Hope Street (2020– ) User Reviews

Growing on me

[mccaughan2 · 7/10 · 8 December 2021]

Like some of the reviewers, I found the first episode cringe-worthy. There were many clangers. It's hard to be objective when watching locally produced TV. Lots of cliches.

However, three episodes in and it's trying to find it's groove.

As Northern Irish, I am happy to see a BBC drama based here and not about orange and green. I think the acting is mostly good. Donaghadee looks great.

I'd add that the show needs to decide what it is. At the moment it's skimming over gritty issues like people trafficking, while creating silly humour between the older characters and a portrayal of a naive constable. Maybe it's identity will evolve over the remaining episodes.

Overall, let's give it some encouragement. Shouldn't we nurture local talent and programmes about our country?

I liked it

[cherub32169-879-61941 · 8/10 · 19 February 2022]

I don't know; I liked it. I'm a huge fan of the dark and beautifully intense British shows that one reviewer talked about watching on a dreary overcast day but you could clearly tell from the trailer, this wasn't that kind of show. I check out trailers before I invest in a show. Anyway yes, it doesn't have the dark depth of Crime or Line of Duty. It's lighter and "easier". There doesn't seem to be the multiple deceptive plots which is kind of nice for a change. Everyone is entitled to their opinion of course, but it's a nice change of pace. Tonight I'm sure I'll be watching something with gloriously deep and twisted motives and so forth. But this will be in my back pocket to pull out often when I need to exhale.

Gets better

[mfjblakely · 7/10 · 30 January 2022]

Please don't judge this on the first two episodes. It gets much better, and by episode five it tootles along nicely.

The temptation to switch off is almost irresistible at the start when several seasoned actors (who should know better) ham it up and let everyone else down. They eventually calm down and remember to act for modern television rather than an amateur stage. It is interesting to see the dynamic between three key relationships. In each one a strong, nuanced performer is paired with someone doing exaggerated slapstick. Perhaps that's intentional but I'm my opinion it doesn't work well.

Very well done to the crew who must have had great patience to film almost exclusively in sunny weather. Sun, sea and sand make it a show to look forward to.

If you've given up, please tune in and stick with it.

Potential.

[vryum · 7/10 · 31 January 2022]

I've only just started the series. So much seems good, but they could use some subtlety: they have made the dialogue and characters so extreme. I just hope it improves.

The reviewers who suggested waiting were right. It is definitely light, but I do not think the writing or the acting are bad and I will continue to watch. There are times when light sweetness is a necessary respite.

Light and enjoyable

[calgarywino · 7/10 · 26 August 2022]

This series isn't complex, it isn't high entertainment but it isn't boring or terrible either.

The whole group of quirky characters seem like people you know or have met, and it's easy to care about them. Yes, at times it's a little soapy, but you can't help watching and caring about the outcomes.

All in all, it's very pleasant and a nice hour spent, kind of like Born and Bred.

Excellent bit of light viewing.

[markself · 9/10 · 28 December 2021]

Despite all the bad ratings on here, we really enjoyed it, it's nice to have something light easy going to watch rather than a heavy drama full of violence, it's nice with all that's going on in the world at the moment to have a bit of light relief!!

Enjoy it very much

[htsczpd02 · 7/10 · 25 November 2023]

Light and cozy watching. I've not had a desire to binge watch, but that's not a bad thing; it's a feel good, character, relationship, and community focused series filmed in Ireland. Far from a typical American-style series (a good thing in my books); no resorting to loud car chases, violence, sex, guns, and killing.

The characters are interesting and well developed, the actors are great, and production is terrific. The traditional drums in the soundtrack are a lovely addition, and the visuals are a delight.

Wholesome and gentle entertainment - enjoyable enough to be watching season 3, and hoping for a fourth season.

A lovely wee series

[angelaobeirne · 10/10 · 9 February 2022]

So glad I ignored the detractors, and watched all the episodes. Thoroughly enjoyed the series, the characters have their flaws but there's more to like about them than not, even nosy Concepta, the banter between her and Barry is great too! There are a few issues tackled and all done very well to boot!

Really hope there's a 2nd series, they've left us with more than a couple of cliffhangers!!

Good show with thick accent

[dawarr3 · 7/10 · 13 October 2022]

I enjoyed the first episode. I like the bright filming. So many of today's shows are dark even during the daylight. The sound is good but the Irish accent is difficult to understand a lot of the time. It will be interesting to follow the series and see how the characters develop and to learn the real reason why the new detective has come to town and why the sergeant is so against the new hire. The program has a winner in the setting. The setting is a great change from the usual stuff we see.

I cannot understand why the program is getting such harsh reviews. The story is realistic and the acting seems to be top rate. I do wish though that the director would fill up the teacups. There is nothing worse than actors pretending to drink from empty cups.

Really disappointing

[Ralindon0 · 4/10 · 28 February 2022]

As another reviewer said, this show started off well but turned into a soap opera. Hope Street has little to do with a crime mystery and plenty to do with small town relationships, prying and melodrama. What a shame. The potential was there and it crashed and didn't even bother to burn.

Addendum: Season 3 has continued the erosion of Hope Street into a soap opera, as I alluded to previously. It's become barely watchable because of the melodrama and cliffhangers that fail. All that has been exacerbated by the over abundance of establishing shots between every single scene. These fillers are unnecessary and distracting. I suspect tonight's episode (number 5] will be our last for this promising but disappointing series.

I don't understand all the negative reviews

[cerickson · 10/10 · 26 January 2022]

This was so much better than most of the US produced TV shows. The characters were good and likeable. Much better than I expected after reading some of the negative reviews.

An easy watch, though hardly original

[humboles · 7/10 · 8 October 2022]

Hope Street looks and feels familiar. The BBC ran a drama in 2015, 'The Coroner', set in a Cornish seaside town, which similarly ran to 20 episodes, concerning an attractive young woman coroner (Claire Goose) as Jane, who works in tandem with the small local police force, where she has an unresolved relationship with a local DS, Davey. Cue the 'will they, won't they' sexual tension, a running theme. There are several parallels: the drama is set against an attractive seaside location in a small Atlantic fishing port; one episode is cleared up when we discover that a character's gender has long been hidden; the local pub is a key location, etc.. The scripts in both series attempt to balance the crime action with the private life of the main characters. More recently, the gentle New Zealand rural crime series 'Brokenwood' has been exploring similar territory.

In all three, the current case must be resolved in one episode and, the odd gory detail aside, all three avoid gritty reality, as befits the daytime TV slot. And, like the BBC's long-running 'Doctors' series, all have been accused of hammy acting, which must be hard to avoid when made on small budgets in cramped spaces with never a swear word, where the action revolves around parochial fluff with an attempt at amusing tension and banter between eccentric stock characters. We saw this much-repeated formula in 'Heartbeat'-sleepy attractive location, underlying romantic difficulties, loveable rogues, gentle whodunits, the work/life balance problems of the police officer, etc. Cosy stuff; so don't expect too much and there's plenty to enjoy.

I did find the direction (editing?) irritating where scenes tailed off to characters silently looking tense for seconds, or rolling their eyes. Echoes of 'Acorn Antiques'.

The cast list shows S1 characters Barry and Concepta don't appear in S2, and Nichole and central character Leila appear once only, in S1E2. Series 2 action seems to move to Flynn, Callum, and Flynn's family. Shame-Leila's full-lipped pout was worth series of its own.

Stupid but sort of watchable

[kpassa · 3/10 · 30 December 2021]

The acting is bad, the plots are stupid beyond belief but the scenery is nice and it's a British program, which is a nice thing for expats like ourselves to watch. One of those programs to watch when nothing else is available and you need some filler.

Won't anticipate a S2 ... but .....

[woodvillelite-1 · 6/10 · 12 February 2022]

My feeling is where there is a rating of 1 or 2 ... 9 or 10 there are hidden agendas and I dont bother to read them. More in the middle are more honest to read.

Now that I am finished I can say I really liked the characters and the locations. I was annoyed the flirting started so soon in the show between Finn and Leila ... seriously .. she just arrived. I am sure there is a rule or restriction against officers in the same unit being familiar.

Even with purging through it in a few days and with the way the last show of season ended ... I am not going to be anticipating S2 right away or be upset if it doesn't happen.

I will be looking into what other shows Ciaran McMenamin has been in .... for sure!! He was a definite plus that kept be watching.

Struggling script writer

[fcb-85558 · 6 March 2024]

Such a shame that the writers /producers think we are that dense that they have to continually show the location frontage to give us a clue as to where the next scene is staged !?

I lost count of how many times they screened the Police station, Commodore pub front and even interview room 1 , not sure if they have an interview new room 2 yet , not seen tibia don't think ?

The sea front scenes are great, but even they are repeated times over.

I think if I did a stop watch on scenes acted and scenes repeated, the times would not be that far apart from each other , or perhaps a little more acting would grab the minutes !

Like the show, Apart from the above......

A Cliffhanger With Probably No Answers

[hvsteve1 · 6/10 · 15 March 2022]

An entertaining diversion. However, after all episodes, the story ended with several cliffhangers out there and, assuming there is no season two, we'll never know how it ends. This is not the first BBC series where I've seen this happen. Home Fires ended season 2 with most of the main characters in a house hit by a crashing plane. No season 3. I also couldn't wrap my head around a town of obviously pretty good size with a three-person police department. Otherwise, OK.

Cozy Cop Drama

[braswellfamily · 8/10 · 2 March 2022]

I really enjoyed this Irish Cop Drama. The quaint community of this sleepy little Irish town is charming and engaging and the characters are sweet and likable. I hope there will be a season 2.

Had Potential...then Series 2 Happened

[maryvict · 6/10 · 8 November 2022]

I stumbled upon Hope Street on BBC One when Series 1 first aired and I loved it from the beginning. The characters were people I could relate to and were likeable, along with some great storylines. Unfortunately some of that good was undone in Series 2. Again there was some great storylines and plot points as well as some brilliant acting (special shout out to Ciarán McMenamin) but the Siobhan/Finn relationship soured the Series. The number of emotional u-turns done by Finn must have the guy dizzy. It almost completely erases the existence of Leila and what she meant to him so you could honestly watch the second series without knowing anything of the first.

The cliffhanger at the end of the last series wasn't 'was Finn going to die?', (he's the main dude, of course not!), it was the question posed by Concepta - 'Airport or Hospital'? Basically 'Leila or Siobhan'? No-one races to a Hospital for a non-urgent appointment, the conversation could have happened when she got home so it could be assumed that he was going after Leila. Now there's a million reasons why an actor can't appear in a series but this feels like a door could have been left open. Not only was the door slammed shut in Leila's face; it was bolted, padlocked and the key thrown away. Almost as if the writer's went for one thing and then changed direction at the last minute. (Don't get me started on some of the inconsistencies from one series to the next....)

Please go back to being a nice watchable drama, and not a soap opera that gives the audience whiplash with decisions being constanly changed. I loved Hope Street before and I want to love it again. It is a great show that can showcase the best of Northern Ireland but it needs to make decisions and stick to them. Hence why I gave it a fair 6, (8 for series 1 and 5 for series 2).

Getting Better

[carolcropp · 8/10 · 4 February 2022]

As much as I am enjoying this new series I can't understand why two Police Officers need to get romantically involved. It is very unprofessional and detracts from the storyline. I am getting a little tired of the flirty glances and suggestive smirks going on between them. Otherwise a watchable series.

Light and Breezy drama with a beautiful setting

[barryrd · 7/10 · 12 October 2023]

I enjoy watching this show as a break from the hardcore crime I often get caught up in watching. The town is a beautiful spot, shown vividly in the aerials at the start of each program and there is a cast of characters that you might see in any small location where people all know one another. Finn, the head of the local police, is a smart, down to earth guy with an on-again off-again marriage, who struggles with PTSD and the demon whiskey. His mother Concepta is the town busybody who takes on all comers who don't toe the line, as she sees it. Make no mistake, there is crime but it's the crime they can deal with because everyone knows everyone else and it doesn't take long to nab the culprit. After a few viewings, you get to know them all and enjoy watching the cast as much as the stories.

The audience can figure out for themselves where each scene takes place

[gorbals406 · 2/10 · 9 February 2022]

The show was a pleasant enough distraction from gloomy COVID boredom. However, the single most annoying thing about it was the never-ending external shots of where each new scene was about to take place. Without exaggeration, EVERY time the "action" was about to happen in one of the usual spots like the police station, the Commodore pub, Investigation Room 1, or Concepta's house, the exterior of that place would be shown first.

It felt as though the makers of Hope Street had decided that their audience would not be clever enough to recognise the new settings in spite of the scores of times shown. Either that or the exterior shots were used as time-fillers. I have never seen this "device" used like that before. I was tempted to go back and count the number of times the exteriors of the station, the pub, and the house were shown IN EACH AND EVERY EPISODE, but I'm not that masochistic.

Found very bingeable

[wendy-mccallister · 10/10 · 17 February 2022]

I almost didn't watch because of all the negative reviews but I am very glad I watched it. I felt there was enough crime and personal drama to keep it interesting. Hope there is a second season.

The Doc Martin formula with added crime - but...

[Tuluknaknak · 7/10 · 12 June 2023]

I'll be honest, this really isn't a very good show. It's pretty 'meh', actually. Someone in TV worked out that showing beautiful scenery with pretty inoffensive drama and varying levels of acting skills can get pretty good ratings.

I've added two points in my rating for easy viewing and scenery.* And I guess because everything else on TV is so utterly dreadful, depressing or unrealistic.

Not that this show is realistic, extremely well-written or acted. It really isn't. Yet, somehow, it wins you over. Maybe it's the accents?!

*Also, no dogs! Usually, these kind of shows have a 'cute' dog in them. ..

First episodes are wonderful; the rest is soap opera pablum

[msghall · 5/10 · 3 February 2022]

After the first episode, I was elated. It was tightly written, well acted and nuanced. However, as the episodes progress, a sense of icky boredom takes over. The plots, so expertly unraveled in the first few episodes, become more and more dreary soap opera, so that the plots become irrelevant. The largely unlikeable characters don't help. A wasted opportunity aimed at the lowest common denominator.

Just Ok

[buzzosborne · 15 March 2023]

Same bar same couples every show gets a bit boring after a few shows. Same scenes of police station and Harbour the only different thing every show is the crime with the village regulars sticking their noses into the business. The affair between the police chief and the detective and the ex wife who has come back to town is being drawn out to a point where it is come to the point it needs to end one way or another. I would not binge watch this show as it is always pretty much the same every show. Some of the characters are annoying and you wish they would go away. Everyone ends up at the bar at the end.