Single-Handed

Intelligent show that doesn't let a viewer off too easy. I love it, when a show doesn't assume that their viewers have intelligence of rice krispies. It leaves room for your own perception and insight.

Single-handed is able to handle the ugly side of life without becoming cynical and that's extremely rare in TV nowadays.

Very good acting from all members of cast. Well above average script. So difficult to leave your mark on this saturated genre but this series manages just that. Has that added bonus of beautiful scenery like Shetland which always leaves you slightly breathless. Would highly recommend a watch to remind you how well these crime series can be made before they become overworked like Vera and become a shadow of their origins. Some of the episodes are comparable to the likes of Wallander or other Nordic classics for the strength of the story telling. This is an undiscovered little gem worth a binge watch. Give it a go, you won't be disappointed.

This is a wonderful show with fantastic scenery. It reminds me of my trip to Ireland many years ago. The characters seem to be REAL PEOPLE and the scripting is really true to life. They are certainly not artificial as are the American actors that we have to put up with. The story lines are true to life. Even the bad characters are very well acted. I wish American TV would take a lesson from this program when they are making our shows. I believe that the Garda is depicted in a realistic fashion. Perhaps that is why I like it since my Grandfather was a Detective with the same kind of attributes I will watch it many times and I hope that you do also.

I watched most of Series One and Two before a self-driving week in Ireland with my husband which included two nights in Galway and a day on the Connemara Loop. That was 2 months back and I've just concluded a second viewing, including the final episode I'd not seen fully the first time round. I have to admit my primary motive was to revisit the landscape and do some place-spotting but the quality of the drama kept distracting me from my touristic infatuation with the Republic of Ireland generally and Connemara, specifically. At times villains of the stories can be a bit over the top, but for the most part I thoroughly enjoy the writing, the acting and of course, the setting. If this series wasn't so hard to get hold of here in Canada I'd be recommending it to people I know.

I enjoyed seeing Charlie Murphy, again, who did a fine job in the mini series Rebellion about the Easter Rising that laid the groundwork for the foundation of the Irish Republic. She's a good actress who adds substance and credibility to the final story, A Cold Heaven, in her mixed-up adolescent role. One of the most interesting parts of the series overall is the father-son struggle that lingers even once Jack Driscoll's father is out of the picture, literally. His ghost is a brooding presence over all of Connemara, in this drama, and sparks lots of tension between Jack's second-generation policeman character and his mother. Police corruption or wrongdoing is an issue that makes this ten-year-old series seem fresh and topical.

Husband and I were really looking forward to the rerun of Single Handed. We set to tape and only got 2 programmes. What is all that about. Brilliant actors, especially Owen McDonnell (obviously). This guy was so obviously made for the part, as was his mother. It was great. Scenic and well acted, dialogue great, WHERE IS THE REST? We have so few good police based shows on British television, unlike America, and when we get a good one it disappears in a puff of smoke. 55 dgrees North was another basic policeman show. What happens to them? If you can't think of any story lines give me a call, ran an Irish club for 6 years - I'll give you a few.