A female police detective (Helen Mirren) investigates a series of serial murders while dealing with sexist hostility from her male comrades.Many observers have viewed Prime Suspect as the inspiration for female characters in American TV series, particularly noting strong similarities between this series in general—and the character of Jane Tennison in particular—and the later American series "The Closer", starring Kyra Sedgwick in the role of Deputy Chief of Police Brenda Leigh Johnson.I am not sure about the sexism of the show; were British police really that weird about having a female superior? They had a queen and a female prime minister... was it hard to imagine a female detective? But I suppose it is always a struggle.The plot is great, and you are left questioning along the way if the "prime suspect" is going to be the actual serial killer, or if there will be a curve along the way. You never really do know one way or the other until the end. And even then, are we really sure? You will have to watch it for yourself to see what I mean.

From the mind of crime writing specialist Lynda La Plante the Prime Suspect series was a critically acclaimed series in the UK and became one of Helen Mirren's most famous roles.DCI Jane Tennison (Mirren) is a senior detective in the London Metropolitan Police who takes over of a murder investigation of a prostitute when the original investigating detective dies of a heart attack. Tennison soon has to prove a suspect, George Marlow (John Bowe), finds evidences that they might be a serial killer, question the work of her precedence and battle of the sexism of her police colleagues.Police procedural are very common in the UK and can be at times formulaic as they do who done it story lines and have to become more inventive with the range of serial killers or rapists they have to find (if you read crime fiction in the UK you would think the nation is littered with psychopaths). What Prime Suspect works is instead of the usual cliché of finding a range of suspects, a suspect is already known and it is the police's job to find the evidence as well as finding more about the crimes the suspect has committed. This is much more realistic because normally the first suspect/main suspects are normally the personal who committed the crime.The other focus is Tennison's personal life as the investigation takes it told on her personal life, particularly her relationship with her partner (Tom Wilkinson) and the look of the sexism in police force as few female detectives had reached a senior rank in the early 90s. We get to see Tennison's relationships with her officers as some grow to respect her and show competence whilst others are too loyal to the precedence. We also get to look at the private life of the suspect, getting to know him and doubt whether he really did it.Prime Suspect is a very well-acted programme (bar an embarrassing heart attack scene). This is a programme that has top actors, including Ralph Fiennes in a small early role. Director Christopher Menaul keeps a great pace for the programme, using long takes and steady cam shots to add a naturalism to the preceding as it keeps a flow going whilst not Prime Suspect is high quality police procedural drama that fans of these programs.

There is little that needs to be added to the other highly appreciative reviews already posted on this site.The first Prime Suspect was a landmark in British TV drama. It had all the virtues of a good mystery thriller but was enriched by a densely-researched exposition of police procedure and closely observed characterisation. The cast and their performances are all outstanding. There had been nothing quite like it on British TV before.I am pleased to see that its merits are widely recognised wherever it has been shown, but I also note that there is a tendency to use it as a stick with which to beat American TV. I would only point out that this gritty approach to the cop genre was actually pioneered in America - particularly with Hill Street Blues. I suspect it was the success of that show that encouraged ATV to go ahead with this gruelling series. Without it, Lynda La Plant may never have been able to get Prime Suspect off the ground.It has one big advantage over similar American shows (before and since). It is a stand-alone serial. Free from the requirement to fill a 22 week season, it could be written by one person and tell a single coherent story over three and a half hours. Even the best US shows eventually suffer from multiple writers and directors trying to maintain a consistent vision that is ultimately not their own. Even a show as good as The Sopranos succumbed to the flattening effect of this conveyor belt approach to drama.This is equally true of Prime Suspect. Subsequent series had their merits and were consistently above average for TV drama, but ultimately they were all just sequels. As so often happens, they tried to replicate the success of the original series by simply ringing a few changes on all the elements that were once such a fresh and original mix.It is we who are to blame. When we see something we like, we greedily demand more and more, so the virtues of the original show soon get overwhelmed and diluted by the increasingly desperate attempts of the film-makers to make something that is seemingly different while being exactly the same.I doubt if there is more than handful of sequels in the whole history of cinema and TV that are truly better than the shows that gave them their inspiration.Prime Suspect Two, Three, Four etc. are not amongst them.

Watching Prime Suspect again makes me realize and appreciate every episode. Dame Helen Mirren is always worth watching whether Prime Suspect or anything else. Her role of Jane Tennison will go down in history as one of the best female roles ever written and acted by this wonderful dame. The writing is superior to anything else on television. More than ten years after its first showing in America, Prime Suspect is classic television. The series itself has also some award winning performances by Zoe Wanamaker as the unsuspecting wife of a serial killer. Even though we suspect it, it is fascinating to unravel the mystery. When we see the female corpses, it is a gruesome look into reality. For us, it is entertainment. In the real world, they are somebody's daughter and the killer is inhuman. When we finally solve the mystery in this addition, we will have more questions and answers. The biggest question is why does this happen to begin with.