Old dogs.

I’m someone who has a fondness for British television. No, not Benny Hill. I mean their current dramas, comedies, scifis, and such. Nearly all of my all-time favorite series are British shows, truth be told. I’ve become rather clever at using BBC America, Acorn, and PBS catalogues to find new British series in which I might be interested.

One such show I found this way and recently I started watching is called “New Tricks.” It’s sort of a cop show, but not in any way typical. There are three retired police that have been brought back in to be part of a team that tries to clear up unsolved cases. They aren’t actually cops, but they do work as detectives. The thing is, it’s hilarious. All the crap of being old, all their little idiosyncrasies – completely funny.

One of them has major neuroses, but also has a form of eidetic (photographic) memory, mostly for facts. Another has had three wives and a daughter by each, and is still a charmer. The third lost the love of his life, and still talks to her… at her grave in his backyard! It sounds so kooky, and it is a bit, yet somehow it’s all quite lovely. It works.

But for me, I think the best bit is their boss. She’s this hot blonde woman, but not at all in the style of a Hollywood-type (though in her youth she was once asked to star in a big Hollywood film, but her father was dying so she declined and was never asked again). She’s in her late 40’s and early 50’s for one. But she’s this tough, dare I say ballsy, copper that was on the fast track until in a raid she shot a dog and got bumped over to head this unit.

As a side note, the actress, Amanda Redman, who plays this “gov’nor” of the group has scars all down her left arm from being badly burned at 18 months old. She was in hospital until age 5 getting grafts and such, as she was burned all over her body… but the one bit they just couldn’t fix was that arm. Honestly, the show never addresses it and I love that she just takes it in stride – it makes her no less beautiful in any way. It is, in fact, a part of her beauty. How great is that? Fantastic in my book.

As for the show, I love that all the characters have depth. It’s so funny to watch how they interact and deal with their personal lives, yet in the end it is a cop show so they do solve crimes. I never thought of myself as someone who was particularly fond of cop shows, but lately I’ve realized if they’re good, it’s worth it. This one is, both good and worth it.

In truth, I’ve sort of become addicted to it. It’s had six series, which are about eight episodes each… and I’m on series three, so I’m not sure what I’ll do when I’ve finished them! Withdrawals are a b-word.