Prime Suspect follows the adventures of Jane Tennison, an intelligent, tough Detective Chief Inspector in Scotland Yard. As described by Dame Helen Mirren, her character is
“… extremely directed, ambitious, talented and very uncompromising. Therefore she is deeply frustrated by her job; the way her sex is a barrier. But she knows how to work the system. … the character that I have played that is closest to her is Lady MacBeth! Of course she wasn’t on the right side of law and order, but their single-mindedness and their ambition are very strong.”
First airing twenty years ago in Britain, this gritty police procedural features a brilliant and talented cast, along with well written and suspenseful plots. You might not need to watch all seven series in order, but it is better if you do. While I can’t imagine anyone else in the formidable role of Jane Tennison, Ms. Mirren has given her blessing to the “lighter and funnier” Americanized version that will air this fall, starring Maria Bello.
~ Olivia, Reader’s Services
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