Criminal: United Kingdom, also known as Criminal UK, is a British police procedural anthology series created by George Kay and Jim Field Smith, starring Katherine Kelly, Lee Ingleby, Mark Stanley, Rochenda Sandall and Shubham Saraf as the highly-trained members of the Public Protection Unit who investigate serious crimes while dealing with the pressures of their personal lives. The first season consists of eight episodes that were broadcast on ITV from 20 February to 11 April 2017. A second season premiered on ITV on 25 May 2018. Filming began in March 2017 in Leeds before moving to London and Cardiff. Criminal: United Kingdom – A British police procedural anthology series
Table of Contents
The Story so Far
Focussing on a different detective each episode, the first season will tell the story of detectives working in London’s murder squad, using their wits to solve a variety of crimes across the capital. Detective Sergeant Stone (Katherine Kelly) is experienced and respected among her colleagues, while New Blood Detective Constable Sunil ‘Sunny’ Khan (Shubham Saraf) provides an outsider’s perspective following his recent promotion.
The Characters
Katie Miller (played by Katherine Kelly) is the protagonist of Criminal. She is smart, tenacious and skilled in surveillance. Her cases always take precedence over her family, with Katie often using secrecy to protect her loved ones from the truths she discovers on her jobs. Katherine Kelly , Lee Ingleby , Mark Stanley, Rochenda Sandall , Shubham Saraf , Nicholas Pinnock AND Aymen Hamdouchi are all playing an important role in the series which was created by George Kay and Jim Field Smith . The show revolves around a highly-trained unit that investigates crimes related to both cyber space and old-fashioned policing techniques . If you were attracted to Midsomer Murders for its quaint rural charm, or Broadchurch for its gripping mystery, then Criminal will be right up your street. It’s well written, beautifully shot and contains an excellent cast. Its mysteries are difficult enough to make you think but not so difficult as to put off those less inclined towards thinking about complex storylines. It’s funny without being silly, interesting without being pompous, just likeable without being bland – it really has it all!
Why is it Worth Binge-Watching?
Criminal is an innovative, one-of-a-kind, and totally bingeable show that shows the UK side of criminal justice. The creative duo behind this show were given unprecedented access to Scotland Yard, London’s Metropolitan Police Service, and other law enforcement agencies around the country. With Criminal you get more than your typical crime drama with all of the police interviews, court cases, family interactions, and detective work needed to solve a criminal case. It has everything from organized crime rings and drug dealers to domestic abuse, carjackings, and terrorism. Criminal: United Kingdom has not yet been renewed for a third season but we are eagerly awaiting it!
What Makes it Stand Out?
Set in Birmingham, Criminal tells the stories of both officers and criminals through a range of emotive and thought-provoking tales. The series stars a diverse cast of characters, revealing the complex relationship between criminals and police officers on both sides of the law. It tackles head-on controversial themes such as slavery, drug addiction, sexuality and gender identity. The show offers an intelligent, fresh take on how law enforcement operates in an increasingly challenging world where crime becomes ever more complex.
Where Can I Watch Criminal?
Criminal is now streaming on Netflix. Season 1 premiered on March 3, 2017 and season 2 is set to premiere on October 15, 2018. The cast includes actors Katherine Kelly, Lee Ingleby, Mark Stanley, Rochenda Sandall and Shubham Saraf as the highly-trained members of the London Police Force’s Major Crimes Unit who face all manner of criminal investigation including murder, robbery and organized crime. Emmie Rose Horton (played by Evelyne Brochu)
Do We Need to Watch Previous Seasons?
To fully understand the series, it would be helpful to watch previous seasons. They are available on Netflix and Amazon Prime for those who subscribe. This show is not just about solving crimes but how these detectives cope with their personal demons. With four episodes released per season, you could easily binge all five seasons in a weekend if you so choose. Criminal has been renewed for a sixth season and is set to air in 2020. The U.K. cast will be replaced by American actors as part of Criminal’s transfer from BBC One to ABC in 2020.
Will There Be Another Season?
Confirmed to be a two-season show, the story of Criminal is complete for now. With Season 1 containing six episodes and Season 2 containing eight episodes, it is rumored that this will be it for the show. The finale of Season 2 left on a cliffhanger with an open ending, but also has some finality as Detective Chief Inspector Vivien Rose (Kelly) accepts her resignation from Scotland Yard in order to move on from her past demons. However, just like any great crime drama worth its salt, there are always more cases yet to be solved!
Is Criminal UK a good show?
If you’re a fan of crime and cop shows, then Criminal is right up your alley. It has one of the most diverse casts on TV and offers a compelling look at various crimes. Each episode follows an individual case from beginning to end without any subplots or filler episodes, so it’s a great show for binge-watching. The suspenseful music and sharp editing add to the tension of each episode while keeping viewers hooked with enough clues to make them guess what will happen next.
How many episodes is criminal UK?
In the first two seasons, six episodes were broadcast each week (an episode aired at 9pm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday) with a ninety-minute finale on the Saturday. The third season premiered in November 2017, again featuring six episodes per week but this time running from Tuesday to Friday. This is due to ITV’s Springtime schedule which includes more sporting events that usually air on Saturday evenings.
Is Criminal UK based on true stories?
Each season of Criminal is an adaptation of a non-fiction book with the same title. The books, written by John Bolsover and Ann Cleeves, are true crime stories that are often sensational in nature and cover the spectrum of theft to murder. They’re fast paced and can be read in a day. The show has been compared to the HBO hit True Detective for its darkly atmospheric treatment of grisly crimes set against a backdrop of foggy moors and solitary coastal towns where secrets linger just beneath the surface.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Hugo do in Criminal: UK?
Hugo is a brilliant detective and the member of a team of specialist officers working for the Criminal Policing unit. He is relentless in his pursuit to solve crimes and will go to any lengths to investigate even the smallest of leads, no matter how small. He works tirelessly on each case and cares deeply about the victims; he often helps them at an emotional level with their loss by explaining how they can make things easier for themselves in court.
Who played Alex in Criminal: UK?
In Criminal, Alex is a newly promoted sergeant in the homicide squad of West London’s Metropolitan Police Force. As a young woman from northern England, she has spent years being passed over for promotion by her colleagues and hasn’t had it easy in life. Her eagerness to please means that at times she can be too deferential to authority but this also masks an underlying steeliness that can’t be ignored when necessary. She quickly finds herself as Detective Inspector (DI) solving some very high-profile cases alongside Det Supt Harry Quirke, who takes a shine to her. But does he have ulterior motives?
How many seasons of Criminal are there?
In the first five seasons, Criminal (United Kingdom) takes on many different kinds of cases, from murder to cybercrime. With the goal of outsmarting criminals and bringing them to justice, they have to prove a person’s guilt based on forensic evidence. To do this, they’ll need intelligence, authority and skills that are just as quick as the criminals themselves. There are currently five seasons of Criminal. The first four are made up of episodes, while the fifth has only three episodes to date.
Is there a season 3 of Jack Ryan?
No, there is not a season 3 of Jack Ryan. The show has been in limbo for the past year. The most recent rumor states that there may be a Season 3, but it’s too early to tell if this will happen. Criminal is set to air its third season next month on ITV Encore and other channels around the world. Katherine Kelly, Lee Ingleby, Mark Stanley, Rochenda Sandall and Shubham Saraf return as members of Scotland Yard’s Major Crimes Unit with an extraordinary ability to close cases by any means necessary. Each episode finds DCI Cassie Stuart (Kelly) and her team tackling the ugliest cases London has to offer.
