This is a crime / corruption series set in North England. I have only watched the first episode, set in Yorkshire in 1974. The second and third take place in 1980 and 1983, respectively. This was one of the most brutal shows I have ever watched, and not because of the crime. The crime is bad: several young girls are missing. One is found, having been tortured, raped and murdered. What could be more disturbing than that?
This episode uses the murders to show us the rampant police corruption in Yorkshire. The murderer (as I believe he was identified at this time) is protected by police payoffs and bribes. Andrew Garfield plays a cocky young reporter (dressed in bell bottoms and sporting sideburns) who is determined to find the killer. The police beatings he starts to accumulate do not deter him, but they should. The police here are not concerned with community service, and they are so much scarier than the child killer. The child killer exists because the police do not care about the children. They care about money and power. The corruption portrayed is freakishly scary.
The acting is great. You will see a lot of familiar and great British actors and actresses. There is a decent amount of romantic sex, which was distracting and not helpful to the story. It was also often in soft focus, leading to those moments when the viewer is asking herself, What is that? Is that an elbow?
If you liked Prime Suspect or The Wire, try this one. It's not perfect, but very good.
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