There is something in CSI-style crime dramas that makes for undeniably gripping viewing.
Whether it be the original American CSI shows or the litany of ITV small town detective dramas, the format makes for incredible TV.
If you’ve just finished off one of the seemingly endless number David Tennant starred in and are looking for your next binge, a drama with a unique concept is the perfect choice.
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The show, which is available to watch on Netflix, is called Unforgotten and is rated a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Fans of ITV crime dramas may be more than familiar with the uber-popular show, but many may not realise you can watch it on Netflix if the ads on ITV X are getting on your nerves.
The show changes case each series, with the characters not having any clear connecting between one another.
As things unravel, pieces fall into place and various characters are revealed to be connected to the victim somehow.
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The first four series star Nicola Walker alongside Sanjeev Bhaskar, with Sinéad Keenan taking over from Nicola Walker.
One Netflix viewer tweeted about the series saying: “Been re-watching Unforgotten on Netflix purely for performances from Sanjeev Bhaskar & Nicola Walker.
“Quite brilliant acting from both of them separately and as a pair.”
Another found the series on Netflix years after it first aired in 2015, saying: “Watched the first season of Unforgotten last night on Netflix. Flippin excellent.”
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The show’s reviews by critics are just as effusive as those by fans too.
James Donaghy of The Guardian said in their review of the show’s first season: “What really impressed me was the discipline in the writing.
“Every action, every plot development and revelation felt organic, emerging inevitably from character and circumstance, not laziness or expedience.”
Gerard O'Donovan of The Daily Telegraph said: "That it never toppled fully into crime drama déjà vu was thanks to the strong, multi-stranded storytelling style of writer Chris Lang, who kept a swarm of supporting characters buzzing around on the sidelines."
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The show’s first season deals with a disappearance that happened 40 years prior, and asks one key question. Is a crime less serious if it was committed decades ago?
Creator Chris Lang said in an interview with Drama Quarterly that the inspiration for the series came when he saw an 80-year-old was convicted of a crime they carried out decades ago.
He said: “I was struck by how that person’s life, in a space of a few hours, had collapsed.
“I just thought that was a really interesting starting point — what’s it like to live with a crime for 30 or 40 years and have a family and career, only to see them dismantled in an instant?”
Unforgotten is available to stream on Netflix now.
Topics: Crime, Netflix, ITV, TV and Film, TV
Michael Slavin