If you love crime dramas but don’t particularly want to work hard while watching one, Inspector Ellis is a very good choice. And I mean that as a compliment.
Sometimes I don’t want ten timelines, a cast of 30 possible suspects and a plot that requires me to rewind because I grabbed a coffee for 20 seconds three episodes ago and apparently missed the key to the entire mystery.
Sometimes I just want to find something, press play and enjoy it. More importantly, I don’t want to spend an hour scrolling through a streaming service, watching trailers, reading descriptions, rejecting everything suggested to me and eventually deciding I’m too tired to watch anything and going to bed.
If that sounds familiar, Inspector Ellis could be exactly what you’re looking for.
Season One was definitely my favourite. Sharon D Clarke is excellent as DCI Ellis, a senior detective brought in when local investigations have stalled, with Andrew Gower alongside her as DS Harper.
They are good characters and, equally importantly, believable ones. There is enough going on to keep you interested without the series constantly trying to prove how clever it is.
The cases have twists, but I never felt as though I needed to suspend disbelief to make them work. You can follow the investigation, make your own guesses and still be surprised without ending an episode wondering whether any of what you just watched actually made sense.
Then there is the filming. Everything looks cold and damp. The countryside is beautiful, but in a muddy-boots-and-you-probably-need-another-jumper sort of way. Houses look lived in, police stations look like workplaces and the whole series has a slightly gritty feel that suits the stories.
I really enjoyed Season One. Season Two didn’t quite hold me in the same way. The characters are still good, the atmosphere is still there and it remains worth watching, but I didn’t find the cases quite as compelling.
What probably says more about the series than any star rating, though, is that I kept watching.
Season Two was released episode by episode and I knew when the next one was coming. I tuned back in. Even more importantly, I could remember what had happened the previous week without needing a five-minute recap or asking whoever was sitting beside me, “Hang on, who is he again?”
For me, that counts for a lot. There are probably more ambitious crime dramas. There are certainly more complicated ones. But if you enjoy the genre and want a solid, believable mystery with characters you like spending time with, Inspector Ellis is an easy recommendation.
It entertained me. I didn’t have to concentrate so hard that watching television became homework. And I didn’t waste an hour trying to find something better. On that measure? 10/10.
