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Criminal: UK (2019)

2019 · Crime,Drama,Mystery · crime-procedural, crime-psychological-profiler

Criminal: UK poster

Criminal: UK is a tightly confined British crime anthology in which each episode consists almost entirely of a single police interrogation, with the same small cast of detectives cycling through cases involving rotating high-profile guest stars. Shot on a minimal set shared across four national versions of the show, it is deliberately theatrical — closer to a stage play than conventional television — and lives or dies on the quality of its performances and scripts. The tone is intelligent, claustrophobic, and psychologically intense, aimed squarely at viewers who prize sharp writing and acting craft over plot spectacle. David Tennant's first episode is the consensus highlight, though the series maintains a high baseline throughout.

From the reviewers

David Tennant was incredible, what a performance! I didn't know if I would like the interview-style set-up but it keeps you on your toes the whole way. Great suspense.
the acting is so subtle and contained. Tennant barely speak in the first 25 minutes and doesn't move. he never fidget, taps his feet or display any symptom of being human in distress or otherwise. makes determining his guilt one hell of challenge.
Shorn of anything too flashy, given their only allowed three sets, the show feels like a play... and in that case, what it really needs is an acting masterclass from the suspect (or the suspect's lawyer) up against the regular cast.
the script is as sharp as a razor, the plot twists are truly unpredictable and in the first ep, David Tennant is just incredible.
It's eye opening to the difference of the legal systems in all these counties. This is also something only an online global streaming service could pull off because off the reach in all these countries.

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