Debra Messing lands detective pilot

Debra Messing, ex of Will & Grace and Smash, has landed the lead role in a new detective procedural called The Mysteries Of Laura. TV Line reports that the pilot – which will air on US network NBC – is based on the Spanish series, Los Mysterios De Laura and follows the life of a homicide detective. Away from the day-job Laura has problems at home with her ‘hell-raising’ twin children. Sounds a bit The Closer to us, but let’s see how this one pans out.

#tbt: Cracker

We’re going to attempt to do a few weekly features and this – #tbt, or throw-back Thursday – is designed to celebrate crime drama series from yesteryear. If you have any particular favourites do get in touch with suggestions, and we’re happy to dig into the ones you’ve put forward. But, to kick things off, we’ve decided to go for a stalwart from the 1990s. Written by Jimmy McGovern, and starring Robbie Coltrane, Cracker was a rule-breaker and a huge ratings success.

Why Social Context Matters In Crime Drama

I’ve been enjoying the sixth series of Inspector George Gently. I know it’s not to everyone’s taste, but it’s pretty rare that a crime drama – or a drama from any other genre for that matter – gets a primetime one-and-a-half-hour slot aside from the frenzy of the Christmas schedules. It’s pretty meaty stuff, and one of the things I enjoy about it is its unflinching forays into social upheaval, unrest and change. Considering it’s set in the 1960s – the ultimate time of change in the 20^th century – we’ve been treated to storylines that go beyond the pale of ordinary crime dramas. Gently and Bacchus have been solving crimes against a backdrop of civil unrest and protest that’s almost as prevalent as the investigations themselves. So why is this important?

Review: Line Of Duty (S2, E2/6), Wednesday 19th February

In terms of viewing figures, series two of Line Of Duty got off to a slightly lacklustre start last week. Clashing with the 100th episode of Midsomer Murders, those who didn’t manage to see it missed a real treat. In terms of the action, it was far from lacklustre.  It featured a story that grabbed you straight away, and a few scenes that were as shocking as we’ve seen in a while. Obviously, if you were one of the ones who didn’t seen the episode I’m not going to spoil it for you – I’m just going to ask you to bypass this review and go and have a flapjack or something, because after the jump there are some big, fat spoilers floating  about.

More Ripper Street stars speak out over show’s axing

The world threw up its arms and screamed, ‘WHAT IS THE POINT IN ALL THIS?’ when it was announced that Ripper Street was going to be cancelled. It did seem a bit odd – the Victorian-era show was once again enjoying solid ratings in the face of juggernaut I’m A Celebrity And Need A Career Boost, and was genuinely getting better and better. It was a bit of a shock when the news broke, but we had no idea that there would be such an outcry. But even six months on people are still talking about it; namely the people who have been put out of work because of the Beeb’s decision.

CSI to get another spin-off

Ah yes, CSI. Who can forget CSI in among all the news about Jane Tennison’s return and the True Detective brouhaha? That ever-reliable, sometimes ridiculous, always entertaining procedural series has been going for what feels like centuries, and while it was once America’s favourite show (NCIS recently knocked it off its perch) and spawned a couple of spin-offs, it has also endured a slight decline (both spin-offs have now ended). But wait… there are CSI-shaped embers still burning at the bottom of the barbecue barrel and it’s been announced today that there will be a new CSI spin-off, this time focusing on something that’s new and topical – cyber crime.

Review: Craven Omnibus, BBC Radio 4 Extra

Maxine Peake is and has always been one of our most watchable actresses. She’s one of those rare talents where you just know that anything she appears in will be good, and usually really good. For six series of Craven she’s ably transferred her visual acting prowess to radio, and her portrayal of the driven DCI is up there with anything she’s done onscreen.

True Detective: Believe The Hype

Crime drama fans are in for a huge treat this weekend when True Detective starts on Sky Atlantic. The kind of treat you don’t want to end – each episode is so stuffed with unsettling imagery, intriguing human relationships, an eerie, swampy setting and a narrative that’s both familiar and innovative. It’s epic in its ambition and scope, but intimate, too. Which is to say that True Detective is perfectly balanced and an absolute must-watch. You’ve probably heard a lot about it, but it’s time to throw your chips in and buy into this in a big way.

French TV has novel way of promoting Broadchurch

It seems the whole world is now getting in on the Broadchurch act. Well, America is, which is pretty much the whole wide world. But now France are too. The nation that gave us Spiral has imported the super-duper ITV drama, and it’s come up with a novel way to promote its latest new series from les rosbifs. Isn’t it great that we froth over such Scandi greats like The Killing, The Bridge, Wallander and Arne Dahl, and get into the likes Salamander precisely because of their Europeanness (not forgetting characters, plotting and acting chops of course), but now super-cool countries on the continent are still importing our new crime dramas series. Makes me all praaaahd it does. 

Lynda La Plante: Jane Tennison to return

This is big, big news, especially for lovers of both crime fiction and crime drama. The sort of news that stops you in your tracks; the sort of news that makes you spit out your tea onto the computer screen; the sort of news that makes you want to break out into some sort of Lambada-style dance without your trousers; the sort of news… well, you get the picture. So put down your cuppa, here’s the news: one of the most celebrated and beloved characters in British crime drama is on her way back – definitely in book form but, hold your breath, perhaps on the small screen, too.