Shetland (2013)

Watchseries; Absolutely love this contemporary Scottish series. Wonderful acting, authentic dialects, superb plots that keep you guessing. I haven't guessed one right yet! The scenery is sparse but beautiful, offsetting the overall gray skies in this part of the world. I can see how this series has received so many nominations (and a win). My family is addicted to this one.

Absolutely love this contemporary Scottish series. Wonderful acting, authentic dialects, superb plots that keep you guessing. I haven't guessed one right yet! The scenery is sparse but beautiful, offsetting the overall gray skies in this part of the world. I can see how this series has received so many nominations (and a win). My family is addicted to this one.

Shetland watchseries. This is a wonderful series ...I'm watching S1 & S2 again for the 2nd time in less than a month. The writing is great, so is the acting, the characters are3-D & interesting, not from stock. The stories do share some sameness...there's a murder (maybe 2) in a small, place that's fairly isolated, in one part or other of the Shetland Isles. There's several potential suspects. The stories & mysteries are the kind that seem like what could happen in any small town, village, or big city, for that matter; the types of things that happen to real people, as opposed to dramatic, wild, over-the-top happenin's. Not as cozy as a drawing room mystery, but easy to relate to.

Which is not to say they're boring. I really grew to care about the characters, & when bad thing(s) happened to one (or more)* of the regulars, it really moved me.

The islands play a big part in the series; as at least one other reviewer observed, the land & sea are pretty much main characters as well as the people. Beautifully filmed in a gorgeous (if minimalist) land, the scenery makes me want to go there to get in touch with my own Scottish roots.

Lovely series; I hope the Beeb has more sense than most of US TV decision-makers & keeps it up (this show wouldn't have lasted a full season on a US channel...too intelligent & classy).

It occurred to me mid-way thru the second run thru that part of what I like about the characters is that the actors look like real people, rather than the plastic Barbie/Ken people that we get on US TV shows; older characters may have belly bulges or wrinkles. Most look as if they've never been near a Botox needle. There's very attractive people, and some very unattractive people. Realistic people. What a concept!

Though, one silly nit-pick: why does the GP who does the forensic work for the Shetland police always shake down her electronic thermometer?

*trying not to intro any spoilers

I really liked to watch the 3 seasons and I cant wait for the 4! There will be a season 4 right?

Great crime argument and amazing natural Shetland Isles as a prime character!! I often review some parts just to see all that beauty landscape.

To some it may be a little depressing, but I just find it real. Crime and investigation world is just like that. No time for a lot of joy and BBC Wallander, Shetland and so on show us that.

Douglas Henshall delivered an awesome performance as Jimmy Perez! It took me to find his previous work and he is now one of my top actors! Well done!

Douglas Henshall as Det. Insp. Jimmy Perez and the remote location of Shetland are the main attractions of this superb British drama. Perez is a man with a good heart who takes on each murder case as if the family survivors depend entirely on him. He's the sort of guy you want to have on your side. The setting is spectacular but the climate is harsh; cold, grey, damp. You feel like you're right there with them. The murders do not have simple explanations and often involve a web of intrigue. Perez will hunt them down, whether its clan warfare in Shetland or a crime syndicate in Glasgow. Perez (his family name comes from his Portuguese father) has a close friend and rival in Duncan Hunter, a local councillor. Played by Mark Bonnar, Duncan is in a relationship with Perez's ex-wife and is a surrogate father to his teenage daughter. This is an area of contention because Jimmy cares deeply for his daughter and faces the challenge of not being in control. Used to dealing with criminals, he fears the worst for the one he loves most. The stories are from British author Ann Cleeves. The series is a fine piece of work in the tradition of British mystery writing and film-making. It is also one of many great television shows that have come out of Britain and Scandinavia in recent years along with Borgen, The Bridge, Broadchurch, Wallander. Shetland and the others are what great television is about.

OK, so this wasn't a groundbreaking detective drama. The mystery plot was good (it kept me interested and I wasn't able to work out "whodunit") but it was nothing special.

But I thoroughly enjoyed this two-parter. Why? Well, first of all, the location. The Shetland Islands have an atmosphere and landscape all of their own and provided a wonderful setting. In fact I think they could have made even more of the landscape than they did - they stayed within quite a small area of the islands.

Douglas Henshall as DI Jimmy Perez was an excellent lead. He didn't have a particularly strong supporting cast but I found him very engaging and believable.

Finally, I thought they made very good use of the Shetlands' unique history. The Shetland Bus, Up Helly Aa, and an archaeological dig were all weaved into the story, making sure that this drama stayed firmly rooted in its setting. A very diverting and enjoyable two hours.

After a good pilot and a fairly good first full series I feel that Shetland is starting to come into its own, this second full series has started in fine form, it's somehow more slick, more meaty, the stories seem a bit bigger.

I have forever been a big fan of Douglas Henshall, he's a truly talented actor, I've always found him to be an excellent villain, a great bad guy, but finally a show for him to have the lead role and show a different side.

The Pilot was really enjoyable, I thought Blue Lightning was a really good story, and the recent opener to the second full series was great too, loved the performance from Ciaran Hinds.

The mixed up story between Jimmy Perez, his daughter Cassie and her biological father Duncan is great.

An enjoyable series that hopefully will continue to run. 8/10