As much as I enjoy American crime thrillers my main complaint is how the female lead goes to crime scenes and generally does her job in stiletto heals. I enjoyed this show for many reasons already stated and agree.

A thriller of the chilling, low-key variety. This show is rated mature for a reason, with some graphic bits. The mood and build-up reminded me of the Silence of the Lambs; eerie without being full of scare-cords or straight up gore. The villains in the show seem to be of the all too real type, those heard about in newspapers or television reports everyday. That's possibly the creepiest part. The characters are also fleshed out without being melodramatic--even in the first episode there were different character dynamics at work, and the character introductions (who they are, personality-wise, background, etc) were integrated well with the main story. You don't get told the whole story all at once, but just enough to wonder who these people are and why they do what they do.It's nice to see a show where the police actually act like police (in other words, they aren't 'rebels' or 'cowboys') and dress accordingly. The number of cop shows which have the leads dressed like fashion plates probably outweigh those which portray law enforcement as normal people. That isn't to say that none of the characters have personality. They do. As mentioned before, character dynamics are noticeable from the outset; the character moments are interspersed throughout the crime solving.All in all, it's more subtle than most mainstream American shows (ham-fisted characterization is probably the biggest reason I give up on shows. Can't stand it when people state their emotion states as if they were the Hulk) with a pair of good, understated leads. As for other shows I can compare it to, I'd say Criminal Minds with half the forehead furrowing and angst taken out, or Law and Order: CI with more believability. Dr. Tony Hill definitely takes the prize as a 'quirky' detective--he doesn't come off as a superhuman genius, but as someone who sees the world differently from others. (Another reviewer below mentioned this show being remade by CBS for American audiences. I hope they don't make it into a CSI or Criminal Minds clone. Or make the characters younger.)

Lots of graphic, gruesome torture - making this otherwise promising series just too hard to watch. - Just too disgusting.

I first caught this show on Netflix Streaming. First airing in 2002, its originality in crime drama for this era is comparable to the Law and Order: Criminal Intent series, but by being a post-watershed UK show, the acting and drama are unparalleled to any American mainstream mystery drama on network TV for a long time, except perhaps by The Dead Zone or until Criminal Minds or Ghost Whisperer came along. This is my first encounter with a character portrayed by Robson Green (I am still looking for copies of the original Touching Evil). Tony Hill's incredibly dysfunctional yet endearing persona makes Vincent D'Onofrio's Bobby Goren and Hugh Laurie's House both look like an imitation knockoff. I had previously seen Hermione Norris in the later seasons of Spooks (MI-5 in North American syndication) and you can see why she was a good fit for that show after leaving this one. In any case, Netflix streaming's version of the Season 3 premiere is busted, so I am looking forward to seeing it on Hulu.Sadly, this show was canceled by ITV in 2009 due to budgetary constraints, and CBS is partnering with DreamWorks to remake it in the US. I just hope it won't turn into the travesty that 11th Hour had become (I mean come on, how can you remake a show with Patrick Stewart as the main character in it). (USA's remake of Touching Evil was fantastic however, although it too, was canceled after a season). Perhaps enough Hulu ratings will convince the Americans not to disturb such a unique show and prompt ITV to make another made-for-tv movie episode (ITV already made one in 2008 that takes place between Season 5 and 6 and is set in Texas, of all places).