Scott and Bailey: Season One

Despite surface similarities to Prime Suspect and Cagney & Lacey, the British ITV-aired Scott and Bailey distinguishes itself from many other detective dramas. First, the Manchester setting—filled with brick storefronts and twisted streets—offers a refreshing change from London. More significantly, women are involved at every stage of the show's production, from writing to directing. Partners Janet Scott (Lesley Sharp) and Rachel Bailey (Suranne Jones) also report to a female supervisor, Gill Murray (Amelia Bullmore). Adding to the verisimilitude is the fact that Sharp and Jones both hail from Manchester. Janet, who's in her 40s, has a husband and kids, while thirtysomething Rachel has been seeing a barrister named Nick (Rupert Graves)—which she'll come to regret before the end of these six episodes from the 2011 first season. Janet's fling with fellow detective Andy (Nicholas Gleaves, who also happens to be Sharp's real-life husband) will also have repercussions when he refuses to move on. It's all part and parcel of life for the city's Major Incident Team, where the cases are never simple and often involve class—an issue also reflected in Rachel's dysfunctional family (Rachel may be a drinker and smoker, but she's made more out of her life than her high-strung mother and delinquent brother). In the bonus “making-of” featurette, co-creator Sally Wainwright notes that ITV originally turned down the series, which she created with police advisor Diane Taylor, but the network has since renewed the show and it has garnered an American following on PBS. Highly recommended. [Note: Scott and Bailey: Season Two is also newly available.] (K. Fennessy)