Curator Watchlist
A solid, watchable British detective drama with a dependable lead, coastal atmosphere, and a strong procedural engine, but it rarely rises above familiar territory. It works best as an easy, case-driven binge for viewers who like emotionally burdened investigators and steady mysteries more than bold reinvention.
Where to watch: Buy
Sun
Created by: Russell Lewis
Starring: John Simm, Richie Campbell, Brad Morrison
Brighton based Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is a hard-working police officer who has given his life to the job, but his career is currently at rock bottom. He’s fixated by the disappearance of his beloved wife, Sandy, and running enquiries into long forgotten cold cases with little prospect of success. Following another reprimand for his unorthodox police methods, Grace is walking a career tightrope and risks being moved from the job he loves most.
Russell Lewis
John Simm, Richie Campbell, Brad Morrison, Laura Elphinstone
A solid, watchable British detective drama with a dependable lead, coastal atmosphere, and a strong procedural engine, but it rarely rises above familiar territory. It works best as an easy, case-driven binge for viewers who like emotionally burdened investigators and steady mysteries more than bold reinvention.
Grace is a dependable ITV crime drama that leans into the strengths of the format: a troubled investigator, a personal mystery that shadows the cases, and a steady stream of murders, disappearances, and cold-case threads. John Simm gives Roy Grace enough weariness and intensity to keep the show grounded, and the Brighton setting adds a pleasant coastal texture to the usual police-procedural machinery.
The series is easy to settle into and generally well paced, especially if you like case-of-the-week storytelling with an ongoing emotional spine. It does not radically reinvent the genre, though, and some episodes feel more functional than memorable. The appeal is consistency rather than surprise.
If you enjoy British detective shows that balance personal trauma with methodical investigations, this is a worthwhile watch. If you are looking for a sharper, more distinctive crime series, Grace may feel like a competent version of familiar ideas rather than a standout.
Sharper, more propulsive British police drama with institutional tension, interrogation-heavy storytelling, and a strong binge factor.
A darker, more stylized detective series built around a damaged lead and emotionally charged investigations.
Emotionally rich British crime drama with a strong sense of place, grief, and a tightly wound mystery engine.
If you like dependable ITV-style detective work, this offers long-running case-driven mysteries with a strong central investigator.
Atmospheric, character-led crime storytelling with a similar blend of personal strain and procedural investigation.
More intense and acclaimed, with a grounded lead performance and a strong sense of lived-in Northern grit.
Excellent cold-case procedural with emotional depth, patient plotting, and a mature ensemble approach.
A tense, psychologically focused crime drama that pairs investigation with sustained menace and character complexity.
A moody British detective series with a fractured lead, serial mystery structure, and a darker psychological edge.
Character-first police drama with realistic casework, workplace dynamics, and a steady procedural rhythm.
A long-running, comfort-watch detective series for viewers who want case-driven mysteries with an easy episodic flow.
A disappearance-focused drama that shares the emotional pull of unresolved loss and long-tail investigation.
police procedural, cold cases, grief and obsession, missing persons, crime investigation, personal trauma, institutional pressure, small-city atmosphere
british crime drama, police procedural, detective series, cold case, brooding lead, mystery, serial format, coastal setting, dark tone, bingeable