Judge John Deed – Season One & Pilot Episode (2001/BBC DVD Set)

 

Picture: C     Sound: C+     Extras: D     Episodes: B-

 

 

Yet another police procedural, Judge John Deed separates itself by having a more court room-focused set of teleplays and by taking advantage of having Martin Shaw (of The Professionals and The Chief) as the title character who is a good guy in the tradition of The Main Chance (reviewed elsewhere on this site) and I can see why it has been a hit for six seasons and counting.

 

What makes the show stand out also besides its star and some good supporting actors (Donald Sinden, Jenny Seagrove, Caroline Langrishe and Louisa Clein among others) is the smart pace each telefilm-length show takes.  It does not rush the story and try to be hip or flashy.  Instead, it takes its time to be smart and shows a respect to the audience that is never condescending; something too few of these shows do.  This is not plastic and its portrayal of the British court system is one of the best from British TV to date.  The episodes are:

 

1)     Exacting Justice

2)     Rough Justice

3)     Duty Of Care

4)     Appropriate Response

5)     Hidden Agenda

 

 

If you have missed this series and like this kind of storytelling, then definitely start with this set.

 

The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image throughout has more motion blur and softness than I would have liked and is likely early High Definition video production.  Needless to say the copies used are in good shape, which makes the problem all the more frustrating.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo can have some harsh points, but the recording is consistently good otherwise over the five shows here.  There are no extras.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo