One day in London two people die; a woman who is a research assistant for an up and coming MP who ends up under a tube train and a young ne're-do-well who is shot in the head. They have nothing obvious in common but it emerges that the latter and called the former shortly before her death. Reporter Cal McCaffrey is convinced that there is a story and starts investigating. He has a slight personal interest as the MP the woman worked for is his old friend Stephen Collins… who it emerges was having an affair with the woman. As the series progresses the situation becomes more dangerous as conspiracies are exposed and people in power, both political and financial, bring pressure on the newspaper McCaffrey work for.This is definitely a superior series; the plot is gripping from the start and details are revealed in an interesting and believable way. The cast is top notch; most notably John Simm and David Morrissey as McCaffrey and Collins but there are also fantastic performances from Kelly Macdonald, Bill Nighy, James McAvoy and Polly Walker to name just a few. The series contains some impressive twists, including a conclusion that I didn't see coming but still felt believable. As well as a fine drama there are moments of unforced humour, mostly provided by Bill Nighy as the paper's editor and Marc Warren as a man who knows more than he wants to tell… the scene where he tries to run from the police while wearing a neck brace was priceless. Overall I'd highly recommend this to fans of a good mystery with political undertones.

I've never been keen on political matters and many of the things that were said in this series made absolutely no sense to me. Some of them i got, others were just gibberish. But that was such a minor detail compared to the beautifully written script by Paul Abbott and the great performances of the leading and supporting actors.Now, what's really interesting is the scenario. Beyond politics, yet always involved with. Three murders that, at first, seemed unrelated are leading a politician's personal life in distress. Once the press gets its hands on too, things can only be worse or right.Quick, funny, rich and strong conversations, i really enjoyed the filming locations in London. It gave the story an appropriate atmosphere for a mystery case. I thought David Morissey's acting was fantastic and with John Simm they played in an amazing theatrical way. Bill Nighy is a catch-phrase man -again- always classy and we also see some of the first steps of James McAvoy, another great actor.If you're a fan of -such genre- British television shows, i think you're going to like it. If you're experimenting, you may try it.

It is not often that really good series based on politics, suspense and a bit of romance + comedy hit our idiot boxes. However, State of Play manages to do all this with such finesse that I was left spellbound. What starts of as a simple murder case becomes so huge that it really boggles the mind. And at all time, it does not seem one bit over-stretched or silly. Add to this three subplots and what you have is a series that is of immense viewing pleasure. All in a runtime of just 300 minutes.If you want your TV series to be intelligent, do yourself a favour and watch this series. Now.

Paul Abbott is a genius. His writing here is taut and intelligent, just like anything else he has done. This BBC production is truly flawless. From the writing to direction to the acting, it is outstanding. This is exhilarating and challenging TV that, though politically-charged, crucially develops interesting characters that you can care about. The plot is complex, as the best political thrillers are, and delivers a TV drama that hopefully shuts up those who say that us Brits can't make TV like the Yanks. Yes, American TV is great but the marathon seasons and multiple writers are exhausting and create bloated, sometimes frustrating TV. Look at Lost, it is as easy to hate as it is to love and becomes dull frequently in the flabby, direction-less mid-season hell. Not here though. Six streamlined parts that never let up the pace and never loosen their grip on the audience. 'State of Play' keeps you hooked and leaves you begging for more, as with all great pieces of entertainment. You'll be sucked into this world and won't want to leave.Credit must be equally divided between its makers, and the direction is every bit as thrilling as the writing, and ,accordingly, David Yates is moving on to bigger things with the Harry Potter franchise. The tremendous cast all deliver as you'd expect, with David Morrissey and John Simm excellent as the leads and a stunning supporting cast that includes Kelly MacDonald, Philip Glenister, Polly Walker, Patrick Brennan, Shauna MacDonald, Rebekah Staton, James McAvoy, Marc Warren and, of course, the ever-delightful Bill Nighy.More joy is found in the pulsating soundtrack, tight editing and cinematography.Overall, 'State of Play' is among the most thought-provoking and exhilarating thrillers you'll ever see and is quite possibly the best thing to have been on TV; British, American or otherwise.