John Simm returns in top form

The crime drama has become a staple of British television, thanks to series such as Gracefulnesswhich returns to US audiences for its fourth season on BritBox. The series follows a tried and tested recipe for success: take the works of a successful British crime writer – in this case Peter James – find a compelling lead actor and build a series around those two things. But in the hands of veterans like writer Ed Whitmore and star John Simm, it never feels formulaic. Instead, it feels like an example of why British crime series are so good.

The Gracefulness The season four premiere, “Dead Man’s Time,” adapts James’ novel of the same name, which is about an elderly woman who is attacked in her home. What seems like a typical burglary turns out to be something much more complicated, involving an old nemesis and some family history. John Simm, a familiar face in the genre still best known for the twisted Life on Marshas now settled into the role of Detective Superintendent Roy Grace. Well staffed, efficient and without gimmicks, Gracefulness Season 4, Episode 1 proves that crime series on television can be beautiful in their simplicity.

Grace’s strength lies in the cast of the TV series

Season 4, Episode 1 features the entire ensemble

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The problem with British crime dramas is that so many of them are named after their main character (see: Shetland, Believe, Wallander and many others) – which causes the entire series to revolve excessively around this character. Gracefulness does indeed revolve around the professional and personal life of DCI Roy Grace, but unlike many other television shows, you get the feeling that the other detectives on his team are more than just props that he can boss around. His partner Glenn Branson is played charmingly by Richie Campbell, and the partnership between Grace and Glenn is more realistic than others. There is a plot point where Grace ignores Richie’s insistence to call for backup and loses a suspect as a result – and Glenn points out that he was wrong. Just because Grace is the protagonist doesn’t mean he’s always the hero.

That is not to say that John Simm is not wonderful in the lead role. The actor is now well versed in the crime genre, whether it is Life on Mars or prey or StrangersNot to mention the fact that after so many memorable roles, such as his outstanding role as The Master in Doctor Who. His version of Roy Grace goes beyond the “troubled but brilliant detective” archetype that is prevalent in this field. Yes, Grace has problems, most of which revolve around his ex-wife Sandy. But Simm lets his brooding go a little and just plays him as a normal, hard-working guy who happens to be a cop. He’s not a superhero. The only complaint is that Simm doesn’t get a chance to show off his own charisma in the premiere. He can be funny and charming, but Dead Man’s Time is straightforward and serious almost throughout.

Another notable actor is Craig Parkinson, who returns for another season as Grace’s subordinate Norman Potting. It’s still entertaining to see Parkinson wearing a police badge in a show that isn’t Exercise of dutyand to see him as a police officer who will not stab his colleagues in the back. But Potting is no Matthew “Dot” Cottan, and Parkinson’s dry humor makes for GracefulnessThe best comedic bits. This team doesn’t feel like an ensemble cast that needs to fill certain character types; it’s just a group of experienced officers who have been through a lot, and that makes the show more grounded and realistic.

Grace, Series 4, Episode 1 plays like a novel

Premiere preserves Peter James’ book in the best way

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What makes a series so Exercise of duty It’s remarkable that so many British crime series are based on novels. From a production point of view, this makes sense, as there are great crime writers all over the UK and Europe, and book series offer plenty of pre-existing material. But Gracefulness is an example of how the screenwriter can actually use the template to his advantage. Ed Whitmore also has a long career in the genre: he has worked on two long-running British crime dramas, Silent witness And Waking the dead — The latter won an Emmy for one of its episodes. It preserves not only the plot points but also the themes that Dead Man’s Timewhat distinguishes the TV version.

Viewers know there is more to Aileen’s case than meets the eye, and that most of the information they are given at the start of the show will be wrong or incomplete, otherwise the plot would not be long enough for 90 minutes. But Whitmore, aided by James’ book, ensures that when the twists do appear, they feel organic – so the element of surprise or shock is not necessary. Viewers don’t mind knowing where they are going, as they buy into the story based on their qualities. Aileen’s brother Gavin Daly is deeply unlikable from his first scene, and his son Lewis is not much better. Viewers know they will have something to do with the ending. But once Gracefulness reveals the plot around Gavin’s father, her behavior makes sense. Likewise, when Grace reflects on herself at the end of the case, is what he should do and not a Chicago Med-like moment where a character beat is forced in. The audience gets to watch his development over the course of the episode as he realizes what he can learn.

Whitmore has a few tropes that he ends up playing with. There are flashbacks showing what happened in the 1960s, and the last 15 minutes are very explanatory as the characters have to tell the others what they did or why they did it. These monologues are a side effect of working on a novel, where such things are more appropriate; in a TV series, they seem static. The criminals are basically just typical criminals. There’s also the obligatory cliffhanger ending that leads to the next problem Grace must deal with. And for viewers who haven’t seen the first three seasons, there’s a brief scene of foreshadowing they won’t understand. But for the most part, Whitmore avoids the expected potholes and hits not only the crime thriller but the character depth that is often lost when stories are stripped down between novels and TV adaptations.

Grace offers more depth than other crime novels

Season 4, Episode 1 is also emotionally rewarding

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What Gracefulness While Season 4, Episode 1 lacks surprises, it makes up for it with emotional complexity—and that’s what’s missing from many American crime dramas on television. Again, this is because Whitmore can squeeze so many extra details out of James’ novel, but US crime dramas rely too heavily on plot twists as a substitute for narrative depth. Dead Man’s Time has not only a murder mystery, but also an emotional story about fathers betraying their sons across generations. There are essentially two stories – the murder mystery Grace solves and the legacy of the Daly family – and both are full-fledged narratives. Audiences are as interested in Gavin finding out what happened to his father as they are in solving the crime, even though Gavin is not a sympathetic character. (It is entertaining to watch actor Robert Glenister in the role, though, as Glenister is the brother of Simms’ father.) Life on Mars (Co-star Philip Glenister.)

Apart from the cliffhanger, Gracefulness The season 4 premiere not only completes a mystery, but it feels emotionally complete. Viewers can stick around to the end and see how they got there from the beginning. They understand the themes of fathers and sons, the search for acceptance and the blindness in the search for it, and why these things put these characters in this predicament. There’s hardly any “Oh, this is happening because this is television and the show has to get from point A to point B.” Viewers walk away feeling like they’ve enjoyed an entire story and can move on to the next one. Simm continues to be extremely watchable in everything he does, and Gracefulness Season 4 gives him – and the viewers – every reason to return to the world of DCI Roy Grace.

Season 4 of Grace streams Tuesdays on BritBox.