Cain is based on a wheelchair bound police detective with more than a few skeletons in his closet. Cain is one part Chief Ironside, one part Doctor House, one part Sherlock Holmes, and one part Dirty Harry. In short, he is cynical, deductive, tough-as-nails, and dangerous, breaking every rule in the book. He is brilliant and flawed, consistent and unpredictable, caring and ruthless. If you watch one episode, you cannot wait to see the next, and the next, and the next. I am surprised HBO hasn't yet bought the rights to make an American version.

This program is one of the best crime/drama series on TV, with a subtle humour woven through imaginative plots. It also showcases the coastal area of France around Marseilles. The characters are very believable, and generally likable but very human. I'm in awe of Bruno Debrandt's ability to play a wheelchair bound character.I just wish that I could purchase this show on DVD with English subtitles. I watch it on TV5 where it is subtitled, but like many French series it isn't available to purchase with the subtitles.

Cain is no Ironside sitting in a wheelchair and being driven about in a special van. Cain lost the use of his legs in a motorcycle accident and he is bitter, angry, and a general pain. But he is a great detective. He drives around in a classic convertible Saab. When he needs to get about, he assembles his portable wheelchair and manages to get himself up and down stairs unassisted. The humor, and there is plenty of it, is biting and sardonic. Captain Fred Cain is grudgingly assisted by Lieutenant Lucie Delambre as he has managed to get his previous partners to transfer to anyone other than Cain. But Delambre gives as good as she gets. If anyone gets pity it is Cain' boss and friend, Commandant Jacques Moretti. The stories are well written and will keep you coming back for more. The series has a solid sense of reality about it and in each episode we learn more about Cain giving his character a depth and complexity missing from most TV shows. In addition to watching Cain and team solve some challenging cases, in series one Cain is dealing with his upcoming divorce and trying to be a parent to his teenage son Ben. The disability is never played for pity nor is it a gimmick. First and foremost, this is a detective show; and good television, and quickly you forget you are reading subtitles.