Criminal: UK strips the crime procedural down to a single interrogation room. The show’s tension comes from police and suspects trying to wear each other down through the passage of time. Like most police procedurals, each episode follows a different story. However, Criminal sets itself apart from the rest by taking place in four countries with episodes filmed in France, Spain, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
While the concept is intriguing, the execution is tedious. If you buy into Criminal: UK’s modus operandi, you’ll enjoy the fly-on-the-wall perspective. If the style doesn’t immediately captivate you, you’ll feel claustrophobic, bored, and desperately want the show to end.
In “Edgar,” the first episode, David Tennant portrays Dr. Fallon, a man accused of sexually assaulting and murdering his teenage stepdaughter. As the doctor, Tennant masterfully portrays the chilling calmness of someone who committed a crime, but successfully avoids giving police incriminating information. His performance is pitch perfect yet fails to make Criminal: UK interesting in more than theory.
Rounding out the cast of “Edgar” are: Katherine Kelly (Coronation Street), Lee Ingleby (Inspector George Gentley), Mark Stanley (Game of Thrones), Nicholas Pinnock (Marcella), Rochenda Sandall (Bandersnatch), and Lolita Chakrabarti (Riviera). All these talented actors who also can’t salvage the material they were given because of the script’s slow pacing and limitations. There are no impassioned pleas, dramatic revelations, or openly expressed anger. Every actor maintains the stoic façade required to wear down an opponent, which – while impressive- doesn’t make for a dynamic performance.
More than once, I found myself reaching for the remote to find out how much time was left, which is never a good sign. Criminal is a failed experiment. The format has the potential to be brilliant in the right hands. Despite not getting the formula right, the crew deserves credit for changing up the police procedural format.
Note that Netflix used local talent for Criminal: France, Criminal: Spain, and Criminal: Germany. Those iterations should be judged on their own merits.
Rating: 1 out of 10
