Let's Talk BBC's Ripper Street!

Photo from BBCAmerica.com

This week has sort of turned into an unofficial "TV Time" on my blog. If you're looking for the usual book banter and reviews, you probably won't find that here this week. I've been slacking a bit in the reading department just because sometimes I just can't resist the siren call of good TV! This week, it's all about the BBC. Really though, is there any other TV? I just finished watching BBC's Ripper Street series last night and I loved it way more than I thought I would. I rarely watch TV-MA rated programming but I made an exception this time because I was desperate for a new historical drama series to watch.

Photo from BBCAmerica.com

Ripper Street is a series set in Victorian London, 1889 to be exact, and is centered around the notorious H Division police precinct following the Ripper murders and stars Matthew Macfadyen as Detective Inspector Edmund Reid. I have loved Macfadyen since first seeing him in Pride and Prejudice and he doesn't disappoint in his role as a detective haunted by his past, trying to find truth and justice for the citizens of Whitechapel. Not just Reid, but each of the characters has a lot (A LOT!) on their plates in their personal lives that affect their roles on the force in a myriad of ways. Sergeant Bennet Drake (Jerome Flynn) and former American Pinkerton detective, Homer Jackson (Adam Rothenberg), Reid's somewhat reluctant comrades often add more to the mystery and action than to the peace . I have to say that although he plays the role of "bad cop", Drake is a real softie and I found my heart breaking for him a time or two. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Jackson is a scoundrel -- buuuut that doesn't mean he's completely unlikable. ;-) I was unfamiliar with both actors before this series but they've both earned a new fan thanks to their roles in Ripper Street!

Photo from BBCAmerica.com

After having watched BBC's Sherlock and ITV's Endeavour I can't seem to get enough of the mystery genre. While it's way more gritty than anything I'm used to watching, I have to say Ripper Street is going on the list as one of my new favorites. It's not for viewers with queezy stomachs. There are brothels, murder, revenge, and an episode where cholera and poisoning that make for a less than pretty picture if you catch my drift. Still, I found this to be a very entertaining and unique series. There aren't enough period dramas in the world for my taste and this little series sated my appetite a bit.

I'm thinking of trying BBC America's original series, Copper. Any fans of Ripper Street out there who have seen that series? Thoughts on it? Thoughts on Ripper Street? I'd love to hear them!

Just in case you were wondering, Ripper Street, Season one is available on Netflix (this may change) and is also available to purchase on Blu-ray and DVD.

Series/DVD Overview from BBC:
Haunted by the failure to catch London’s most evil killer, Jack the Ripper, Inspector Edmund Reid now heads up the notorious H Division – the toughest police district in London’s East End. Charged with keeping order in the blood-stained streets of Whitechapel, Reid and his men find themselves fighting to uphold justice and the rule of law; but always in the background lurks the fear of the Ripper – is he back for another reign of terror? As imitators emerge and feral gangs terrorize, Reid and his teamare further drawn into the criminal underbelly of Victorian London - and their vigilance must be swift to stop those that threaten the calm of the city. Starring Matthew Macfadyen (Anna Karenina, Pride and Prejudice), Jerome Flynn (Game of Thrones), Adam Rothenberg (Alcatraz), and MyAnna Buring (Downton Abbey, The Twilight Saga). The hit series premiered in January on BBC AMERICA to critical acclaim and will return with a second season in 2014. The Los Angeles Times says Ripper Street "opens with chilling promise and ends on a decidedly modern note,” and The Hollywood Reporter says it’s a “well-acted, well-written, and compelling mystery series.” Bonus features include: 3 Inside Looks from the cast and production team; Character Profiles; “London Calling: Whitechapel,” a tour of modern Whitechapel; and “Jack the Ripper: Prime Suspect”- can modern forensic science finally solve the case of Jack the Ripper?

To learn more about the series, visit the BBC Amercia Ripper Street page.

~ My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars ~

*This review is from a series or movie I watched on my own time, at my own expense, no review copy was provided. I was not required to write a review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.*