khughes1981 It's now impossible to imagine anyone other than Robbie Coltrane as the rather eccentric psychologist Fitz. With his comedy background, Coltrane provided sporadic humorous moments throughout an otherwise bleak but compelling show. The supporting cast were great too, particularly Somerville and Eccleston. Jimmy McGovern's absence can be felt around the third series, (especially in Best Boys, though it's still a good piece of TV in its own right) but along with all previous series of the show, maintains the right pacing and excellent performances. I may have only discovered this show within the last number of years, but I have no regrets. It was bold, unique, even controversial at times, but all the better for it. Cracker rightly holds its place as a classic in television history. They don't make them like they used to.

showgirl626 I first happened upon this series years ago on A&E. I was transfixed instantly.The scripts are meticulous, the acting engrossing, the subplots just as incredible as the main story lines. You know almost up front who commits the crime and how the crime was committed, but getting to the end of each episode is still nail-biting. Coltrane portrays Fitz as both cynically burned-out on his job, and voyeuristically drawn to it (maybe partially to escape his own dysfunctional family hell).This is hands-down some of the best drama I've ever seen - on the big or the small screen - and Coltrane is wonderful to watch...it's hard to believe that this is even acting.Brilliant stuff. Highly recommended.Enjoy.

virtualsnob The overweight, compulsive gamble Cracker, played by the almost-brilliant Robbie Coltrane, is at the center of this British series centered on a criminal psychologist. Good writing, intense situations, and complexity -- so lacking in American series -- make this compulsively watchable.Coltrane, who has gone on to play odd personages in Harry Potter films, is endlessly interesting as a man who cannot conquer his own demons, yet understands, and seeks to heal, demons in others. His relationship with his wife is utterly realistic, and rather heartbreaking. His inability to control himself is at the center of the drama. In a series that shows the British command of unorthodoxy and human frailty, Coltrane shines.

mattgreen127 Cracker is as good as TV has ever got. Yes, an excellent cast and direction but it's the blueprint-the writing-that makes their work so gripping. They, themselves are merely 'driving this baby home'. The depth, the complexity, the multi-layered characters and 'anti-heroes'. Keep in mind, this great work would not transfer to film. It's a wonderful example of great TV coming in a package of a time-specific episode, where the 'playing' and direction has to be 'large' to engage us-the small screen has this disadvantage against the movie theatre and yet, not so 'large' as to make it all incredible. McGovern knows when to lift us-usually,with humour- and when to hit us. Take for an example of the latter, the best....THE BEST death scene in TV history-when the magnificent and under-rated Christopher Ecclestone (Bilborough) gets done in by the wacko (played beautifully by Robert Carlysle-proving that he could do great stuff before we were baffled by Moulin Rage.) Truly a landmark scene in TV history. I haven't even mentioned the big questions it asks of post-Thatcher Britain!