Prime Suspect: Tennison: Season 1

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Mixed or average reviews based on 10 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Ratings

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7.1

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7.1	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Ratings

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Season Details & Credits

PBS | ITV | Season Premiere Date: June 25, 2017

Starring: Alun Armstrong, Blake Harrison, Sam Reid

Summary: The prequel to Prime Suspect is set in 1973 where 22-year-old Jane Tennison (Stefanie Martini) begins working on on her first murder case as a WPC (woman police constable) with Greater London's Metropolitan police.

[Aired between 2 March 2017 and 6 April 2017 in the UK under the name Prime Suspect 1973]

Genre(s): Drama

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Season 1 Episodes

tbd
S1:E6. Episode 6
Air Date: April 6, 2017
tbd
S1:E5. Episode 5
Air Date: March 30, 2017
tbd
S1:E4. Episode 4
Air Date: March 23, 2017

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Hank Stuever

Jun 15, 2017

Viewers will notice how skillfully Prime Suspect: Tennison reflects modern issues--such as workplace gender equity and police brutality--within a story that’s set 44 years ago. It has a subtle but effective sense of relevance that so many post-“Mad Men” dramas set in the ’70s and ’80s attempt but so often fumble. Read full review

John Anderson

Jun 23, 2017

Delivering what one is almost afraid to expect: first-rate acting, a solid sense of period and a multi-pronged storyline rife with those uncanny-yet-somehow-plausible coincidences native to the well-plotted 19th-century novel. Read full review

Tim Goodman

Jun 23, 2017

Martini was a solid pick. ... As for the stories inside Prime Suspect: Tennison, they hold up because they are gruesomely complicated (the murder of a 17-year-old girl that hardens Tennison) and ambitious (mob shenanigans in the B-storyline that also serve to slowly hone Tennison's deductive skills, which are innately there when we meet her). As a standalone series, this might be a letdown, but as the beginning of a separate journey and an ongoing exploration, it's full of promise. Read full review

Matthew Gilbert

Jun 21, 2017

Martini is all right ... [But] it’s hard to imagine such a shallow character growing into Mirren’s complicated soul. If Martini were playing a different character, if the “Prime Suspect” branding were not attached, that urge to compare would not distract, and Martini might have a chance to develop the role according to her own bent. But since she is Jane Tennison, her creative wiggle room is limited. Like the series, she is stuck in the shadow of a legend. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Matt Roush

Jun 22, 2017

Stefanie Martini lacks the steel and fire to make us truly believe this rookie constable could be so precociously intuitive. .... The prequel is most intriguing when Jane, still living with her parents and defending her career choice, struggles with an ethical work dilemma and the affections of a superior. [26 Jun - 9 Jul 2017, p.13]

Maureen Ryan

Jun 21, 2017

Installments runs past the 80-minute mark in order to tell a meandering, unexceptional story that could have used far more ruthless pruning and honing. A bigger problem is the casting of Stefanie Martini in the lead role. The writing does her no favors--it’s obvious and superficial throughout--but Martini brings nothing but a wide-eyed innocence and a bland, earnest tentativeness to the role. Read full review

Kristi Turnquist

Jun 23, 2017

The '70s costume and production details are fine, but when you're paying more attention to the classic rock tunes on the soundtrack than to the story, it's time to close the case. Read full review

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User Reviews

BlueMars

Jul 1, 2017

This is a solid, beautifully made police drama. It doesn't match the original Prime Suspect, but the later Prime Suspects didn't either. The plot is really strong, with lot of great characters and it's a massively enjoyable watch. Stefanie Martini is a great leading lady. Let's not forgetThis is a solid, beautifully made police drama. It doesn't match the original Prime Suspect, but the later Prime Suspects didn't either. The plot is really strong, with lot of great characters and it's a massively enjoyable watch. Stefanie Martini is a great leading lady. Let's not forget this series is based on a book (written by the coproducer La Plante), so there's not a lot of room for development. In the book, Jane is rather weak and if anything, she is more involved in the investigation in the series and much stronger. Martini makes her her own character, rather than do an impression of Helen Mirren.

Overall, it's hard to think of a series I've been more surprised by than this one. I recommend it.… Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

CasterCast

Jul 1, 2017

Brilliant new TV show. I hope it runs for many series to come. Loved the mix of storylines, the Tennison home life, the Bentleys, the relationships in the station. The period detail is spot-on, the music is to die for. One of the best new TV shows of the season.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Suttree

Jun 26, 2017

Ms. Martini is very well cast. She carries the weight of presenting young Tennison with aplomb. It is in her mother's gestures while smoking that I caught a glimpse of the great Helen Mirren. The pilot is quite engaging, promising a high caliber, if not quite spectacular, series. I'll beMs. Martini is very well cast. She carries the weight of presenting young Tennison with aplomb. It is in her mother's gestures while smoking that I caught a glimpse of the great Helen Mirren. The pilot is quite engaging, promising a high caliber, if not quite spectacular, series. I'll be tuning in to this one. Ms. Martini appears to have a very bright future indeed.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

atlantaloves

Jul 2, 2017

Well I really liked the first episode and was expecting nothing after reading such bad reviews, so I totally recommend it. No, she is not Helen Mirren, but hey, nobody is folks! It's a good cop show. If you like a good ole British police drama you will enjoy this little series.

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

Seasons & Episodes

59

Series Overview
Season 1

59
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: June 25, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E6. Episode 6
  Air Date: April 6, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E5. Episode 5
  Air Date: March 30, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E4. Episode 4
  Air Date: March 23, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E3. Episode 3
  Air Date: March 16, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E2. Episode 2
  Air Date: March 9, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E1. Episode 1
  Air Date: March 2, 2017