Karen Pirie
Genre
Based onInspector Karen Pirie series by Val McDermid
Written byEmer Kenny
Directed byGareth Bryn
Starring
ComposerStephanie Taylor
Country of origin
  • United Kingdom
Original language
  • English
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes3
Production
Executive producers
ProducerClare Kerr
Production locations
Cinematography
  • Ryan Kernaghan
EditorGareth Bryn
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time120 minutes
Production companyWorld Productions
Original release
NetworkITV
Release25 September 2022 (2022-09-25) –
present (present)

Karen Pirie is a British crime drama television series based on 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. On 21 February 2023, it was announced the series had been commissioned for a second season.

Plot

Karen Pirie, a young detective-sergeant, is in charge of reopening the cold case for the murder of a barmaid. Series 1 is based on the first novel The Distant Echo.[1][2]

Cast

  • Lauren Lyle as DS Karen Pirie
  • Chris Jenks as DC Jason Murray
  • Zach Wyatt as Phil Parhatka
  • Jhon Lumsden as Ziggy Jnr
  • Jack Hesketh as Weird Jnr
  • Buom Tihngang as Alex Jnr
  • Alec Newman as Ziggy Snr
  • Michael Sheffer as Weird Snr
  • Ariyon Bakare as Alex Snr
  • Bobby Rainsbury as Grace Galloway
  • Anna Russell-Martin as Rosie Duff
  • Gilly Gilchrist as DI Barney MacLennan
  • Kevin Mains as DI Jimmy Lawson Jnr
  • Stuart Bowman as Chief Supt Jimmy Lawson Snr
  • Gemma McElhinney as PC Janice Hogg
  • Emer Kenny as River Wilde
  • Rakhee Thakrar as Bel Richmond
  • Steve John Shepherd as DI Simon Lees

Production

In May 2021, it was announced that Lauren Lyle would star as the title character.[3]

Emer Kenny wrote the adaptation and the producers are the same as for the series Line of Duty and Bodyguard.[1] The creative team is unusually young.[4]

Series One was written by Emer Kenny and directed by Gareth Bryn.

Reception

Ratings

Series One averaged 4.82 million viewers.

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."[5]

Writing in The Guardian, Lucy Mangan praised the show for its humor, 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.[6] 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."[7] 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."[8]

Awards

For writing the first episode, Emer Kenny was nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Episode in a TV Series.[9]

See also

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. ↑ "Lauren Lyle to star as Karen Pirie in ITV cold case murder drama 'Karen Pirie'". itv.com. 11 May 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  4. ↑ "'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.
  5. ↑ "Karen Pirie: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  6. ↑ Mangan, Lucy (25 September 2022). "Karen Pirie review – this female-led crime drama absolutely sings". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  7. ↑ O'Grady, Sean (25 September 2022). "Lauren Lyle is excellent in the refreshingly cohesive Karen Pirie – review". The Independent. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  8. ↑ 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.
  9. ↑ 2023 Edgar Allan Poe Award Nominations, retrieved 4 February 2023
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