Throughout its 15 year history Prime Suspect was at the top of its game in terms of writing, acting, direction and innovation. Its uncompromising take on modern policing has influenced many, notably Waking the Dead, the Messiah series and Lynda La Plante's own Trial Retribution, all of which along with many other police proceedurals are indebted to its pioneering realism. None however have come close to capturing Prime Suspects standard of quality.

Prime Suspect follows DCI Jane Tennison's (Helen Mirren) rise through the Metropolitan police, battling the male egos of both her suspects and colleagues alike. In Jane Tennison, Helen Mirren found her career best role, a strong ambitious character inherently flawed by the difficulties of separating her private life from her career. The first and undoubtedly best of the series sees Tennison promoted to DCI level following the sudden death of one of her superiors, taking over responsibility for a high profile murder investigation.… more »

Throughout its 15 year history Prime Suspect was at the top of its game in terms of writing, acting, direction and innovation. Its uncompromising take on modern policing has influenced many, notably Waking the Dead, the Messiah series and Lynda La Plante's own Trial Retribution, all of which along with many other police proceedurals are indebted to its pioneering realism. None however have come close to capturing Prime Suspects standard of quality.

Prime Suspect follows DCI Jane Tennison's (Helen Mirren) rise through the Metropolitan police, battling the male egos of both her suspects and colleagues alike. In Jane Tennison, Helen Mirren found her career best role, a strong ambitious character inherently flawed by the difficulties of separating her private life from her career. The first and undoubtedly best of the series sees Tennison promoted to DCI level following the sudden death of one of her superiors, taking over responsibility for a high profile murder investigation. Dispensing with the conventional 'whodunnit' crime drama narrative, it becomes evidently clear who did it within a short period of time, the drama lies in the securing of the conviction. This innovative approach owes a great deal of its success to the Prime Suspect himself George Marlowe (John Bowe), whose ability to manipulate those around him keeps the audience guessing to the very end. It is this emphasis on character development that is consistent throughout the series with notably performances by high profile British actors such as Ciaran Hines, David Thewlis and Tom Wilkinson. Particularly of note is Steven Makintosh's portrayal of the Manchester gangster 'the street' in Prime Suspect 5. A character that can best be described as a force of nature, he tears through every scene that he's in like a hurricane and it remains one of the most memorable performances of the series.

All of this takes place in a context of scepticism and hostility amongst Tennison's colleagues in her male dominated profession. Whereas other police dramas would sensationalise the issue of sexism in the police force, Prime Suspect's subtle considered treatment of the issue gives an altogether more accurate portrayal of what undoubtedly was until recent years, an institution rife with sexual discrimination. It is Tennison's encounters with the macho police culture of the old boys network and the continued efforts of her colleagues to undermine her that make the Prime Suspect so compelling

It is to the series credit that although it deals with controversial issues (prostitution, the male sex industry, drug culture and war crimes in the Balkans to name but a few) its treatment of them is far from lurid or melodramatic. Whereas the Messiah series and Waking the Dead amongst others aimed to push the boundaries, ever increasing the intensity of the shock horror factor, Prime Suspect always focused on the individuals involved rather than being controversial for controversies sake. In doing so, issues were examined from the ground up and this gave rise to a level of detail only matched by he American crime drama The Wire in terms of narrative complexity. It is telling therefore that Prime Suspect only slips up when the format of 3 hour 2 part episodes was altered in favour of 1 1/2 hour single episodes in Prime Suspect 4, sacrificing the level of detail, the distinguishing feature of the series. However these episodes only suffer in comparison to others in series, viewed in isolation they remain a respectable example of the crime drama. They certainly do not detract from what is arguably the greatest British crime drama series ever made, with a consistency of quality that remains unmatched, leagues ahead of anything else out there