MovieChat Forums > Scott & Bailey (2011) Discussion > Love this show! Anyone know of any simil...

Love this show! Anyone know of any similar?


The people complaining that this show sucks because of the main characters and their flaws really don't get it..the fact that these characters have these flaws is what makes the show so great to me! I love the dynamic between Janet and Rachel. Anyway I found this show on Netflix and got hooked and watched every episode despite the fact that I have a billion other things I should be doing haha. Anyone know of any similar shows?

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Completely agree with you! If they want interchangeable robocops going from on witness to the next until they stumble upon a suspect and catch the perp, they should stick with Law & Order.
And it's not one of those shows where the characters are drowning in domestic BS about their kids having a boyfriend or all that crap either. The personal life is only there to explore the characters further.

I wish I could recommend other shows like these but there haven't been many that I know of. In a very different tone, I'd try Happy Valley if you're looking for involved cop drama with interesting characters. More recently River and Unforgotten have struck a cord because the main characters are intriguing and the story is pretty rich but they are ongoing so I can't tell if they're going to stay as good as they started.

If you find any though, please post them here because I'd like to know.

For every lie I unlearn I learn something new - Ani Difranco

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Thank-you very much for the recommendations! I will definitely check them out. I have heard a lot about Happy Valley and have been meaning to give it a try. I have also just realised that there are three books which are based on Scott & Bailey! I have already ordered them and can't wait to read them! :D

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What are the titles of the books based on Scott & Bailey? Are they available in the U.S.? Thanks! And Happy Valley is a must-see also!

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Try Murder in Suburbia. Two female leads who are quite different from each other. Not as dark as Scott and Bailey but well written and acted.

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Vera, Blue Murder and Broadchruch are excellent British police procedurals.

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You might enjoy AFTERLIFE. It is also has Lesley Sharp in it along with Andrew Lincoln of THE WALKING DEAD. There were only two seasons and the it isn't a police drama, but the odd chemistry between the two main actors was excellent and the stories were original with a nice plot for each episode as well as the series as a whole.

I would also suggest PRIME SUSPECT which is a bit more serious, but definitely the best woman police drama ever made in the U.S. or the U.K.. No one will ever top Helen Mirren's performance in seven seasons with varying number of episodes per season. Talk about flaws... Mirren's character, DCI Jane Tennyson, is loaded with them, but her she is an exceptional detective and outwits her male counterparts most of the time.

"Almost me, almost you, almost blue."

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I agree that "Prime Suspect" with Helen Mirren sets the bar for any police drama, whether it is centered around women or men. "Wire in the Blood" is chillingly fantastic, but centers around Robson Green as a profiler. "Inspector Morse" is great, as is the prequel, "Endeavour" but ("Endeavour") only for the first two seasons. "D C I Banks" is pretty good, too. If you have not seen "The Hour," you might enjoy that series, especially the first season. This season, I found "London Spy" to be fabulous. Somehow, these shows go on, season after season without being "formula." "The Tunnel" is right up there with great cop shows, exploring the relationship between a male, British detective and his female, French counterpart who certainly seems to be genetically devoid of any ability to feel. He comes to understand her and tries to help her to appear more human. She trusts him and follows his advise because she knows that he does not judge her. "The Bridge," made in 2013 is exactly the same story, but female character, played by Diane Kruger is so empty that she is totally boring. The crimes are bloody and brutal without adding anything to the story. "The Tunnel" and "The Bridge - 2013" are both remakes of "Bron/Broen" which is the Danish/Swedish original and is fantastic, but not for those who cannot deal with subtitles.

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Do you have Netflix? There is a great mini-series to instant watch or stream call RIVER and stars Stellan Skarsgard and Nicola Walker. I see we have similar tastes in detective/cop shows so you might enjoy it. It is unlike any other crime drama I have seen before and the acting by both lead characters in unparalleled by any I have watched in the past year. I have just ordered season three of BRON/BROEN after waiting almost two years and wish it was available in the U.S. television market as it is one of the best series, period, on television in this century.

"Nothing would make me happier than to make my own curly fries."

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I guess, it depends on what you mean by "similar". There are a number of good police procedurals out there.

As mentioned:
Blue Murder
Broadchurch
Vera

Also:
Shetland
Above Suspicion
Trial & Retribution (talk about annoyingly flawed characters)
George Gently
Single-handed
New Tricks
The Fall
Luther
Hinterland


Out of Australia (available at Hulu):
City Homicide
Rush

I don't trust people who don't like pets and I don't trust people who pets don't like.

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I love this show too. I've watched all episodes several times - still waiting for updates. I don't understand some of the criticism - these ladies are fabulous actors and if you hate what their characters do/say/not bathe whatever - then they are doing fantastic jobs. I've seen both leading actors in Doctor Who episodes and the were great there, too. I came here trying to find what else they've been in because they are really wonderful actors.

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Happy Valley streaming on Netflix is great. Same writer as Scott and Bailey. Also Broadchurch, another miniseries.

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Love this show. I want to shut Sally Wainwright up in a room and have her write, write, write!! IMHO, the best of the series with a female detective featured are Prime Suspect and the Scandinavian Bridge, with Vera and The Fall not far behind. If you go to youtube, you can find several British detective shows with female leads. I haven't watched most of them yet but I'm going to check them out.
Beauty is truth, truth beauty.

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I especially like Vera because the lead, DCI Vera Stanhope, is a fat middle-aged woman who drinks too much and is rude to EVERYONE. And the actress playing her, Brenda Blethyn, has charisma that explodes off the screen. 😬

If you can remember the 60s you weren't there!
Proud Strawberry Gusher!

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I know! I love the character and the actor. I can relate to Vera. But she is a little too hard on poor Kenny!

Beauty is truth, truth beauty.

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Are you kidding? Kenny loves Vera and she loves him -- and so they expect a lot from each other. This is a very high energy relationship.

In my opinion, many police procedurals rely too much on formulaic relationship elements laid over on equally formulaic cop stories. I find a completely different sort of story building in shows like Scott and Bailey and DCI Banks, not often found in American TV, perhaps because American seasons comprise 22 episodes and British 4 to 8, meaning that the Americans have to spread out creativity much thinner.😖

If you can remember the 60s you were not there!
Proud Strawberry Gusher!

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