Flesh and Blood

Watching a great show. Every character in it is someone I know or lives down the street from me. The writers deserve an AA++. Actors are superb and the story moves along at an comfortable pace. Why can't more TV be like this. I really like the adult children. Two of them in different bodies and names used to work with me. I have a good idea how this will end but I'm slowly enjoying it like glass of good wine. Thank you PBS. You put commercial TV to shame even though they have billions to throw around.

What better way to warm you up on a cold winters night than a murder mystery set on the Sussex coast in the height of summer. Francesca Annis is a recently widowed mother of a dysfunctional family who seem more worried about there inheritance when the mother meets and falls in love with retired surgeon played by Stephen Rea. All the children have relationship problems of there own, and throw in to the pot a nosey neighbour from hell played superbly by Imelda Staunton and we have a delicious mix of mystery and mayhem spread over four nights. 8/10

Happy Families? Definitely not, they are a family of secrets, lies, deception and hypocrisy, so when seventy year old Vivien falls in love with a man just eighteen months after the death of her husband, her children are worried.

It is a very good series, for my money the best ITV have given us for a little while.

The best episode is the finale, the unveiling as it were, it's excellent. The storytelling is great, and done in such a way that you simply have to watch the next episode.

Terrific cast, all perform superbly, you can't put a pin between Francesca Annis and Imelda Staunton, the pair are terrific.

Were left hanging at the end, with a possibility of a second series, I hope it's left at just the one.

Very good, 8/10.

I didn't expect so many harsh reviews. At least the number average is pretty good. I like the actors, liked the acting, appreciated the subtle building up of distrust all around. Yes these grown kids were a little damaged and askew in their own lives - it's 18 months since their dad passed. The boyfriend was pushing pretty hard and the mom was moving pretty fast. I was able to get on board with the story, and really enjoyed it. Not a perfectly satisfying ending, but many of them aren't. Not a huge investment of your time, and has lots of good points. I recommend it!

Thankfully, the producers knew what they were doing with the length of this... it is only 4 episodes long, and the story is fully told, with a nice flow.

Imelda S is gripping in her role. In fact, the entire ensemble was convincing.

Mr. Rea (always committed) was good, but he missed the mark a bit. In certain roles, his face does some silly overreaching (grimacing, awkwardness), and for me, it becomes too much.

The music was effectively subtle, and the production design was lovely and understated. Editing was fairly tight. The somewhat pensive tone throughout was punctuated by a few dark humorous moments.

If you enjoy contemporary British dramas with a mysterious overtone, you'll probably like this.