Wow. Where to begin? I just finished watching seasons 4 and 5 of Ripper Street and decided to give Whitechapel a try. Big mistake. This show seems to have been written and directed by rank amateurs. And the acting is about on par with the writing and direction. The plots are almost incoherent. The "detectives" could barely detect their own heart beats. The acting is wooden and one-dimensional. And so when it's all said and done, this should never have been said or done. It's embarrassing, really. No wonder crimes go unsolved in England.(NOTE: The reason why every line has is on its own is to conform to the "10 line minimum" of IMDb.)

I found this on Hulu and fell deeply interested in the series. I like that the actors portray normal people and high fashion models and pretty boys. Most of the British television series seem to be this way and why I enjoy them so much.It's not impossible to figure out what is about to happen but at times it is difficult. The working relationships and characters all seem plausible and in most cases real. I hope that one day American television will be equal. I enjoy the Tom Selleck series Blue Bloods As well as the Jesse Stone films. They also have gritty characters . Perhaps Whitechapel will be renewed at some time in the future, until then we have Hulu.

I was fortunate to pick up this program on my "free on-demand" cable program. I found it gritty and so different from the usual police drama with a cookie cutter plot.Beginning with a Jack the Ripper copycat was a stroke of genius. The twists and turns kept me interested and involved in the drama. Two issues were going on: The new, obsessive-compulsive boss takes over and the detectives don't like it one bit. Plus the killings keep them on their feet and the focus is on thinking their way through the crime book of Jack the Ripper. Wonderful drama! I also like the character of the "ripperologist" who helps them out. I love the quirky personalities of the people involved and how they have to work together to find the real killer. Also a big surprise.The second part about the Krays was a bit less interesting. I mean, how can you follow up after Jack the Ripper? But the drama was still there. I see that there will be another season in 2012. I sincerely hope they keep up the good work of tying in the historical element.They could even have a copycat Henry the VIII! That would be very cool indeed.

If you plan on watching this drama don't do what I did and watch (especially the last episode of the three) on your own in the dark as I managed to terrify myself. The acting was superb and Rupert entry Jones was excellent as the lead. He played the main police officer in charge of the ripper murders, Joseph Chandler. This poor guy really has a lot to deal with first there is the disrespect and resentment from his fellow officers, then he has to deal with his snooty boss who doesn't believe him and then he gets blamed by the press for not acting quicker. No wonder he is constantly rubbing headache oil on his temples. A sterling performance by Jones which is reason itself to watch this. Phil Davis was also good as Chandler's second in command but at the start he did get on my nerves. The murder's themselves were very gruesome and graphic so if your squeamish then I don't recommend this. This drama is historically accurate in itself, from the information given by the Ripper expert (or Ripperologist as Miles constantly calls him)to the way the murders are carried out. There are things which are a bit far fetched such as the package containing the kidney on one of the women was sent to Miles' house and has managed to get through the entire postal service with out revealing what is inside, gets to his kitchen table and spontaneously starts bleeding. Also the amount of flashes from all the photographers in the pathology labs was ridiculous. The ripper himself was not fully revealed which was a bit disappointing but a the biggest twist was who he was posing to be and that they had met him several times where he seemed completely sane and normal. Altogether this was a great drama from ITV even if it did creep me out.