"Ah, 'Bergerac'," said Ben Dowell in The Times: "that twangy guitar and accordion earworm theme tune; that lovely John Nettles burr; a world of sun, sea, shoulder pads and our man's burgundy-coloured, open-topped Triumph Roadster". The 1980s BBC series, set on Jersey, was "the kind of TV perfection that no self-respecting viewer would want to be tampered with". Yet now it has a reboot (streaming on the free-to-view platform U) and, remarkably, it is not bad at all.
Starring the Irish actor Damien Molony, this is not "Bergerac" as we know it, but it's not meant to be, and it works "on its own terms" as a "darker, slightly more pained, noirish drama". Whereas in the "zippy original" Bergerac solved a different crime in each episode, this one follows a single murder mystery across the series, said Michael Hogan in Radio Times. This "allows for greater depth and character exploration", but it also means the pace is "slower and almost glacially Scandi in style" – with lots of shots of "characters gazing broodingly out to sea".
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Mustardy beans and hazelnuts recipeThe Week Recommends Nod to French classic offers zingy, fresh taste
-
Susie Dent picks her favourite booksThe Week Recommends The lexicographer and etymologist shares works by Jane Goodall, Noel Streatfeild and Madeleine Pelling
-
6 incredible homes under $1 millionFeature Featuring a home in the National Historic Landmark District of Virginia and a renovated mid-century modern house in Washington
-
The Harder They Come: ‘triumphant’ adaptation of cinema classicThe Week Recommends ‘Uniformly excellent’ cast follow an aspiring musician facing the ‘corruption’ of Kingston, Jamaica
-
House of Guinness: ‘rip-roaring’ Dublin brewing dynasty period dramaThe Week Recommends The Irish series mixes the family tangles of ‘Downton’ and ‘Succession’ for a ‘dark’ and ‘quaffable’ watch
-
Dead of Winter: a ‘kick-ass’ hostage thrillerThe Week Recommends Emma Thompson plays against type in suspenseful Minnesota-set hair-raiser ‘ringing with gunshots’
-
A Booker shortlist for grown-ups?Talking Point Dominated by middle-aged authors, this year’s list is a return to ‘good old-fashioned literary fiction’
-
Fractured France: an ‘informative and funny’ enquiryThe Week Recommends Andrew Hussey's work is a blend of ‘memoir, travelogue and personal confession’
