Chancer: Series 1

If you think Clive Owen should have succeeded Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, this exceptionally fine British TV series from 1990-91 will only strengthen that opinion. Owen's star-making role is a pip, and it's a wonder that Hollywood didn't catch on to his talent much earlier. In Chancer, Owen plays Stephen Crane, a high-living, unscrupulous investment banker who loses his cushy job after becoming involved in one too many legally questionable deals. Crane even betrays his girlfriend Jo (Susannah Harker) by letting her dad take the fall for his screw-ups. Wangling himself a position at Douglas Motors, a distinguished but struggling car company, Crane ingratiates himself with the firm's feckless manager, Robert (Benjamin Whitrow), and opportunistically beds willful daughter Victoria (Lynsey Baxter), but he runs into trouble when his former boss Jimmy Blake (Leslie Phillips) threatens to expose his unseemly past. Very much a product of its time, this slick and suspenseful series effectively mixed tropes from soap operas and thrillers, turning Owen's thoroughly unscrupulous character into a uniquely captivating if reprehensible protagonist. Compiling all 13 episodes from the 1990 first season on four discs, extras include a production photo gallery and cast filmographies. Highly recommended. (E. Hulse)