Bergerac

Peter McGinn

This new show draws some negative reviews from “remake syndrome,” as some fans always apparently want their reboots of favorite shows to be exactly like the old one, or not remade at all. We all love our old favorites, don’t we? I started watching the old version and fell asleep almost immediately. No, I am kidding; the first episode looked like I something I might watch someday, when I don’t have so much else lined up to watch. But back to this current version. We watch a lot of British detective series, and we enjoyed this one in a semi-binge over a couple of days. I must confess, however, I do get tired of these shows deploying the same traits at times: the detective who puts his job before family, the emergence of new suspects nearly every episode, the plot twists, etc. But I recognize that this is what many viewers expect: plot development and story depth is boring. Clearly my attitude is due to my writing novels myself in my spare time (obviously not thrillers!) I have always like Zoe Wanamaker and she is top notch in this one: bordering on taking over Bergerac’s kid in order to remind him of his priorities. I felt the professional rivalry between the two lead detectives bordered on being silly, but their relationship actually showed development as the show went on, so that was good. So I liked the show and you may too, if you give it a chance. Just try not to think too much about John Nettles and give Damian Molony an equal shot.