Unforgotten

Unforgotten mostly retains the core of its excellence: its storytelling, its compelling characters, its fascinating cases. It’s not flashy and it’s not out to change the world. But for crime show fans, there are few other series that so expertly and satisfyingly wrap you in a mystery as this one.

Hits an emotional peak in Season 4. [19 Jul - 1 Aug 2021, p.7]

At once a comfortably formulaic British mystery and a somber, elegiac melodrama, though a particularly well-made version of each.

The sight of Nicola Walker's soulful bloodhound eyes as DCI Cassie Stuart, our PTSD suffering detective, triggers a warm sense of familiarity and "getting back to normal" after months of Covid necessitated repeats and cobbled together TV schedules. With Chris Lang's creation we are on a promise: quality dialogue, quality misery.

Plausibility is one of the many good things about this show. Oh, the blessed relief of watching a detective drama in which the detectives are free of quirks and the script is free of gimmicks, where colleagues can work together without simmering sexual tension or screaming rows, and where the lead character happens to be a woman without that being A Remarkable Thing.

The chemistry between Bhaskar and Walker is vital. He’s a deadpan humourist, trying to keep spirits up in the face of violent crime. She is a schoolmarmish professional, keeping it together under tremendous stress. Both actors are terrific. ... While it hangs on the leads, the supporting cast have grown into their roles, too, especially Jordan Long as Murray Boulting and Carolina Main as Fran Lingley.