Lynley

Lynely will succeed if it mines the differences between Lynley and Havers and leans on the chemistry between Suter and Barclay.

It’s a beautiful-looking show overall, though there is a stark imbalance to the storytelling in the series, even if it becomes increasingly absorbing along the way. .... The game is not just afoot, but loping along. Happily, there will be more.

It gets motoring in later episodes. And while no one asked for the modern-day return of detective Beau Brummell, it’s worth a look. If only as another pleasantly inoffensive pebble on the shoreline of the contemporary TV seascape.

Everything, in short, is as it should be – for fans of the books, for fans of the old series and for fans of undemanding telly. Deo gratias.

While it occasionally touches upon adult themes, there’s still a familiar cosiness which suggests it should be occupying Call the Midwife’s pre-watershed Sunday evening slot instead. .... But its refreshingly straight-forward storytelling and abundance of old-school charm should help reel in both a new generation and those who vaguely remember the original.

On the whole, Lynley is a solid enough addition to the vast canon of British detective dramas, featuring good performances and several intriguing twists. It doesn't bring anything wholly new to the table, though, which makes it all too easy to compare this version of Lynley to everything that's come before.

There would be something reassuring about this throwback, if it were better executed. Instead, the eye is drawn constantly to the limitations: the performances, the writing, the convoluted mysteries.