| Karen Pirie | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Based on | Inspector Karen Pirie series by Val McDermid |
| Written by | Emer Kenny |
| Directed by | Gareth Bryn |
| Starring |
|
| Composer | Stephanie Taylor |
| Country of origin |
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| Original language |
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| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 3 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Clare Kerr |
| Production locations |
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| Cinematography |
|
| Editor | Gareth Bryn |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 120 minutes X 3 |
| Production company | World Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 25 September 2022 – present |
Karen Pirie is a British crime drama television series based on the Inspector Karen Pirie series of novels by Val McDermid. The first series began on ITV on 25 September 2022 and concluded on 9 October 2022. A second series has been commissioned.
In the first series, a young detective sergeant, Karen Pirie, is put in charge of what appears to be a twenty-five year-old cold case. An influential podcast series focuses on the case, the unsolved murder of a barmaid, and Pirie is tasked with rexamining it.
Series 1 is based on the first novel in a series by Val McDermid, called The Distant Echo. [1] [2] Emer Kenny wrote the adaptation for television. [3]
In May 2021, it was announced that Lauren Lyle would star as the title character. [4] The producers are the same as for the series Line of Duty and Bodyguard, [1] and the creative team is unusually young. [5] Series 1 was directed by Gareth Bryn.[ citation needed ]
Series 2 is based on the second novel in McDermid's series, A Darker Domain, and is co-written by Kenny and Gillian Roger Park. It consists of three two-hour episodes. [3]
The first series began on ITV on 25 September 2022 and concluded on 9 October 2022. On 21 February 2023, it was announced the series had been commissioned for a second season. The second series is due to start filming in early 2024, and is slated to be aired towards the end of 2024. [3]
Series One averaged 4.82 million viewers.[ citation needed ]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 91% based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 8.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Clever and twisty, Karen Pirie refreshingly revamps the traditional grizzled detective procedural by putting a young woman on the case." [6]
Writing in The Guardian , Lucy Mangan praised the show for its humour, confidence, and charm, as well as its suspenseful plot that keeps the viewer guessing until the very end. Mangan gave the show 4 out of 5 stars. [7] Sean O'Grady also gave the show 4 out of 5 stars in The Independent , writing that the "tartan noir drama lifts itself above the usual run of these cold case thrillers because the story is told in a refreshingly cohesive way." O'Grady especially praises the work of Lyle saying that she "is excellent as the undervalued, underestimated officer who succeeds where the men have failed." [8] Abha Shah is less enthusiastic, giving the show 3 out of 5 stars in the London Evening Standard . Shah writes: "It’s a decent enough plot but the execution is as bungled as the police work Pirie finds herself uncovering. There’s an element of finesse that’s missing, a shame considering the production team’s CV." [9]
For writing the first episode, Emer Kenny was nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Episode in a TV Series. [10]
At the BAFTA Scotland Awards in November 2023, Lyle was awarded Best Actress Television for Karen Pirie and the Audience Award for Favourite Scot on Screen. [11]