I'm in the middle of Season 2 and am enjoying every minute of it. What a wonderful series, especially refreshing because the writing is such a departure from the typical canned, predictable script. The characters are strong, three-dimensional, and charismatic.The setting is St. Johns, Newfoundland, unique and picturesque. I love the aerial views of the city, especially the shot in the introduction where the camera zooms over the water as it approaches a narrows between two mountainside cliffs.Jake Doyle is the lead character, a cute and charming ne'er-do-well PI who is always trying to get out of scrapes that are generally of his own making. The series begins with him living at home with his dad (Malachy) and dad's live-in girlfriend (Rose) and somewhat surly teenage niece (Tinny). Additionally, he has to deal with a would-be apprentice, Des, a goofy, awkward, and geeky (smart) lad who is in love with Tinny. The only problem I had with the series initially was with the female characters, who seemed to be deemed interesting only because of their looks and willing participation in Jake's sexual escapades. The ex-wife was not especially strong, particularly as her ambivalence about Jake became a bit confusing. However, as the series develops, the female characters indeed become three-dimensional, interesting, and strong: Leslie, the female police sergeant; Tinny, whose teenage angst morphs into remarkable self-possession; and the Crown attorney whose name I cannot recall. I love seeing the evolution of the characters over the episodes, and the interweaving of plot lines throughout the series. The father and Rose seem to be a bit more flatly portrayed, more static rather than dynamic characters. And about that action: there are plenty of rough-and-tumble fight scenes recalling the good old days of television, as opposed to bang-bang-you're-dead, where the presence of guns tends to dampen the fun. I love the corny humor (thank you, Des), the unusual accents, Hawco's sweet rubbery babyface, the sense of loyalty and affection among the characters, the whole thing, actually. Highly recommend.

How did Canadians put up with this for 6 years? Holy Crap! Is there any cliché that isn't used in this first episode? Every character is a cliché, every situation is a cliché, every relationship is a cliché, and every line of dialog is horribly clichéd. Ugh! If this were made in the '70s, you might say it was original, or at least a light hearted ripoff of the PI shows of the day. But this is absolute warmed over drivel.

I watched all the seasons of the show.This is a clean and entertaining show with lovable characters. The stories don't always follow the path one expects but doesn't divert too far away either. The main character Jake Doyle is a good role model and his family is instantly lovable. The show doesn't use swearing, vulgarity, gore or cruelty to create drama, so isn't as dark and cynical as other shows available at present. WhIle the stories are clever and witty, it is not overly technical and don't try to be too clever. As such I found this to be more relaxing viewing. It reminds me of Knight Rider and Macyver. The show also got better from season to season, except for the episodes where Sloan was introduced. I found this character and her storyline a difficult fit with the rest of the show. Seasons 5 and 6 was also not as enjoyable as the earlier seasons as I don't like to see the protagonist struggle. The last episode of season 6 is my all time favorite though! I absolutely loved it.

I really wanted to like this series so I tried watching it again and again and again and again. And again, but it just is not good enough. I do not like the actor who plays the lead, his face has no expressions. The acting is not good in general.The stories are messy. This may be caused by the very bad editing, incomplete shots and very bad stunts. Furthermore this series is supposed to be funny, well I never laughed.Not in series 1. Not in 2 nor in 3.What's good about this is is the scenery,.I will not watch this again. Ever.