Prime Suspect

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Prime Suspect
Prime Suspect titles.png
Prime Suspect title
Genre Police procedural
Created by Lynda La Plante
Starring Helen Mirren
Composer Stephen Warbeck
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series7
No. of episodes15 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time100 minutes
Production companies Granada Television/ITV Productions
WGBH Boston/Masterpiece Mystery
Original release
Network ITV
Release7 April 1991 (1991-04-07) 
22 October 2006 (2006-10-22)

Prime Suspect is a British police procedural television series devised by Lynda La Plante. It stars Helen Mirren as Jane Tennison, one of the first female Detective Chief Inspectors in Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service, who rises to the rank of Detective Superintendent while confronting institutionalised sexism within the police force.

Contents

Plot

Prime Suspect focuses on a no-nonsense female Detective Chief Inspector (DCI), Jane Tennison (played by Helen Mirren), who is an officer in the Metropolitan Police, initially at the fictional Southampton Row police station.

The series follows her constant battles to prove herself within a male-dominated profession in which many of her colleagues are determined to see her fail, though she has the support of her boss, Detective Chief Superintendent Mike Kernan (John Benfield), and the loyalty of Detective Sergeant Richard Haskons (Richard Hawley).

In later series, Tennison is reassigned to rotating duties, including a vice squad in Soho and a gang squad in Manchester. She is promoted to Detective Superintendent in series 4 and retires from policing at the end of series 7.

Cast

Main cast

Supporting cast, including notable guest stars

Episodes

SeriesEpisodesOriginally airedAvg. UK viewers
(millions)
First airedLast aired
1 27 April 1991 (1991-04-07)8 April 1991 (1991-04-08)14.02
2 215 December 1992 (1992-12-15)16 December 1992 (1992-12-16)14.35
3 219 December 1993 (1993-12-19)20 December 1993 (1993-12-20)14.15
4 330 April 1995 (1995-04-30)15 May 1995 (1995-05-15)12.73
5 220 October 1996 (1996-10-20)21 October 1996 (1996-10-21)14.52
6 29 November 2003 (2003-11-09)10 November 2003 (2003-11-10)10.19
7 215 October 2006 (2006-10-15)22 October 2006 (2006-10-22)8.21

Concept and development

Themes

The first series features sexism in the workplace as a significant subplot and a barrier to the investigation. Sequels have tended to downplay this theme, relying on straight procedure or on other subplots, such as institutional racism in Prime Suspect 2 or child sexual abuse and prostitution in Prime Suspect 3, but they continue to demonstrate the determination of some of Tennison's male peers and those in upper echelons to see her fail.

Tennison's difficulty in achieving a balance between her work and her life outside the job, and her difficulty in maintaining stable relationships, are recurring themes within the series. Towards the end of Prime Suspect 3 she arranges to have her pregnancy terminated. As the series progresses, she increasingly relies on alcohol to help her cope. This culminates in the final episode of the series in her attending meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous, where she finally acknowledges and confronts her addiction.

Setting

Prime Suspect is set mostly in London and surrounding areas, but series 5 is set in Manchester.

Production

Every series of Prime Suspect except series 4 follows a single case and runs around 312 hours (excluding commercials). It has usually been shown in two or four parts. Prime Suspect 4 is an exception at slightly over five hours, with three separate cases.

The first five series were produced annually from 1991 to 1996, until Mirren left the role, supposedly to avoid typecasting (according to a PBS interview). She returned to play the character in 2003 and again in 2006.

Prime Suspect was produced by Granada Television for the ITV network. Series four to seven were co-produced by WGBH Boston for its Masterpiece Mystery anthology series.

Music

The first five series were scored by the Academy Award-winning composer Stephen Warbeck, who was nominated for a BAFTA TV Award for Prime Suspect series one. Rob Lane composed the music for Series 6. Nicholas Hooper won a BAFTA TV Award for his score for Series 7.

Reception and impact

Prime Suspect was voted 68th in the list of 100 Greatest British Television Programmes as compiled by a poll given by the British Film Institute, and in 2007 it was listed as one of Time magazine's "100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME." [2] The series has won multiple BAFTA Awards, Emmy Awards, and a Peabody Award.

Awards and nominations

Prime Suspect won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Drama Serial over G.B.H. in 1991. [3] Afterwards, four of the seven voting members of the jury raised a discrepancy to jury chairperson Irene Shubik, [4] and later signed a public statement declaring that they had voted for G.B.H. to win. [3] BAFTA Chairman Richard Price stated that the ballot papers passed on to him by Shubik had shown four votes for Prime Suspect and three for G.B.H. [3] Price claimed that the ballot papers could not be recounted as they had subsequently been destroyed. [4] Prime Suspect won Best Drama Serial once more for series three, and was nominated four other times. [5] The series won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries three times, and was nominated twice more. [6]

Mirren won three BAFTA TV Awards for Best Actress for the role, and has been nominated three other times. [5] She won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie twice, with four additional nominations. [6]

Prime Suspect 3 was awarded a Peabody Award in 1993 for its realistic scenes and dialogue. [7] [8] Writer/creator Lynda La Plante received an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for series one in the category of Best TV Feature or Miniseries. The following year, Allan Cubitt won in the same category for series two. Prime Suspect was later nominated for series three and six. [9]

SeriesAwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
Series 1 (1991) British Academy Television Awards Best Drama Serial Christopher Menaul, Lynda La Plante, Don Leaver Won [5]
Best Actress Helen Mirren Won
Zoe Wanamaker Nominated
Best Actor Tom Bell Nominated
Best Film or Video Editor – Fiction Edward MansellWon
Best Film or Video Photography – Fiction Ken MorganWon
Best Sound – Fiction Ray French, Brian Saunders, John Rutherford, Paul Griffiths-DaviesNominated
Best Design Roy StonehouseNominated
Best Original Television Music Stephen Warbeck Nominated
Edgar Awards Best TV Feature or MiniseriesLynda La PlanteWon [9]
Royal Television Society Awards Best Single DramaPrime SuspectWon [10]
Performance AwardHelen MirrenWon
Writer's AwardLynda La PlanteWon
Series 2 (1992) British Academy Television Awards Best Drama SerialPaul Marcus, John Strickland, Allan Cubitt Nominated [5]
Best ActressHelen MirrenWon
Best Film or Video Editor – FictionEdward MansellNominated
Best Sound – FictionNick Steer, John Rutherford, John Thomas, John Senior, Jaquie Ophir, John WhitworthNominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Miniseries Sally Head, Paul Marcus Won [6]
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Special Helen MirrenNominated
Edgar Awards Best TV Feature or MiniseriesAllan CubittWon [9]
Series 3 (1993) British Academy Television Awards Best Drama SerialPaul Marcus, David Drury, Lynda La PlanteWon [5]
Best ActressHelen MirrenWon
Best Film or Video Editor – FictionEdward MansellNominated
Best DesignChris TrueloveNominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding MiniseriesSally Head, Paul MarcusWon [6]
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or SpecialHelen MirrenNominated
Outstanding Writing in a Miniseries or Special Lynda La PlanteNominated
Peabody Award Prime SuspectWon [7]
Edgar Awards Best TV Feature or MiniseriesLynda La PlanteNominated [9]
Series 4 (1995) British Academy Television Awards Best Drama Series Paul MarcusNominated [5]
Best ActressHelen MirrenNominated
Photography and Lighting – Fiction David OddNominated
Best Sound – Fiction/EntertainmentNick Steer, John Rutherford, John Senior, John WhitworthNominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a SpecialHelen Mirren (for "Scent of Darkness")Won [6]
Series 5 (1996) British Academy Television Awards Best ActressHelen MirrenNominated [5]
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding MiniseriesGub Neal, Rebecca Eaton, Lynn HorsfordWon [6]
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a SpecialHelen MirrenNominated
Series 6 (2003) British Academy Television Awards Best Drama SerialDavid Boulter, Peter Berry, Tom HooperNominated [5]
Best ActressHelen MirrenNominated
British Academy Television Craft Awards Editing – Fiction/Entertainment St John O'RorkeNominated
Best Sound – Fiction/EntertainmentSimon Okin, Ben Baird, Nick RobertsNominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Miniseries or Movie David Boulter, Rebecca Eaton, Andy HarriesNominated [6]
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or MovieHelen MirrenNominated
Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries Movie or a Dramatic Special Tom HooperNominated
Edgar Awards Best TV Feature or MiniseriesPeter BerryNominated [9]
Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards Make Up Design - DramaDavid MyersNominated [11]
Series 7 (2006) British Academy Television Awards Best Drama SerialAndrew Benson, Philip Martin, Frank Deasy, Andy HarriesNominated [5]
British Academy Television Craft Awards Best Writing Frank DeasyNominated
Best Original Music Nicholas Hooper Won
Best Editing – Fiction/EntertainmentTrevor WaiteNominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Miniseries or MovieAndrew Benson, Philip Martin, Frank Deasy, Andy HarriesNominated [6]
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or MovieHelen MirrenWon
Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or MovieFrank DeasyWon
Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or MoviePhilip MartinWon
Golden Globe Awards Best Miniseries or Television Film Andrew Benson, Philip Martin, Frank Deasy, Andy HarriesNominated [12]
Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Helen MirrenNominated
Royal Television Society Awards Drama SerialPrime SuspectNominated [13]
Best Actor - FemaleHelen MirrenWon

Influence on other programmes

Many observers have viewed Prime Suspect as the inspiration for female characters in U.S. TV series, particularly noting strong similarities between this series in general—and the character of Jane Tennison in particular—and the later American series The Closer , starring Kyra Sedgwick in the role of Deputy Chief of Police Brenda Leigh Johnson. Critics noted the similarities between the series in a stronger way during the first seasons of The Closer, with one 2006 article in USA Today calling The Closer "an unofficial Americanization" of the British series, [14] and a later reviewer noting that, "When The Closer was first shown, critics were quick to compare it to Prime Suspect...[and] there's something in that...." [15]

In interviews Sedgwick has acknowledged that The Closer owes "a debt" to Prime Suspect, and that her admiration for that show and for Mirren were factors that first interested her in the role. [16] According to Sedgwick, Prime Suspect was one of the shows that "paved the way" for The Closer, [17] and her manager got her interested in the series by saying that it was "a little bit like Prime Suspect." [18] [19] Sedgwick is quoted as saying that the Tennison character did become her inspiration in some ways for her portrayal of Brenda Leigh Johnson. [20]

Reviewers in U.S. papers, including the Christian Science Monitor , have noted that The Closer, while not a direct remake of the British series, "owes" much to it, [21] or that it "echoes many of the elements" of it. [22] One The New York Times article refers to The Closer as a "direct descendant" of Prime Suspect, although less hard-hitting than the original:

There is one show, however, that is a direct descendant, however different its tone might be: The Closer, on which Kyra Sedgwick’s Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson obsesses over her cases, tramples feelings and battles the old-boy network. Her vice, however, is candy; no booze or one-night stands. If you want the hard stuff, you need to head back to Prime Suspect. [23]

Other reviewers have also made the point that the differences between Tennison and Johnson are as important as their similarities:

But then there's the locker-room pissiness of her [Johnson's] all-male department, which she navigates like an estrogen version of Prime Suspect's Jane Tennison. (That's not a running gag error, either: Sedgwick plays Johnson as if her toughness, intelligence and wit blossomed naturally from her Southern femininity, whereas Helen Mirren plays the dogged Tennison as if womanhood were a liability.) [24]

NBC picked up an adaptation of the British series for the 2011–2012 season. [25] It was taken off the schedule after 13 episodes were produced. [26]

Spoofs

In 1997 a short spoof episode Prime Cracker was produced for the BBC's biennial Red Nose Day charity telethon in aid of Comic Relief. A crossover with ITV stablemate crime drama Cracker , the spoof starred Mirren and Cracker lead Robbie Coltrane as their characters from the respective series, sending up the perceived ultra-seriousness of both shows.

Dead Ringers featured a parody with Queen Elizabeth II in the lead role, as a reaction to Helen Mirren's portrayal of her in the 2006 film The Queen .

Prequel series

A six-part prequel, Prime Suspect 1973 , was announced in 2015 by ITV, based on the book Tennison by Lynda La Plante, adapted by Glen Laker. It tells the story of a 22-year-old Jane Tennison as a probationary WPC in Hackney, London, investigating her first murder case. [27] The series began airing on 2 March 2017. The role of Tennison is played by Stefanie Martini. [28] In June 2017, ITV confirmed that the series had not been recommissioned for a second series. [29]

Home media

On 1 October 2013, Netflix made the Series 1–6 available online for streaming. [30] On 27 August 2013, Acorn Media released the entire series in a seven-disc Blu-ray Disc set. Each disc contains the individual programme, upscaled to 1080p HD and converted to 16:9 Widescreen (apart from season 4 episode 1 which remains in 4:3 aspect ratio). Bonus material includes a 50-minute behind-the-scenes special, a 23-minute Series 6 behind-the-scenes featurette, a photo gallery and cast filmographies. [31]

The DVD format of the series was released in 2010 by ITV Studios/Global entertainment. It has an overall running time of 1,437 minutes approximately, and encompasses ten discs, with each Series set on one disc except the triple-episode Series 4, which is set over three discs. As with the Blu-ray production, the final disc contains a Behind-the-Scenes of Series 7.

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