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If you loved Cuffs, there is another show you could try.


I LOVED Cuffs. It was different in almost every way from most of the police "procedurals" I've ever seen from the UK. The characters were varied and interesting. The perspective was unique and rather than being set out in "the moors" like Vera or split between london and it's outskirts, like DCI Banks, Cuffs was on Brighton Beach, an active and diversely populated location. The stories, some at least, may have had some sadness and a kind of darkness to them but they were mixed with stories that weren't that way because the show was about the teams in the station and not just one department.

I, personally, found it entertaining, surprising and challenging. It was just good programming with a great cast and well told stories. I liked it FOR it's differences not in spite of them. I'll miss it A LOT. And I honestly believe it could have ultimately found a devoted fan base if it had been given another season.

But if you liked it, like I did, for it's differences then there's another show I would rate even higher that you can watch if you stream your TV or if you have wider access than just basic cable.

Cracked is a show that was born and aired in Canada. It focused on "Psych Crimes", crimes involving the mentally ill. A problem that is both significant and largely unacknowledged. The show starts with what is more or less a SWAT officer being transferred out of his unit because he has a pretty severe case of PTSD. The police have established a special unit that includes two police officers (one from each gender), a female psychiatrist and a male nurse who spent years working with the mentally disturbed. This unit exists solely to work on "psych crimes" although they often crossover with the detectives who handle other major crimes. By the end of the first episode, I was hooked. The four primary characters are fascinating, well-written and have a talented cast portraying them. Each story covers a completely different aspect of both criminal and mental issues and in all of them, it is the PC team who responds and determines both the course of the investigation and it's resolution.

The show is smart, funny, touching and has a ring of truth to it that you don't see very often. It only lasted two seasons (because of course, the really great shows NEVER get renewed for any longer than that) but almost every single episode was compelling and completely absorbing.

Nothing is going to bring Cuffs back and Cracked may have only gotten two seasons, but if you're still pining for Cuffs, I honestly think you should give Cracked a shot. The similarities are great enough that, even though there are differences, it is WELL WORTH a look-see!

I know that when you find a show you love and then lose, it leaves a kind of void that's hard to fill. I've had that feeling any number of times over the years and the only thing that seems to make it better is another great show that is at least in the genre and can act as a life-ring when it seems you're drowning in bad programming. So if you can get access (I have an Amazon Fire TV box with XBMC loaded on it so I get all kinds of shows I would never have had access to through Comcast) give it a shot. I have found that it's easier to watch a series when you already KNOW that it's only going to have 1-3 seasons before you lose it for good and that knowledge seems to soften the blow. Cracked is worth the time, just like Cuffs was.

I hope this helps. Character and story withdrawal just bites! 😃

"He who laughs, lasts" - Mary Pettibone Poole

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