BRITISH CRIME DRAMA. “The Diplomat.” / “Blindspot.” / “The Witness.” / “The Gathering.” / “The House Across the Street.”

“The Diplomat” (Britbox) British political thriller. Laura Simmonds (Sophie Rundle) and Alba Ortiz (Laia Costa) are British Consul workers in Barcelona who act as part-lawyer, part-counselor, and part-cop to protect British nationals in distress. 

       The premise is different from the usual British crime/police procedurals that I watch. However, irrelevant of the multi-faceted roles of the protagonists, the series failed to inject dramatic fervor or entertainment measure in all its 6 episodes. 

       Sophie Rundle is fine but nothing much for her to show here other than the cute half-smile. Writer Ben Richards and directors Jill Robertson and Jennie Paddon seemed like a Lifetime soap crew. 🎥💻📽

“Blindspot (Britbox) British mystery-thriller. A witty CCTV operator with a disability, who believes she witnesses a murder but gets ignored by a corrupt, apathetic detective. 

       Not the usual gripping, high-octane Brit crime series but still a watchable 4-episode thriller. All throughout, the show is almost single-handedly carried by Beth Alsbury's Hannah, a disabled woman who monitors CCTV cameras on a rough housing estate. Hannah is insistent, stubborn, pushy.

       In real life, Ms Alsbury was born with a congenital disorder known as spina bifida, which impacts the growth and formation of the spine and may result in paralysis. 🎥💻📽

“The Witness” (Netflix) true-crime drama series that details the 1992 murder of Rachel Nickell on London’s Wimbledon Common and its traumatic aftermath. 

       A by-the-books true crime drama. Non-meandering, non-sermonizing, a typical British one-sitting 3-episode watch. Jordan Bolger as the father André, desperately seeking closure, and Max Fincham as the son Alex, lost and confused, account for themselves without hysterics. 🎥💻📽

“The Gathering” (Amazon Prime) British mystery thriller. A girl is attacked at a rave in Merseyside, with the perpetrator being from a group of suspects from a wide range of backgrounds.

       Lucy Mangan of The Guardian asked, which among the many things this series strode into, should have properly been the focus: A murder mystery? An interrogation of class and its barriers? A drama for and about teenage lives and concerns? A portrait of the toll elite sports take on their participants? I concur.

       I am not questioning the ensemble acting or the plausibility of the multiple premises that were presented, irrelevant of the cliches. But the chopsuey of current themes and interlocking stories make this otherwise compelling show, scattered. 🎥💻📽

“The House Across the Street” (Britbox) British psychological thriller. A lonely school nurse’s life becomes dangerously fixated on a local family after a young girl in her community goes missing. 

       This 9-episode series was hard to navigate at first but the involved performance of Shirley Henderson as the mentally unstable but “functioning” Claudia kept the interest and intrigue high. 🎥💻📽