It’s never easy to revisit beloved shows, especially those that are beloved by both fans of the books and just fans of the show itself. BritBox attempted a huge feat with Lynley, and for the most part, it’s succeeded.
I will say that the four-episode season is the drawback to the show, and I say that as someone who loves contained, short seasons. The 90-minute episodes just aren’t quite enough to make up for just four episodes, and I’ll get to that as we delve into this Lynley review.
Don’t worry about spoilers. I’m not getting into them in the review, but watch out for them in the recaps as they happen each week.
Lynley moves away from a Lynley/Havers romance
The new BritBox series is based on the books by Elizabeth George, the same books that The Inspector Lynley Mysteries developed almost 20 years ago. There was a major change in that show, though, with a budding romance seemingly developing between the two leads.
That was probably normal for the time, if I think about the shows back then. The leads were the ones everyone wanted to see together, but that’s not necessarily right for the story. Lynley does it differently, developing the fledging friendship and partnership between our titular character and Barbara Havers. Considering the way the two are polar opposites, spending time to develop their partnership is much better than teasing a romance.
Instead, there is a tease of a romance in another character, who shows up in the second episode. This character is going to be the one who criminals (and just general enemies) can use to get to Lynley.
Meanwhile, Havers has her own storyline. She gets to remain a feisty, single woman who is just trying to make the most of her family life. Young girls need these stories now, reminding us that it’s okay to put career first, no matter how much some men will tell them that it isn’t.
In fact, I love that Havers doesn’t care about being liked on the job. She’s happy to push back and get the work done, and then she’s ready to clock out. She doesn’t even care if Lynley likes her, and she has to work with him all the time. This care-free attitude is hiding something deep down, offering us a chance to peel off the layers of her throughout the season.
Lynley is just a couple of episodes too short
I will always say that I appreciate shorter seasons. I didn’t grow up with the 22-episode dramas. Growing up in Britain, six to eight episodes were normal for a TV show, and it still is for me. The longer shows need filler episodes, rather than developing characters within storylines.
That being said, four episodes isn’t enough. Even at 90 minutes for each episode, I feel like we just get to see the partnership develop and we just get to know the characters, and then we take a break. There’s no guarantee of a second season just yet, and even if there was, we’re waiting at least a year for the episodes to air.
This could have been better as a six-episode or eight-episode season with each episode being 90 minutes, but I will take what we have. If there is a second season, it offers more room for development, and it’s something that could be considered and reworked.
This is worthy of a second season. The writing is superb, and the mysteries in each episode are twisty and fun to follow. Seeing a man in a suit donning his wellies to get into the boggy marshes of the countryside will always put a smile on my face, and I stand by my thoughts that there are times Leo Suter has a look of Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes.
Lynley is the next mystery series worth watching, and it premieres on Thursday, Sept. 4, with one episode airing each week on BritBox.
Get the latest TV crime drama news from Precinct TV.