CRACKER (British TV drama) [**slight spoilers]

[Dr Doran]

I have not seen another thread on the British TV show CRACKER although I could have missed it.

Has anyone seen this marvelous show? Robbie Somethingorother, an ACTUAL (i.e. he has acted Shakespeare) actor, plays a psychologist who gets a small stipend from the police in an unnamed English city. (Maybe it was already named and I missed it; maybe it will be named -- I've only seen the first 5 episodes so far.) He's in trouble with his wife, is addicted to gambling, booze, and cigarettes, and is called in on the weirder and more horrid cases -- understandably, as he is a psychologist. The young, only semi-competent police captain is played by a certain Eccleston who I believe may have played the military base leader in 28 Days Later. The show is terribly funny, thrilling, brilliantly shot and acted.

Plenty of noir stylings as well ...

Anyone?

 

[PADDY]

Cracker...

Unless, like 'Life on Mars' ..Cracker goes back in time to the more vintage days of policing, I was under the impression that this is a 21st Century'modern day' Police Forensic Psychologist series (?). It is the one with Robbie Coltrane (The Scottish bloke?), if so, then it's a modern police show, rather than vintage

(But a good show on its own merits - just maybe too 'modern/today' for here ).

 

[Smithy]

I watched all the Cracker episodes when they came out in the early 90s. Wonderful programme. Robbie Coltrane was magic in that.

If you like that have a shufti at "Wire in the Blood", similar in terms of themes, modern but very good as well.

 

[carter]

I watched all the Cracker episodes when they came out in the early 90s. Wonderful programme. Robbie Coltrane was magic in that.

If you like that have a shufti at "Wire in the Blood", similar in terms of themes, modern but very good as well.

I like Wire in the Blood and Life on Mars. It appears that I will need to discover Cracker.

 

[Dr Doran]

It is not vintage.

It's got many, many stylings directly borrowed from noir.

Thus, I thought, interesting for this forum.

 

[carter]

I remain interested.

It is not vintage.
It's got many, many stylings directly borrowed from noir.
Thus, I thought, interesting for this forum.

Well, it is from the previous century.

 

[FourKingTwenty]

Like many other British programs, "Cracker" was remade in the US in 1997. It starred the late Robert Pastorelli as Fitz.

I really got in to shows like "Touching Evil" back in the 1990s on PBS's "Mystery!", and I really enjoyed them. I also enjoyed the American remake of "Touching Evil" with Jeffrey Donovan.

When I got BBC America, I started watching other shows like "Wire in the Blood." However, I've gotten tired of them. Now I think,
"How can there be so many serial killers on that island?" and "Who's going to catch him, Robson Green or Ken Stott?" All of the shows like "Messiah," "Rebus," "Touching Evil," and "Wire in the Blood" begin to blend in to one another.

Don't get me wrong, I love my British detective/police shows. I enjoyed "Inspector Morse" and the "Lewis" spinoff. I also enjoyed the "Inspector Lynley" mysteries and the ones based on P.D. James books.

Not only that, I watch more than my share of the American-made shows in the genre. I watch everything from the "C.S.I." shows, to the "Law and Order" shows, to the lighter ones like "Psych" and "Monk."

I know police and detective stories aren't going anywhere. They've been around since Holmes, Poirot, and Marple. Sometimes, I want more than a detective solving a mystery. I really enjoyed "Life on Mars" and "Ashes to Ashes." They put a nice spin on the cop show genre.

Perhaps the BBC could do a show about a wrongfully convicted police officer who solves crimes and looks for those involved in framing him. If Robson Green and Ken Stott aren't interested, maybe they could get that British actor Damian Lewis to be in it. Oh, wait... What?... He's in a show like that?... Oh, nevermind...

 

[Dr Doran]

Cracker got remade in the US? Wow.