The Tower

Despite the fairly large number of negative reviews here, decided to give it a go and very glad I did so. This is a much better than average British cop drama with good acting, characters and a bit of a twist in the storyline. Is it wholly accurate or plausible? Of course not but what tv shows fall into that category! Yes, there are definitely some weaknesses but overall the acting and events are enough to redeem it for an evening of streaming. My only real complaint is I am not a fan of any show that switches back and forth between timelines. Just a personal opinion.

The characters interact believably and their exchanges aren't forced. The writers have put together a complex plot that needed flashbacks in order to develop the characters and circumstances. People don't generally fall off a building in pairs for no reason. The directing and cinematography enhance the story and the actions of the characters. This is more than just police procedure; there is mystery and there are twists; there is suspense and unexpected developments; and there remain several loose ends that one hopes will be tied up in future by this capable cast and skilled writers. One suspects there will be more episodes or some questions would have been answered and/or someone would have died.

Definitely a better than usual police drama. Some good acting and the time shifts could be confusing but it kept your interest throughout. Particularly liked the realism of the ending.

Not the best, and the Irish police officer was unbearably annoying to watch. I presume there will be second series the way it's been left? They need to up their game in Series 2..

This was just OK. One of the weaker parts was the lack of logic in the premise and circumstances of one specific individual who went to the perilous edge of The Tower. They really didn't manage to justify her actions. It was low-motive and underwritten.

Also, an opportunity to interrogate further Why a cop with a mouth would have such a dichotomy in treatment of individuals of different race to himself was lost in this. Reinforcing the strong 'blue line' narrative, and its a baseline set of characters with protectionist morals, then putting a female gendered detective up as almost an internal affairs hound, attacking her own in the name of justice has actually been done a whole, whole lot in UK series alone. Not only is it kind of trite, but funnily enough, it practically never happens IRL.

People on here complaining about the wardrobe in a cop procedural/drama just because they recognize an actress from a more popular series? Who cares? (It was professional casual dress, except for the young female constable getting bedded by her boss. She got the butt shots in yoga tights treatment more than once when out of uniform.) Are they complaining because they can't see everyone's bits hanging out? Go watch GoT again!