ladybug2535 H*L* is only offering seasons 18-27, so I can only speak to the show in that season range. So far I've watched seasons 18-20, I will update my review if necessary as I watch: While dated, it held up well enough as a police procedural. Dialogue and production values are decent enough considering it was filmed in the early 2000s. I generally like British television. The cases and the characters tend to be more "real" than the Hollywood versions, and for the most part this is true of Taggart as well---HOWEVER: My biggest gripe with the series is that the tension is artificially generated by the impulsive and often aggressive actions of apparently unstable major characters. This is just lazy writing as the cases, suspects and police sleuthing should be--and ARE interesting enough to carry the show without this added nonsense. Basically I'm just tired of this all too common characterization of any police force--American or British. It's ridiculous and frankly insulting to the viewer. Neither cops or detectives should be shown as being justified in breaking the law to "solve" a case--or abusing suspects. The one thing THIS show did right was to make it clear that these officers do actually make mistakes when they are "sure" they know who is guilty--AND they do (mostly) suffer the consequences of their actions. That raised my score considerably. The characters also repeatedly make the point that they have procedures for good reason, and it raises sometimes dire questions (and consequences) when those procedures aren't followed. But--I absolutely HATE how often the major character YELLS at his subordinates. He's rude and a bully. How would a person like that ever be in a sustained leadership position? He also likes to break the rules--in a "Do as I say, not as I do" fashion--which is completely unfair and ridiculous. Again, how could someone like this keep his job???? I do like that they sometimes show the team as disliking this aspect of their boss, but all too often they wind up defending indefensible behavior. It's so unnecessary! I really, really hope that this particular character doesn't stick around--or that his character arc has him "growing" out of it.Overall the stories are interesting and the dialogue and the acting are decent. If they cut out the neurotic and abusive nonsense by the main characters this would be a terrific show.

TheLittleSongbird Taggart is definitely gritty, but you can't really have a murder mystery that is funny. Sometimes Touch of Frost is like that, but that is because David Jason is a comedy genius, and also knows when to be serious. But if you want a gritty, sombre murder mystery with totally original ideas, Taggart is perfect for you. Such a shame that Mark McManus died during the series' very successful run, though Alex Norton does do a competent job as DCI Burke. Blythe Duff is a very talented actress, and John Michie and Colin McCredie do a credible job also. The episodes are sometimes brutal, but always gritty and tense. Although I am more familiar with the more recent episodes, I wish there were more repeats of the earlier ones with McManus. Another special mention should go to the theme tune, very good indeed, and it was a really original idea to base it around Glasgow. 9/10 Bethany Cox.

Gunnar_Runar_Ingibjargarson Scottish detective television programmer, created by Glenn Chandler (who has written many of the episodes), and made by SMG Productions (STV) for the ITV network. Taggart is a Glaswegian detective television programmer, originally set and filmed in the area of Maryhill police station in Glasgow, Scotland, but is internationally famous and is now translated into many languages including Dutch, French and Japanese. The series revolves around a group of detectives in the Maryhill CID of Strathclyde Police. It is the world's longest continually running police drama,[1] although "Woodentop", the one-off drama that later served as a the pilot for another ITV police drama, The Bill, aired one month before the first episode of Taggart.The Scottish English and Glasgow Patter used by the characters in the show has been the subject of a number of skits. The 1980's BBC Scotland comedy series Naked Video regularly featured a series of 'Taggart' sketches in which Tony Roper portrayed Mark McManus/Jim Taggart complete with his "There's been a murder!" catchphrase pronounced with an extremely thick Glaswegian accent rolling the 'r' in murder. There is also a Tennents lager advert where CG-animated pints of Tennents play Taggart characters. "There's been a murder!" was commonly used to stereotype the show - especially in the Mark McManus era.

merlin-35 Taggart is definitely the best of these British murder mystery police shows. Inspector Morse is good, but Taggart takes the cake due to its huge body count and fantastic Scottish accents. The body count is the major thing lacking in series like Morse and the woeful Inspector Wexford. With Taggart, we are barely given a chance to come up with a suspect for one murder and suddenly someone else has copped it and throws a spanner in the works. Excellent show.