Scott & Bailey, an ITV production, features two (women) detectives who not only work together, they also rely on each other as friends. The series begins as the senior detective Janet Scott (played wonderfully by Lesley Sharp) is training her partner Rachel Bailey (played by Suranne Jones – another wonderful performance). These ladies work in the Major Incident Team – which handles murders. As with all jobs, sometimes the lines between underlings & their bosses are blurred when there is too good of a personal relationship.
These two women, while both extremely smart and dedicated to their jobs, are very different. The older of the two (Janet) has a family – two daughters, a husband, and her mother. Janet’s very long, erratic hours add to Janet’s character. Janet seems to be pulled in all directions.
Rachel, on the other hand, lives for Rachel, Rachel’s job, and Rachel’s enjoyment. The two women couldn’t be any more different! (I read somewhere that one of the creators of the show was a Cagney & Lacey fan. If you’ve watched those shows then you’ll see the remarkable similarities.)
The third strong woman in this show is Detective Chief Inspector Gill Murray, played by Amelia Bullmore. The actress brings the right touches needed for being a tough boss with a heart. Detective Superintendent Julie Dodson (Pippa Haywood) is a friend of Gill’s who frequently comes to the office for work-related reasons and/or because of their friendship.
There is one downfall of the show: the men. I enjoyed these secondary characters, but thought they all came off as losers. When there is a promotion to replace the second-in-command of the office, it left me wondering why not one of the men had passed his sergeant’s exam!
As I mentioned before, I enjoyed Scott & Bailey. It is not a Cozy television show, and (at least at the moment) available on Amazon Prime.
For more movie and television show recommendations, visit the TV and Movies page on my site.
Carolyn says
I enjoyed this series so much I’ve watched it twice.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Carolyn, I certainly agree that it’s worth a second watch!
BETTY says
I love love love British Crime shows especially Bailey and Scott!
Sometimes I feel like I blink and miss something…such as **What happened to Kevin? Was he the Mole slipping confidential info to the news reporters? My money was on him!! One day he was just gone and I never heard his name again.
Cheryl says
Also.. check your local library for DVDs if you don’t want to buy it. Our library has five seasons available. A great show!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Cheryl, yes, that’s a good way to cut down a bit on dvd purchasing costs.
Marianne says
We just saw “Manhunt,” a 3 part British procedural starring Martin Clunes (Doc Martin). It showed the minute leg work teams of officers need to put in to identify and deal with a serial killer. I was struck by the difference between British and American procedurals. It seems to me that in American ones, the hero is always the guy who does the important work and figures everything out. In British ones, they share the spotlight much more.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Marianne, thanks for the suggestion! I do like Martin Clunes, I’ll have to pick this one up.
Gail Arnold says
I just finished watching this series on Prime. Really good! I highly recommend it.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Gail, I’m glad to hear that there’s someone else out there who has seen this great series!
VirginiaF says
Love Scott and Bailey. Have watched it twice from start to finish.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Virginia, I’m glad to hear from more people who enjoy this series!
Val H says
So glad you enjoyed “Scott & Bailey”, it was a great favourite of mine. I even found a mystery book based on the series here in England.
Mary T. says
As of this writing, “Scott & Bailey” can also be found on BritBox, all 5 seasons. I adore BritBox and Acorn TV for giving me all the British TV series and movies I love. I find many new-to-me series on the two.