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Season 1 – Criminal: UK

Play trailer 0:59 Poster for Season 1 – Criminal: UK Sep 2019 Crime Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
85% Tomatometer 39 Reviews 89% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
In a grueling interview, detectives pressure a taciturn doctor to confess to a murder.
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Criminal: UK — Season 1

Criminal: UK — Season 1

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Though a bit uneven, Criminal's claustrophobic stylings and constantly twisting narratives pair nicely with its visual experiments, creating a crime drama that's equal parts creepy and captivating.

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Critics Reviews

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Graeme Blundell The Australian 12/02/2020
No firing guns, orchestrated special effects, fistfights or high-speed car chases. And yet it remains absolutely gripping. Go to Full Review Lucy Mangan Guardian 12/09/2019
4/5
The glory will go to [David] Tennant as the guest star, but Lee Ingleby deserves just as many plaudits for his equally restrained, unshowy and completely convincing performance as the officer in charge of the investigation. Go to Full Review Ed Cumming Independent (UK) 12/09/2019
4/5
Criminal is an intriguing experiment in intensity, aided by set and sound design that ramps up the claustrophobia. Go to Full Review Marty Brown Common Sense Media 02/27/2020
3/5
International cop drama has unique format, formulaic cases. Go to Full Review Anne Brodie What She Said 01/24/2020
God bless the Brits, no one comes close to matching their brilliant TV police procedural series. Go to Full Review Allie Gemmill Collider 12/09/2019
3/5
There's something crushingly repetitive about Criminal, primarily because of its contained setting which risks restraining the action to the point it feels claustrophobic. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Deborah S @extraneouspattern 06/24/2025 It’s impressive how much they were able to achieve with minimal changes in setting throughout the whole season. Excellent writing, acting and directing. See more Gareth v @geewah 06/24/2023 This show works due to good acting and fine writing. Simple yet highly effective. See more 06/19/2022 If I started the show for David Tennant, I stayed for the rest of the cast, and Lee Ingleby in particular. The way he portrays his character is absolutely stunning, and the other cast members add something even better. Cases are interesting and very well dealt with, there are no embellishments or gore stuff, and they don't try to put people together for any reason as they often do in most TV shows. A real gem ! See more 06/05/2021 The diagnosis on mental health is appalling!!!! They have Borderline ‘the world resolves round them' this is untrue I have BPD and most of us blame ourself for failed relationships... by what your show says means I should justify killing tons of people cuz my mental health disorder... are you going to be my lawyer? It's unfair that BPD patients are targeted and nobody wants to help us so what can we do? Murder spree! See more 12/01/2020 Very effective use of a limited space and framework to create compelling drama. See more samuel l @RT76616206 10/12/2020 Criminal: UK is a mildly entertaining crime drama, but it's not realistic, the set looks too showy and sleek, and there's little character development. The acting is good, not outstanding, and the characters felt believable. On the other hand, the policing doesn't come across a believable and neither does the building they're in. Some of the episodes/criminals are definitely better than others - the last episode was easily the worst with a weird twist about one of the detectives. Sometimes the pacing feels off. Season 2 is much the same. It's worth a watch, but it's not as incredible as everybody says. See more Read all reviews
Criminal: UK — Season 1

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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George Kay

Creator

Jim Field Smith

Creator

Katherine Kelly

Natalie Hobbs

Lee Ingleby

Tony Myerscough

Nicholas Pinnock

Paul Ottager

Mark Stanley

Hugo Duffy

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Sep 20, 2019 Edgar As time runs out, interrogators turn up the heat on a stone-faced doctor suspected of sexually assaulting and slaying his teenaged stepdaughter. Details Episode 2 Aired Sep 20, 2019 Stacey With a shadowy colleague looking on, the team starts poking holes in the changing story of a combative suspect accused of poisoning her brother-in-law. Details Episode 3 Aired Sep 20, 2019 Jay The team badgers a reticent truck driver to locate an abandoned trailer full of immigrants, but a new interrogator's poor decision jeopardizes everything. Details

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Criminal: UK — Season 1

Criminal: UK: Season 1 Trailer Criminal: UK: Season 1 Trailer 0:59 View more videos
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Criminal: UK — Season 1

Criminal: UK Criminal: UK Criminal: UK View more photos

Season Info

Director
Jim Field Smith, George Kay
Creator
George Kay, Jim Field Smith
Executive Producer
Jim Field Smith, George Kay
Screenwriter
George Kay
Network
Netflix
Rating
TV-MA
Genre
Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
British English
Release Date
Sep 20, 2019