The Last Detective: Series 1

Fans of low-key police procedurals featuring likable, slightly quirky protagonists, will be drawn to this British series showcasing novelist Leslie Thomas' downtrodden Detective Constable “Dangerous” Davies (the nickname is sarcastic, of course). Compiling the feature-length pilot and three 75-minute episodes, this first series set stars rumpled, understated Peter Davison as the old-school, considerate, slightly bedraggled (and unhappily divorced) cop who's constantly belittled by his younger colleagues and assigned the most dead-end cases by his chief. But Davies regularly surprises his detractors by digging until he hits pay dirt, sometimes with quite uncomfortable results—earning some grudging respect in the process. The multiple plots revolve around a long-buried cold case involving a teenager whose body was never discovered, the whereabouts of an elderly husband whose wife shows little interest in finding him, a woman suspicious that her neighbor has killed his spouse, an old man whose disappearance leads his social worker to become concerned, and a woman angry over the department's failure to arrest the man who robbed her. With the help of his roguish pal Mod (Sean Hughes), Davies solves them all. If your idea of cop dramas involves screeching car chases and elaborate gunfights, The Last Detective isn't for you; but if you enjoy more character-based pieces marked by good acting, clever twists, and deadpan humor, this should be very satisfying. DVD extras include a text biography and bibliography for Thomas, and cast filmographies. Recommended. (F. Swietek)