoing the dramatic ploys. Just when we think we have seen every type of conspiracy possible, there is another introduced. The Americans (CIA), the Canadians, the garda, local Irish politicians, ex-policemen, big pharmaceutical company businessmen . . . Is NO ONE free of suspicion, the world over?! Do me a favour! TV banality, indeed. At times verging upon predictable trash.

Plus the pace of the story in this TV programme is - as is the case with many badly constructed TV dramas - too slow. Dear, oh dear . . . By the second episode I was already frustrated by the overall dallying of the plot. That's not good, considering there were still 4 episodes to sit through.

I all too often find the output of recent TV miniseries dramas dull and predictable - as if made on a shoestring budget and as if expected to be put straight to video. The style of these programmes is frequently clichéd and lazily formed; almost made to a bad TV movie standard.

So I began to wonder, when watching this particular series, if maybe I'd had little expectation of quality. Meaning I had set the bar too low, and so I saw what I feared I might? Thus a self-fulfilling prophecy, perhaps? But no, I then realised, as I have seen the lead actress, Elaine Cassidy, play several well-created parts in excellent dramas, I WAS expecting an average - or even better than average - TV drama. Sadly, I saw instead a finished product that was just a plain old let-down.

It is not all bad - it doesn't have a bad storyline, for example - but I don't like all the unbelievable parts. They seem unnecessary, a case of repeated deus ex machina. These plot strategies make the story both stupidly simplified and at the same time annoyingly elongated. Surely audiences don't need pandering to the lowest denominator, that much?!

It wasn't the worst ever TV miniseries I have seen, but it wasn't good enough to have spent 5 hours of my life watching. And it took me over 3 months to plough through all 6 episodes of the drama: I found it so unlikeable, I kept putting it off.

So this WAS one of those predictably mediocre outpourings. And a disappointment.

I do not regret the decision to spend the time of the six episodes in the company of the Irish mini-series 'Acceptable Risk' (2017) written by Ron Hutchinson and directed by Kenneth Glenaan and hristian Langlois. One of the reasons is that the story takes place in Dublin, a city I love and whose combination of traditional architecture with the futuristic atmosphere facilitated by the Irish high-tech explosion of the last few decades seems to me very suitable as a background for a crime thriller that takes place in the world of big and dangerous business (specifically that of the pharmaceutical industry) with reverberations in politics. My expectations were not disappointed. Without being a masterpiece or excelling in originality or violence, 'Acceptable Risk' has a complex and interesting plot and proposes a gallery of characters (almost all women) that we start to care about as the action progresses.

The first of the six series begins with the description of a murder in Montreal. As spectators we see as much as we are allowed, so that the atmosphere of 'whodunit' is created from the beginning. The victim is a marketing director of a concern based in Ireland. His wife, Sarah Manning, with whom he had spoken on the phone minutes before the murder, will become the main character of the story. Before long, Sarah will discover that she knows very little about the man she has lived with for many years. Tim Manning had been a CIA agent, and his assignments within the pharmaceutical concern included suspicious and dangerous contacts with politicians and influential people around the planet. Sarah, herself a lawyer and former employee of the firm, will be helped by an honest policewoman who is ready to risk her career to find out the truth, and by her sister, a woman who also hides some secrets in her biography and who entertains a very different lifestyle from the one of the recent widow left with two children to care for In a short time, the three women will realize that between them and the truth are not only the interests of the big pharma company, but also Irish political pressure, FBI and Canadian police investigations, and the activities of the American and German secret services. The story takes place in Dublin, but the implications are international.

The story is well written, the tempo is alert, something interesting and often unexpected is constantly happening. We can criticize the narrative by claiming that the sequence of events seems a little too complicated and that too many of the characters disappear to violent deaths before we have been given enough time to get to know them. This is offset by the excellent characterization of the main characters and the way their relationships unfold and progress with the investigation. Irish actress Elaine Cassidy holds the title role. I was not very excited by her performance, it seemed to me that in some places she was repeating herself and in others she was exaggerating the drama. Angeline Ball, on the other hand, creates the character of an intelligent and empathetic detective, and I would not be sorry at all if she became the heroine of a series that extends over several seasons. I also thought that Lisa Dwyer Hogg was very good, in the role of the sister who will prove to be more than just a member of the family. This triplet of characters confronting the political, police and espionage systems of multiple governments in their quest to learn the truth infuses a strong and authentic feminist message to the action. Danish actor Morten Suurballe plays the interesting role of the head of the pharmaceutical concern. We suspect from the beginning a villain behind his imposing and charismatic figure, and perhaps if the writers had provided more details about his biography and motivations, the story would have been even more complex and interesting. The finale solves the mystery of the crime and somewhat does justice, but some things will have to remain forgotten, and the world looks like it will continue with the same tricks of corruption. 'Acceptable Risk' is one of the good thriller series I've seen lately and I recommend it.

The kids were unnecessary subplot. Irritating. These shows are my escape. Hahaha. "Sarah" is overly angry to think rationally.... comes across unstable......

I like both the actresses.... Elaine and Angeline. So I watch.

I've been binge watching one crime drama series after another, and this one gets a solid 8 from me. It kept my interest, and I liked Elaine Cassidy on "No Offence" so I decided to give this show a go, and I was glad I did. One of the best things I can say about it is that it lacked some of the more unbelievable moments that are in so many other British crime series. The cast all did a decent job, even if Cassidy did tend to over-act some of her parts. One of the few off-putting things for me was the casting of Kate Moran as the American government worker. She had a very noticeable French accent and didn't sound anything like an "American". In real life I understand she's French but has lived in NY. I get that some members of the US government have foreign accents, but when the show went to such great lengths to paint her as "the American", even going so far as to give her the nickname, "Stars and Stripes", they should have picked an actor who didn't have a French accent for the role.

"Acceptable Risk" is the Irish version of the Welsh drama "Keeping Faith". The similar plots only differ in the fine details. Both are well worth watching with strong female leads and some good supporting actors. Both have a loving wife and mother discovering secrets about their absent husband.

The intriguing mystery is cleverly built up as evidence is gradually uncovered. Both then come to rather a brief conclusion. Tidying up all the loose ends in a rather simplistic fashion. "Acceptable Risk" probably has the edge in the quality of the production and the credibility of the characters.

Both are fast paced though this is more evenly sustained in "Acceptable Risk." The constraints of this pacing caused me to knock off a couple of points as, sometimes the plot was whisked along at the expense of subtlety.

This was utterly painful to watch. The worst part was the horrible speech patterns of "Dr Hoffman" and the detective guy from Canada, which is weird since he actually IS Canadian. Siri on my phone has a more natural diction than these two. Also why are the FBI operating abroad? Makes no sense. Its slow and likely could have been done just as well (badly) in 3 episodes. I don't usually expect great stuff out of Canada (I'm Canadian) but had higher hopes for Ireland/Europe.

Read some bad reviews and totally disagree with them. I love the characters and the acting. It's a mystery that keeps me engaged wondering what's going to happen next, when is the Ship going to hit the fan. The culture differences between the US and Ireland UK English speakers and personalities may not be agreeable to some viewers. I enjoy the differences. True the corruption is a little iffy, but the characters make it believable. After the vaccine mess in the US Big Pharma is suspect and distrusted. Nice to see a story without an shoutout. Ya, people are murdered but no gun violence or intense shoot out scenes increases suspense. Fun watch!!

This looks like a sleek European mini-series, but it has the soul of a 90 minute Lifetime TV movie about women wronged by men who are just no damn good. Most of the men are evil, except for maybe one Canadian who is just bland. The villains are cartoonishly villainous, so clumsy and stupid in their villainy that it's not interesting. Some of the dialogue is outlandishly unbelievable. As for Elaine Cassidy, yes, grief and righteous anger are a logical reaction to the murder of a husband, but she has the same facial expressions and smoldering rage in almost every scene for six episodes. People seem to love her, so maybe she's a better actress when her character isn't incensed all of the time. With a convoluted, illogical plot, terrible dialogue, and one-dimensional characters, this series didn't work for me. You can decide for yourself whether viewing is an acceptable risk is acceptable.

I only found this after looking for other shows with Angeline Ball after watching the brilliant Hidden Assets, where oddly she plays another detective called Emer but with a different surname. Not sure if they're supposed to be the same character or not but they're pretty similar.

I found Acceptable Risk compulsive viewing and was sorry when I finished it. The ladies absolutely rock, the principle bad guy is a bit cartoonish but that didn't detract from the fun. Angeline Ball and her Emer character we're dropped from season 2 of Hidden Assets for some reason, Angeline said it wasn't her choice, I hope we see Emer return in something soon!

I'm on episode 4 and really struggling with Elaine Cassidy's acting. She's outraged and fuming practically none stop. I came here to read the reviews and see I'm not the only one. I like Euro dramas because they're usually quieter and more intricate, bit she's driving me crazy with this acting job.

I kept going back to see if there would be a break in this blight of a thriller/drama. The plot is messy and generic, not to mention the fact that there are almost zero costume changes over what must be a matter of days. That's a huge clue that the production values are constrained by budget concerns and a condensed shooting schedule - or that the whole show has ambitions it was never going to deliver. The lead actor annoys. She feigns exasperation and indignation to such a high level that it makes the rest of her interactions with the cast grating at best. Oh - next time you include some Canadian context maybe you can throw in a Mountie and a beaver, such was the hacked out representation of the Montreal connection. This is tepid stuff. Don't bother unless you are snowed in or lost in Borneo with nothing else to watch.

This is a mini-series with terrible dialog, horrible acting, bad casting. The only accents that sound remotely like they should are the Irish ones. The plot is a not uncommon one of big pharma company hiding the horrible things they do. Each episode is painful to watch as the poor dialog constantly grates on your nerves and the fake accents are just very egregious to your ears! The whole 6 episodes could have been easily done as a full feature film. My guess is this was bankrolled by a streaming channel anxious to build up content. They really should have been more discriminating however as rubbish series like this have limited appeal.