Karen Pirie (TV series)

Last updated

Karen Pirie
Genre
Based onInspector Karen Pirie series by Val McDermid
Written by Emer Kenny
Directed byGareth Bryn
Starring
ComposerStephanie Taylor
Country of origin
  • United Kingdom
Original language
  • English
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes3
Production
Executive producers
Producer Clare Kerr
Production locations
Cinematography
  • Ryan Kernaghan
EditorGareth Bryn
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time120 minutes X 3
Production company World Productions
Original release
Network ITV
Release25 September 2022 (2022-09-25) –
present (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.

Contents

Plot

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.

Cast

Production

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]

Release

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]

Reception

Ratings

Series One averaged 4.82 million viewers.[ citation needed ]

Critical response

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]

Awards

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]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "Karen Pirie: Release date, cast & latest news for ITV crime adaptation". Radio Times . Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  2. ↑ "Karen Pirie review – this female-led crime drama absolutely sings". the Guardian . 25 September 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Hibbs, James (21 February 2023). "Karen Pirie season 2 release date speculation: Plot and latest news". Radio Times. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  4. ↑ "Lauren Lyle to star as Karen Pirie in ITV cold case murder drama 'Karen Pirie'". itv.com. 11 May 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  5. ↑ "'My dad didn't sleep, he was so excited': the ITV drama that's rewriting the rules of crime TV". The Guardian . 23 September 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  6. ↑ "Karen Pirie: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  7. ↑ Mangan, Lucy (25 September 2022). "Karen Pirie review – this female-led crime drama absolutely sings". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  8. ↑ O'Grady, Sean (25 September 2022). "Lauren Lyle is excellent in the refreshingly cohesive Karen Pirie – review". The Independent. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  9. ↑ Shah, Abha (25 September 2022). "Karen Pirie review: all the polish and dialogue of a live-action Scooby Doo". Evening Standard. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  10. ↑ 2023 Edgar Allan Poe Award Nominations, 19 January 2023, retrieved 4 February 2023
  11. ↑ "Winners announced: 2023 BAFTA Scotland Awards". BAFTA. 19 November 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
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