s k Wow. Where to begin? I just finished watching seasons 4 and 5 of Ripper Street and decided to give Whitechapel a try. Big mistake. This show seems to have been written and directed by rank amateurs. And the acting is about on par with the writing and direction. The plots are almost incoherent. The "detectives" could barely detect their own heart beats. The acting is wooden and one-dimensional. And so when it's all said and done, this should never have been said or done. It's embarrassing, really. No wonder crimes go unsolved in England.(NOTE: The reason why every line has is on its own is to conform to the "10 line minimum" of IMDb.)

pensman Not a typical series. The show is based on a sort of premise that crimes repeat themselves and for the first season it was tracking down a Jack the Ripper intent on replicating the original Ripper's crimes. And the following season follow suit to a degree but of course everything is updated and frequently contains a twist. The series relies on atmosphere and character relations, especially the growing respect between DI Chandler (Rupert Penry-Jones) and DS Ray Miles (Philip Davis). Chandler suffers from OCD and his fast track career is ended when he chooses to save his sergeant over capturing a criminal. Miles is a hard-nosed by the gut street smart cop. The two find themselves enmeshed in eerie crimes assisted by civilian researcher Edward Buchan (Steve Pemberton) who is a crime fan who surfers from guilt when his research can't save a victim. The shows get better from season to season and the third season two parter (episodes 3.5 and 3.6) will have you watching with the lights on. If you don't have patience for character development, I would suggest you just start with season two.

abrogard I really enjoyed this series but find it hard to put my finger on why. The filming, the locations, the atmosphere, the music, the acting and direction. They are all excellent. That must be why.But when thinking about it I realise there's virtually no story, no police work, no plot development. So if you are a fan of them you'd be disappointed perhaps.We just wait for the new Jack to do his thing without ever getting closer to finding him. We go down a couple of wrong directions thanks to the prompting of DS Miles. And that's all there is for 'police work'. It's all a frustrating no progress until the last reel when suddenly we go directly to the killer... well, as directly as circumstances permit. The touted 'teamwork' of the three simply doesn't exist. One of the three the other two have locked up for a while. Another of the three keeps us going down blind alleys. And the third does nothing until suddenly pulling the rabbit out of the hat like a magician.That's the kind of movie it is.

jacquelinekennedy "Whitechapel" is rather like a Dan Brown novella. What it lacks in actual writing talent, it more than makes up in storyline.The previous commenter skewered this 3-part ITV crime drama, a modernist re-do of the Jack the Ripper murders, but the high scores (9.0 out of 10 at time of writing) tell a different tale. Those who are watching are clearly enjoying this fast-paced, oddly dark series. I suspect this is a reflection on other lacklustre series offered today, as much as its own qualities, but equally it could be because of its ambitious narrative. It's one of those programmes which charms the viewer despite its flaws.Rupert Penry-Jones, he of Spooks/Cambridge Spies and son of television grande dame Angela Thorne, leads a cast of unevenly talented actors who have been given the impossible task of updating the Jack the Ripper murders. But it's not just the crime which has been updated, but for once, so has the copper.Like many "paper cops", who have more education than experience, DI Joseph Chandler (Penry-Jones) seems a bit wet to his hard-bitten colleagues in the force. His Savile Row suits, David Beckham haircuts, fashionably large Tag Heuer Grand Carrera Chronograph Calibre 17 watch (Penry-Jones is a big Tag fan), as well as homeopathic remedies for tension -- a mint pomade for the temples -- scream out metrosexual for these 'lager and crisps' men. It's all too much when he asks them to shower and look more respectable in a suit, not to mention actually read whole books on the Ripper murders, which they reluctantly do.East Londoner extraordinaire, DI Miles (Philip Davis), especially doesn't like this new state of affairs. It's possible that he sees a future when policemen will be more like Penry-Jones than the rogue-copper-with-a-heart-of-gold version he represents; he constantly refuses to acknowledge the lad may have some good ideas. His colleagues agree, save for one DI Chandler wannabe, played by Sam Stockman. With his off-the-peg suits, and "crapuccinos" (as they are teasingly referred to by others), it seems even the lower orders may desire a more polished style.The series is never bogged down by details of the old Ripper saga, perhaps due to the eccentric Ripperologist who hovers around the story, played to the hilt by the excellent Steve Pemberton. Could the mastermind of the modern Ripper murders, replicated to the exact detail, be none other than a man whose entire life is dedicated to Jack the Ripper? Or perhaps like an Agatha Christie murder, the obvious is too, well, obvious? Whitechapel may have any number of flaws, not the least of which are hackneyed character development, seeming like a cross between Prime Suspect, Morse and cult-classic Edge of Darkness, but it packs a very intriguing punch all the same.