TV Review: Criminal

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Synopsis: A cat-and-mouse drama, which focuses on the intense mental conflict between detectives and suspects. Comprising 12 stories set in four different countries, each takes place within the confines of a police interview suite.

Review: With each new series that premieres on their streaming service, Netflix has gotten more daring and original. Few networks offer such a wide array of series in terms of genre or format as Netflix does. There are some experiments that work, like Black Mirror's interactive movie BANDERSNATCH, and others that fall incredibly flat, like the recently released debacle The I-Land. Then, there are some that fall squarely in the middle, like the ambitious Criminal. What is most intriguing about this new anthology is that it has so much potential. Some of the episodes are examples of what a talented cast and crew can do when given the right material, but others are bland and unimpressive. On the whole, Criminal is a unique and original approach to a tried and true formula.

Comprised of a total of 12 episodes, Criminal is broken up into four mini series, each set in a different country. Each country gets three standalone episodes set in their native language. So, you can either watch all of them or you can stick with either the UK, France, Spain, or Germany set episodes all of which follow the same format. With each episode set entirely in a police interrogation room, Criminal plays out like a bunch of one act plays which vary in both intensity and excitement. What it does offer is a unique glimpse into the criminal justice systems of four different countries. 

Of the four locales, you may feel like diving into the UK episodes first, especially if you are a native English speaker. The UK episodes also have the most recognizable cast including David Tennant and Hayley Atwell. Since both have fairly significant fanbases, they are the perfect entry to this series and will definitely pique your interest in the rest of the series. They are also perfect examples of what works and does not on Criminal. Tennant's episode serves as a highlight whereas Atwell's falls easily into a generic Law and Order narrative despite her best efforts to play a character against her usual type. Both David Tennant and Hayley Atwell are excellent actors but where Tennant imbues his character with an entire personality while barely uttering more than the same two word sentence for the duration of the episode, Atwell's character is far more over the top and somewhat cliche.

With all four countries filming on the same set, it does seem a bit odd that all European nations may have the exact same architect and interior designer, it does give Criminal a cohesiveness across each set of episodes. Much like series like Law and Order, the focus is primarily on the criminal being interrogated but there are moments peppered throughout that give us some insight into the police officers and lawyers and how they are connected. Each country also has the same cops who rotate in and out of the actual conversation with the suspects, another tactic that helps build this series into a brand rather than a brief experiment.

Of the four countries, the UK episodes definitely feel the most familiar and that is likely due to Tennant and Atwell. The France episodes felt the weakest to me with both Spain and Germany coming very close. What helps is that not every crime is a murder which mixes things up a bit and gives the series some variety. Still, if a suspect is being interrogated, there are only so many crimes that they could be there for. What is hard is that setting the entirety of an episode in two rooms means the strength of the performances must carry everything and only about half of these episodes are able to do that. After seeing how thrilling conversations with criminals can be on Netflix's acclaimed Mindhunter, Criminal just doesn't quite compare.

Criminal makes good use of varied talent but creators George Kay (Killing Eve) and Jim Field Smith (The Wrong Mans) need to diversify a bit in their writing staff. With many of these tales centered on women, none of those scripters or filmmakers are female. Still, Netflix has managed to find their next potential franchise here with future seasons able to continue to build on these existing poilice departments or expand into new countries. With just three episodes per "series", you will not get tired too quickly and they make for an easy binge. If seeing these criminals get their justice like on Law & Order is your thing, you may be disappointed because once the interrogation is done, so is the episode. Criminal may be uneven in this first pass, but the format is ripe for continued investigations.

Criminal premieres September 20th on Netflix.

Criminal

GOOD

7

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