An ITV British police procedural centered on identity theft. The television series starred Aidan Gillen and Keeley Hawes. (2010)

1 Season, 6 Episodes

Available on Acorn, Netflix

The Guardian’s Sam Wollaston’s review:

Time to call in Keeley Hawes and her crack new police unit, the stars of Identity (ITV1). Poor Keeley, she’s only just been killed off as one TV rozzer, now she’s immediately reborn as another. She seems destined to fight crime, for ever. Helping her this time is Aidan Gillen, the mayor of Baltimore from The Wire. Keeley and Aidan wouldn’t mind a little piece of each other’s identities, if you know what I’m saying. They’re constantly pouting at each other, and raising eyebrows flirtatiously. “Who’s that, your girlfriend?” asks Keeley, after Aidan takes a call. MORE…

British TV police drama takes place primarily in 1965 Oxford.  Shaun Evans stars as the rookie detective Endeavour Morse, guided by D.I. Thursday (Roger Allum) in this prequel to the Inspector Morse series created by Colin Dexter. 

(2012 -Present) Pilot + 2 Seasons to date. 9 Episodes

Available on PBS, ITV, Netflix, Amazon

Wall Street Journal’s Nancy deWolf Smith‘s review:

The time is 1965, in Oxford, England, and Detective Constable Endeavour Morse has just been detailed to the Oxfordshire police department and an investigation into the disappearance of a teenage girl. Morse (played by Shaun Evans, and fascinating to watch) studied classics at Oxford and reveals erudition on many subjects as the story unfolds. Yet he is the son of a taxi driver, we learn (and a prim teetotaler at this point), who now seems to fit into no particular milieu.

Although Morse is largely brushed off by other officers, he finds a mentor in his boss, Detective Inspector Thursday, who shows him the ropes over a pint of pub ale (there are many such clues to Morse’s future behavior) and has the sense to let his charge dig around on his own. MORE…

Crime drama television series starring Marton Csokas as Chief Inspector Javier Falcón, set in Seville Spain. Created by author Robert Wilson.

(2012) 1 Seasons. 2 Episodes

Available on Acorn Streaming

Blog Critic’s Richard Marcus’  in-depth review:

The troubled cop with a mysterious past and a serious drinking/drug problem has become so commonplace in television shows and movies the character can be cliche. It takes a script of incredible quality and an exceptionally talented actor to make both the role and the program work. Audiences are no longer going to be satisfied with being shocked by the sight of a cop snorting cocaine; there has to be something more to the it than just his or her addictions or troubles.

For those looking for that little bit extra, they need look no further than Falcon, a new release from Acorn Media. Each of the two DVDs in this set contains a full-length, 90-minute movie set in Seville Spain following Detective Jefe Javier Falcon (Marton Csokas) as he delves into two very delicate murder investigations. While Csokas’ character definitely has his problems (he buys mysterious packets of white powder in back alleys and ingests them by mixing their contents into glasses of water and drinking them down), the show doesn’t make a big deal out of his drug use. Normally a show will make it furtive and ugly, but here it’s all sort of matter of fact. He buys his drugs, goes home, mixes it up and drinks it down. MORE…

BBC production. Italian police drama stars Rufus Sewell and Caterina Murino as Italian police detectives. Based on the Aurelio Zen novels by Michael Dibdin. 

(2011) 1 Season, 3 Episodes

Available on Netflix, PBS Streaming, Amazon

New York Post’s Linda Stasi’s review:

Who is that dashing Venetian detective working in Rome? The one who’s so cool he’s sizzling, so smart it’s scary and so sexy he makes it all positively captivating?

Aurelio Zen (short for “Zeno”), that’s who, and he’s the best, hottest foreign detective to play America since James Bond showed up all those decades ago.

Played to perfection by Rufus Sewell, Zen is an honest cop who still knows how to play the game — seemingly doing the bidding of pols, prosecutors and police brass while figuring out how to solve a case without destroying the powerful who may be behind the messes.

Complex? You bet. In fact, the cases are as complex as the winding streets and crazy piazzas of Rome — and just as much fun to traverse. MORE…

British TV police drama. London’s Whitechapel district detectives deal with murders replicating historical crimes,  including Jack the Ripper. Rupert Penry-Jones stars as D.I. Joseph Chandler a wealthy up-and-comer saddled with a defiant homicide squad egged on by Sergeant Miles (Phil Davis).

(2009 -2013) 4 Seasons. 18 Episodes

Available on Amazon Prime Streaming, Amazon

RedEye Chicago’s Curt Wagner’s review:

The stylish “Whitechapel” (9 p.m. Oct. 26, BBC America; 3 stars) tells the story of a copycat killer, but the series itself does a whole lot of copying from past crime shows. It’s a wonder it manages to be so riveting.

The six-part drama follows rookie detective inspector Joseph Chandler (Rupert Penry-Jones), an ambitious young officer who is being groomed for a cushy job at police HQ. To get there, though, he has to spend some time in the trenches with an unruly homicide squad led by veteran Detective Sergeant Miles (Phil Davis), who immediately challenges his new boss. “Another fast tracker,” he scoffs. 

Chandler doesn’t do himself any favors with the guys. A neat freak who wears expensive tailored suits, he scolds Miles and the disheveled staff about their appearance, their work ethic and their body odor. (“Haven’t you heard of showers?” he asks.) MORE…