Why Are Americans Obsessed with British Crime?

 

My husband and I spent last evening in the quaint seaside town of Aberystwyth, Wales (Population 18,093 in 2011, per Google). For such a small university town, it has a  lot of murders. We sat on the edge of our seats as a car was pulled out of a pond on a farm, revealing the body of a dead woman. For the next 90 minutes, in rain and sunshine, we took a scenic tour of the hills, dales, and coast of this beautiful area. Every episode of Hinterland on Netflix provides us with another reason to say, “We should go there some day!” However, I don’t think the creators meant to make this a travelogue—or did they?

British crime shows cast a spell and keep us there until we are released by the end credits. How do they do this? They use the power of story.

1. First and foremost, they start with interesting, complex, characters.
2. Back stories for these characters are introduced slowly over time.
3. The characters’ motivations, goals, and conflict are interwoven with the plot.
4. It is a “standard” police procedural, but the plot is anything but.
5. The villains are just as interesting as the heroes, with their own motivation, goals and conflicts.
6. The dialogue (while accented) is realistic. There are gaps, misunderstandings, and meaningful silences.
7. The actors’ performances are understated, nuanced, and rely on subtle changes in facial expressions to communicate emotions.
8. There is a satisfying solution to the crime puzzle at the end of the episode(s).
9. The clues are laid out for the viewers—but the writers still manage to surprise us.
10. It’s like traveling without the inconvenience or costs.

I’m thinking about biting the bullet and subscribing to Acorn, but before I do that, tell me your favorites so I can put them in my Watchlist!

Happy “travels”!

Sharon Buchbinder writes paranormal, romantic suspense stories that take place in Florida, Montana, and points in between. Her police procedural novel, Tears of the Wolf is a 2021 RONE Award Nominee and is available in Kindle, Paperback, and Audiobook.