Criminal: UK: Season 1

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Generally favorable reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews

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Mixed or average reviews based on 9 Ratings

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5.8

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5.8	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 9 Ratings

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Season Details & Credits

Netflix | Season Premiere Date: September 20, 2019

Summary: Hayley Atwell and David Tennant are just two of a dozen suspects who go under intense interrogation in the George Kay and Jim Field Smith crime drama anthology set in France, Germany, Spain, and the U.K.

Genre(s): Drama, Suspense, Talk & Interview

Season 1 Episodes

No episode information is currently available for this season

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Critic Reviews

Liz Shannon Miller

Sep 17, 2019

[Law & Order] combined satisfying stand-alone storytelling with interesting character arcs, the television equivalent of comfort food. Criminal scratches that itch, but also brings with it some important innovations and tweaks that elevate it into a truly interesting narrative experiment. Read full review

The Telegraph Michael Hogan

Jan 3, 2020

Attempts to create a running thread by fleshing out the police team’s relationships – office politics, post-work socialising, workplace affairs, unrequited crushes and competitive jostling to advance their careers – fall a little flat. You find yourself impatient to get back to the main battle of wits. Despite such flaws, though, Criminal grips, beguiles and keeps you guessing. Read full review

The Independent Ed Cumming

Jan 3, 2020

Criminal uses its small canvas to ask big questions. The focus on these intricate dances means that after a while we begin to question the idea of objective truth, as well as the facts at hand. I have no idea if it is a realistic depiction of detective work, but it makes for gripping drama. Read full review

Alan Sepinwall

Sep 19, 2019

That the episodes are largely standalone, with familiar types of crimes, helps. ... You don’t need to know much going in to get something out of it. But the rigidity of the format and the brevity of each three-episode season create stumbling blocks. Read full review

Collider Allie Gemmill

Sep 13, 2019

All told, Criminal plays well for a specific group. Fans of crime dramas will have fun sinking their teeth into every episode as they get a feel for the different kinds of procedures deployed to take down a suspect depending on the country they’re in. But be warned: This is not a bingeable show. Spend too much time with Criminal and you risk getting bored stiff. Read full review

Tim Goodman

Sep 19, 2019

Sometimes the idea for a series is better than the execution. ... The repetition of the will-the-suspect-break idea begins to nag. Worse, and perhaps this is an American-based red flag, the legal counsel in all four countries leaves a lot to be desired. ... Criminal is an interesting if not necessarily original idea, and you can see the appeal for Netflix, but viewers are likely to want something more expansive. Read full review

The Daily Beast Nick Schager

Sep 23, 2019

Refusing to deviate from its formula except in minor ways, it’s a cat-and-mouse game that never lets the latter escape the clutches of the former—a situation that, in the final tally, results in monotony, and winds up squandering a host of great individual performances from David Tennant, Haley Atwell, Jérémie Renier and the incomparable Nina Hoss. Read full review

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User Reviews

Bitash

Oct 20, 2020

Love this, just brilliant, great acting + good script = great series, loved it, no CG, no hooplas, no extra colors,.....just great acting