PRIME SUSPECT, SERIES 1

Great!

Helen Mirren does a superb job as DI Jane Tennison. Great supporting cast.

PRIME SUSPECT, Series 1, is a tad dated but it has good bones. It was made at a time when England's law-enforcement agencies set about expanding the ethnic and social diversity of their personnel and mission. Thus, some of the gender, race, and class chauvinism that viewers were meant to deplore in gritty dialogue rings hollow now because British law enforcement has entered a new more culturally expansive era as reflected by recent British crime dramas that have disparate settings in the present. Ms. Mirren's performance is impeccable as an ambitious career woman who is dedicated to solving crimes committed against women. Ms. Mirren is supported by a deep bench of reparatory actors whose faces by now have become familiar to public television audiences. There are grisly aspects to the script and cinematography--descriptions of torture, photos of corpses--that make the show inappropriate for children, but such realism serves to vivify the bleakest aspects of homicide investigation. PRIME SUSPECT portrays a police force finding means to solve crimes perpetrated against the poor with as much success as it solves crimes that victimize the rich. Concern for the plight of ordinary working people makes the Series especially affecting.

I remember watching prime suspect when it was broadcast on pbs back who knows when. I don't think I stumbled onto until after a few seasons so I was eager to reacquaint myself with jane tennison from season one. I am so disappointed. not in the show but the sound quality. it may have been the way it was originally recorded (maybe the inthing at the time) but every sound from her shoes on the pavement to doors closing etc has an incredibly annoying echo sound. its so pronounced that it took away from what was happening visual to the story.i don't remember this issue when I originally watched PS. I couldn't complete watching even 1 episode. im devastated! I love Helen Mirren and was ready to settle in and overdose on prime suspect! can anyone tell me if it gets better or goes away in following seasons??Update: I just finished watching the 1st episode of Prime Suspect on Acorn tv. I signed up for a 30 day free trial membership because I wanted to watch season 3 of Vera without having to pay $12.99 for each episode. I decided to see if the sound quality was any better with Acorn than what was being streamed from Amazon. Well its like night & day. I don't know if the audio was digitally remastered for release on Acorn but the annoying echo sounds were completely gone. From reading other posts, I was under the impression that Amazon received the "rights" of some of the British shows from Acorn. So Im not sure why the discrepancy in sound quality. So I guess I will have to have my Prime Suspect fest as well as season 3 of Vera AND season 6 of Murdoch Mysteries during the next 30 days!

Prime Suspect is one of the most ground-breaking series ever produced. It made Helen Mirren's career, but if you don't know who she is, you will after watching it. I was not as thrilled with some of the later episodes but 2 and 3 are okay, and I loved the second to the last, which I believe would be #6, having to do with a war criminal. What people liked the most about the Prime Suspects is Mirren's interpretation of her detective, plus, the stories tended to be true-to-life with very few detours into unrealistic police procedure ... that only happened in the final episode, in my opinion. Episode 1's story is pretty timeless, and goes to show a lot about what the true criminal character can be, how professionalism wins the day and how things really work in a police precinct. If you're more of a Law & Order person rather than a CSI fan, you'll probably like Prime Suspect. And chances are you'll never forget detective Jane's crisp shirts and personality.

Helen Mirren at her best! This is the best season of the Prime Suspect series. I"m not going to do a review on the season because so many others have done excellent reviews. My review will be on the instant video. This used to be free (the whole series) on Youtube which was great for my old laptop. Now I can't find full episodes on Youtube anymore. I was hesitant to buy this on Amazon since it is SD and we have an HD "smart" TV. This series is not HD but looks clear as an SD can. After the disappointment of "28 Days" in SD on my laptop and and the HD TV, I did not want to waste my money on another bad instant video. And Amazon does not refund if you are unhappy with the video quality. I am satisfied with the video streaming and can't wait until this is formatted into HD!

I'm starting a collection of Prime Suspect episodes which I originally saw on PBS in the 1990s. Helen Mirren delivers a powerful performance as do the supporting actors. Her character is a strong role model, vulnerable in her personal love life and focused in her professional career. Very relatable. I bought the used DVD that's in pristine condition. Kudos to the seller who shipped it immediately. I got it earlier this week, probably 4 days before promised. I will buy more episodes and will continue to buy from the seller. Five stars to Helen Mirren, five stars to Prime Suspect character actors, the writers and directors, and another five stars to the seller.

It's always fun to see some of Helen Mirren's early days. As a police procedural, the show is focused on her developing character--she's got a lot of "baggage" so bit by bit you are there to figure out how her pieces fit--more so that with the crimes themselves. Each season is only two episodes long--each about 90m, so if you're determined you can see a season in a long evening. The exchanges between the detectives is subtle and fast paced so you need to really listen but that's what helps make this show a cut above many of the other crime procedural investigations.

the dvd is in great shape and the jacket is like new

Good reputation among Helen Mirren fans, but slow and weakly directed compared with modern TV series. I wouldn't rate it very highly.

as described and arrived before eta