Karen Pirie (2022– ) User Reviews

A solid new Scottish murder mystery series

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 28 September 2022]

The series, set in the university town of St Andrews, on the Fife coast, opens in 1996. A Police woman stops a student who is covered in blood; he claims that he and two friends found a seriously injured woman in the grave yard of the cathedral. When she gets there the woman is dead. The three students are detained but despite their somewhat implausible explanations there is no evidence that they committed the murder so they are released. Twenty five years later the case is still unsolved and after a 'true crime' podcaster uses it as an example of the police not caring about women the case is reopened. Wanting a woman to lead the reinvestigation they turn to DS Karen Pirie. She is teamed with DC Jason Murray. The case will see them talking to the trio of students again as well as to the victim's brothers, one of whom has a propensity for violence. As the story progresses various secrets are exposed and alibis broken; we also learn more about the victim.

When I sat down to watch this I expected it to be a standard ITV Sunday night mystery that would be wrapped up in one two hour episode; as the end of the first episode approached it was clear that wouldn't be the case. Thoroughly gripped I was concerned that I'd now have to wait a week between episodes but thankfully all three are available on ITV Hub so I could enjoy the series over three nights. The story got off to a great start before effectively introducing key characters; most obviously the eponymous DS Pirie. She is a solid leading character; making a refreshing change from the typical older character with some sort of emotional baggage. The story progresses nicely with the events of the present being intertwined with key events from 1996. The location is good; making a refreshing change from stories set in a big city while avoiding becoming a Scottish 'Morse' which could have happening in a famous university town. The acting is impressive; I particularly liked Lauren Lyle's performance as Pirie. On the strength of this story I hope we see more of DS Pirie.

Unintelligible??!!!!

[alicite · 8/10 · 2 October 2022]

I don't get it, seems like most of the reviews are written by people who's first language is English and they say it's unintelligible, I personally didn't have any problem and English is my third language, didn't find any problems with sound nor anything else that would make it hard to hear or understand what actors were saying.

Also someone wrote that the main character is too young! Too young for what exactly? To be a good policeman, to be a policeman and a woman to be in charge, sounds like some old fart has written the review, who has some issues with young women being smart, in charge and being able to do their job..

Can't also agree that it was predictable, enjoyed it quite a lot.

A pretty good series from the pen of Emer Kenny.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 25 September 2022]

D. S. Karen Pirie is brought into The Serious Crimes unit, and tasked with investigating a cold case, involving the death of a young barmaid.

Firstly, it's nice that after Ridley, that we're given another new mystery series, ITV really are going for the Sunday evening slot, I'm a fan of the two hour dramas, question is, does Karen Pirie cut the mustard?

For the most part, yes, well written, well acted and well produced, there's nothing particularly unique or original, but what was done, was done well. A little different, in that it's not a series of mysteries, it's a continuation of the same story.

As a big fan of Emer Kenny, it was interesting to see how her writing skills compared to her acting ones, she's clearly talented at both.

It's visually very good, though some of the dialogue is a little tough to follow, I had to have the subtitles on for the first ten minutes, as I just couldn't make it out.

Lauren Lyle did a good job in the title role, well acted, I'm hoping we learn a little more about Pirie.

A good watch, 7/10.

Close to superb

[markfranh · 10/10 · 10 October 2022]

I'm generally highly critical in my reviews and often can not understand why people score obvious rubbish highly. For a change, it's nice to be able to aware a series a 10.

When so many series have more holes in the pot than a golf course, it's nice to come across a gem like this which is as near perfect as one could hope for and with an excellent cast featuring a rising star in Lauren Lyle.

Yes, the point is regularly made by experts in the real police that too many roles are cast where the investigating officer is far younger than would be the case in the real life. Lauren Lyle is only 29 and hence that criticism would be entirely valid (and which has been made here by other reviewers who have completely missed the point) except for one rather key fact: she was chosen to lead the cold case investigation because she was thought a dead certainty to fail. Of course, someone that young would never be assigned to this sort of case in real life but if you don't understand why she was appointed to this case in this tv series, then you really have missed the point of the story.

Anyway, this is as close to perfect as I've seen in a while and let's hope more of Val's Karen Pirie novels can be made into television series in future years.

Breaking the mould of the mouldy old crusty detective.

[wisewebwoman · 10/10 · 27 October 2022]

Set in the university town of St. Andrews's in Scotland, this series (3 parts, total of 4-1/2 hours( had me gripped to binge it the whole way through.

Lauren Lyle was brilliant in the eponymous role of the detective - appointed to head up a cold case (25 years past) strictly because (a) she's a woman and the optics would look good to appease a demanding journalist and (b) being so young and inexperienced she'd be sure to fail.

I have to admit I guessed the outcome from the beginning but it did not spoil any of it for me.

It's refreshing to see Detective Pirie in sensible policeman style heavy shoes and a lack of makeup and a short haircut. I am sick and tired of stilettoed, false-eye-lashed, long curly blond haired female coppers teetering around after the bad guys. As if their hair won't be grabbed by some crook. Police training 101.

I do hope there are more in this series, it was so well done and the ending, even though I had mentally predicted it, took my breath away.

A rare 10/10 from me. And the other characters were very well drawn and believable.

Exactly what I expected

[rivervalo · 27 September 2022]

Sometimes I wonder what's wrong with people giving bad reviews...I guess you have excellent tv shows in your country and you don't have to watch all the garbage that netflix has to serve.

No this is not another Shetland. Nor inspector Morse, Vera or any other show that has been on tv for years. It will probably be a mini series. And I am still trying to figure out how someone claims to have seen three episodes, when only one has been aired.

Moreover, this is not a thriller. It is a crime show

I didn't notice any problems with the sound, since I 've been watching this with subtitles, but I guess there are, since enough people complained about it.

I liked the story, the characters, the actors And yes many people had home computers in 1996, but police interrogations were recorded with cameras using film. I do not remember digital cameras. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Only a few consonants away from 'Katy Perry'.

[markharnden · 7/10 · 27 September 2022]

Way too easy for the partially dyslexic like me to confuse this show with a US pop goddess but I'm glad I tuned in to the first episode, regardless of initial motivations.

As a university student in the mid '90s, the opening of this show sparked immediate nostalgia. Gareth Southgate misses his penalty at Euro 96 on the television of a pub in St Andrew's. The rough regulars roar their raucous approval and the action cuts to a table in the corner where three posh students begin plotting the rest of their evening. A party elsewhere is mentioned then one of the three surreptitiously invites a barmaid to the event; he has to be careful as her violently protective brothers are the other side of the bar.

The quality of this opening scene, it's intensity and vibrancy, it's contemporaneous accuracy and credible cultural setting, immediately hook you. Especially since Podric is one of the brothers.

Smart Scottish Crime

[fromkin-23-290370 · 10/10 · 27 October 2022]

John Rebus, Jimmy Perez, Jackson Brodie. Now, add Karen Pirie to the list of Scottish detectives to light up the small screen. A wee lass with a tidy brain and a good heart, Karen Pirie is a young detective in St. Andrew (spoiler alert - no scenes of the historic golf course), thrust into a cold case review with modern consequences. From a novel by Val McDermid, the story is well plotted, dialog well scripted, and characters well acted, particularly Karen, played by Lauren Lyle. Lyle is best known as Marseli Fraser in Outlander, but also played an anti-nuclear activist in the equally excellent submarine mystery Vigil. She's transitioned well from supporting to lead actress in Karen Pirie. My only regret is that this first - hopefully not last) season is only three episodes. Looking forecast to a second season.

Can't hear them!

[awiener1 · 7/10 · 5 November 2022]

Why do so many British shows have such poor sound? I can barely hear or understand the actors, yet the background noise & music are ten times louder than the voices! Don't they have competent sound mixees in the UK? The actors in Karen Pirie are Scottish & There's already an issue with their accents, which is made more difficult when every scene has music & sound effects that are much too loud & that obscure the actors' voices.

It's a shame too because it's a good series with a good plot. The sound problems make it hard to follow the plot because clues are missed when you can't hear the actors.

One of the BEST!

[jholland-34496 · 10/10 · 25 October 2022]

This is one of the best series I have watched in a long time. Action and story kept me guessing until nearly the very end. Everytime I thought I had it solved I had it wrong.

The acting is excellent. Many of these actors I had never seen before and I wonder why.

The writing is wonderful. SO suspenceful and many time soooo gripping! I was on the edge of my chair. I rarely watch an entire series in one sitting but this one I just couldn't bear to wait, I had to go onto the next episode. It is just so, so good.

I am hoping that this is just the beginning of a very long run for an excellent series!

Quite watchable

[jeffpsy · 7/10 · 26 October 2022]

Karen Pirie is an engaging, entertaining cold case drama of 3 episodes. Because the episodes are around 90 minutes each, it has the length of a standard 6 episode series. One way that British police procedurals surpass those from Hollywood, is that Brit cops tend to look like real people, rather than fashion models. I appreciate that. That said, throughout the series, I couldn't help but feel that Lauren Lyle as the main character was a bit of a miscast. It's not that her acting was bad; rather, her youthful, babyfaced look never quite worked for me in that role.

I also thought that her interactions with her male partners sometimes bordered on slapstick. Further, the series featured an acceptance of "fraternization" between cops that seemed a bit out of step with the current times.

These quibbles aside, I liked the series, and would watch a second season. As for the comments I've seen about the audio quality, it never bothered me, particularly because I close caption all Brit TV!

I thought it was great!

[saphiresh · 10/10 · 2 October 2022]

Unintelligible??? I am not understanding this at all.. As another reviewer said English is a 3rd language and he had no problems English is my 1st and I had no Problems. Maybe maybe get your hearing checked?

I did feel at 1st that the main character seemed young but I really enjoyed her performance and she did a great job and I think her being young had to do with part of the plot of the show, she needed to be young. I thought the acting was top notch and the cast was great.

I especially thought when Karen was interviewing Alex at a police station, his performance was through the roof!! I really hope there's a next season so I can watch it. I very much enjoy it!

Modest beginning but has potential and a good storyline

[JRB-NorthernSoul · 6/10 · 25 September 2022]

Adapted from a novel by Val McDermid is always reassuring to see and as you'd expect from the Scottish queen of crime the story was well worked out and intriguing.

With any new detective series you need to give it a fair chance to establish itself and Pirie did enough to hook me in. The premise is very similar to ITV's excellent 'Unforgotten' - a covered up crime from the far past gets a rude awakening.

It looked good and the script was decent, direction was patchy with a few static nodding dog interviews and some of the dialogue was inaudible. I did find her voiceovers a wee bit clunky.

Her character seemed a little dull if I'm being honest but it's early days and the plot really picked up at the end. I'm happy to stick with it and see how it unfolds and develops as a series and she grows into the lead role.

A decent but long and flawed three-episode mystery

[altereggo123 · 4/10 · 27 October 2022]

This could have been a lot better than it was. The basic story was sound, but everything about the way it unfolded was exasperating.

First, the excessive length. Three ninety-minute episodes about a mystery involving a fairly small universe of characters is just too long.

Second, the casting. The actress playing Karen Pirie looks much younger than she is, and she is dressed in outfits more appropriate for a school girl or a college freshman. No doubt this is to convey that she is a spunky young woman up against the patriarchy, but making her look like a teenager is silly.

Third, the implausibility of some of the crime-solving, e.g. The way Pirie obtains some of the key clues. (No spoilers here.)

Fourth, the wokeness. More than a whodunnit, this is a vehicle for grievances against white men. There are the arrogant and expensively tailored bosses who underestimate and hinder her. There is the feminist pep talk she gets from a former female officer. There are the violent, deceitful and/or generally awful male suspects. The only white male who is not a jerk is her subservient, uncomplaining assistant, and the only loving, non-abusive relationships shown are gay or interracial.

There is a lot of room for improvement if there is a Season 2.

Solid - but use headphones to watch it

[fritzthefresh · 8/10 · 2 October 2022]

In terms of sound I can't really complain, since headphones were in use.

Really liked it, with its decent twists & turns, plus good performances imho. Nothing is what it seems at first. Got flashbacks hearing Slam - Positive Education, scottish DJ Duo

At first I also thought she would be too young etc. However, if you watch the whole series you'll know why. Same applies to the point of the podcast starting a 25 year old murder to be reinvestigated... I get the feeling those people haven't watched the show, at least not till things are really unfolding.

And it is quite realistic having VHS tapes in 1996, since agencies like the Police were/are at least 5 years behind in terms of technology.

Good solid police drama

[mbell-56214 · 8/10 · 7 October 2022]

It's nice to see a slow paced police drama that doesn't feel slow or boring. Thoroughly enjoyed it and hope there will be more.

All the cast were excellent and there was good character development between the leads.

It definitely feels like this could go further, and make a nice change from the tired shows like Vera.

I know there had been complaints about the sound quality on episode one, but we watched it on the ITV Hub and had no issues at all.

Not sure about this extended review format that IMDB are now insisting on. It's rather unnecessary and just means people who want to praise a show end up going on like this.

Solid - yes

[grahamf-55542 · 7/10 · 14 October 2022]

"Solid" is a description used by several others and I completely agree. I've seen better police dramas but this was highly watchable and kept me guessing. A fine performance from Lauren Lyle. I had a sense that she had some problems trying to fit into her character. Perhaps this was a result of the production seeking to stick too closely to the book? I'm not sure because I haven't read the book.

Anyway, this was a satisfying short series, and I would consider viewing another.

I thought the flashbacks were handled fairly well.

Most of the other acting was competent but not outstanding.

If I could award a 7.5 I'd settle for that.

A Scottish Drama

[tim-137-552735 · 8/10 · 14 October 2022]

It's a good drama that has a plot that holds up for me the whole season, and this does. A good script highlighted by the small touches and lack of speeches so that it actually sounded like people talking to each other and not speaking to move the plot along. A current trope of time shifting is here too, but relevant. The acting was also down to earth without anyone trying to steal scenes. The setting of St Andrews's will add to any drama, and if anything was under used, but still played a role. The actors have experience in unflashy tv dramas and with no "stars" it was a real ensemble production and much better for it...

Enjoyed it!

[gallagherkellie · 7/10 · 30 October 2022]

Ok firstly I totally agree about the sound quality - I had the volume up so high and still could barely hear it. I had to have subtitles on the whole time (and not because of the accent, I can easily understand the Scottish accent as my dad is Scottish).

Apart from that, people complaining about the main actress are being silly. I thought she did a good job and I'd watch another season with her as the main character again.

The rest of the acting was decent, and the fact that the episodes were so long didn't actually feel like they were which is a good thing. I was gripped and finished all 3 in one day. The twists were decent and not too predictable. Looking forward to another season.

OK Sound is an issue, but the plot is excellent

[johnmaclennanuk-43259 · 8/10 · 26 September 2022]

I was concerned, as other reviewers say, that the sound production was poor but had assumed it was my TV. But after the first episode I then settled down to watch the following two. The plot may appear a bit obvious (in hindsight). Unlike others I really liked Lauren Lyle in the lead role - in fact a welcome change from middle aged obese men. The characters were all believable and I liked the switching from current time to mid 1990s. One puzzle -- Loch Leven ? It was not the one in Fife and looked more like Loch Lomond, but could have been Loch Leven, close to Glencoe? I hope ITV will film and broadcast more of Karen Pirie stories.

Slow start but worth sticking it out

[cathyannemoore-66196 · 7/10 · 10 October 2022]

Usually who done it dramas on TV fizzle out and the ending is weak or implausible. This drama was the opposite it starts of quite slow and the central characters are mostly dour Scots with very thick accents meaning I didn't catch every word. But there was nothing else on TV so I ended up watching episode 2 (including a few rewinds to work out what was being said) and 3 back to back. The ending was most unexpected and well worked out by Karen Pirie. It was not a rushed ending and believable as it was not a happy one, if there is another series I think the writer should make Karen a bit more cheerful.

Another flawed but enthralling thriller

[mugsyagain · 9/10 · 2 October 2022]

Despite it's flaws which are coverd in other reviews on here this is a very good thriller with enough twists and turns to maintain more than an interest.

I kind of worked it out early on (not bragging as this is a rarity for me) but I still thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

Pirie reminded me of a young Jane Tennison from Prime Suspect who, despite appearing to be, a token appointment proves herself to be more than capable in her role and fans of Prime Suspect and the likes will really enjoy this.

Lauren Lyle is excellent as is Chris Jenks as "Mint" and I genuinely look forward to a second series which I am sure will surface in time!

A decent storyline but awful casting

[indrajitadvani · 6/10 · 4 October 2022]

Fairly well-written Whodunit though there are enough clues early on via 'raised eyebrows' as to the identity of the villain. The real problem with this is the casting. No way is the actress who plays Karen Pirie a convincing police officer. Nursery school teacher perhaps. And her acting is diabolical. And yet we're promised a second series. She gives long pauses and no I won't blame that on the scriptwriter. She behaves like no police officer would. Lying on the floor for inspiration. Yes perhaps a nursery school teacher would. And her number two joins in. Really? In fact his casting is pretty terrible too. Sigh...

Could have been good

[sonnygambin-59853 · 4/10 · 30 September 2022]

Just wanted to first say this could have been really good, but firstly the positives a good script, great locations. It's different as well. Unfortunately there are many negatives. Firstly it's far too long, 3 episodes & 4 & a half hours on one story, could have been shortened to 3 one hour episodes. The main character is far too young, quite arrogant & wouldn't be senior enough to be in charge of such a high profile case. Then there's the casting directors & production company who seem to have to include individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds, plus mixed race relationships/ marriages into the equation. It seems these days if it's not film's, series's, or commercial's it's not a true reflection of today's society. I'm not against it, I just don't like it rammed down my throat with everything in today's programming. I don't know if ITV have commissioned more, I wouldn't bother personally.

Goosebumps

[burt_uk · 10/10 · 16 October 2022]

I don't usually write a review but I thought this series deserved one. It seemed to come out of nowhere.. for me anyway and I like crime dramas but sometimes they struggle to get the right balance of storyline, script, character development, actors, humour etc but this series has (for me) hit all the boxes. I actually got goose pimples near the end when Karen does her "thing". Each episode was long in time but didn't once feel like it dragged.

I think it is up there with Happy Valley and Broadchurch for the perfect mix although Karen Pirie tops it with the ending being far more satisfying Can't wait for more 😊