Prey

Very similar to the Harrison Ford offering, but, at least there is a motive for our protagonist-cop to resort to violence. (Harrison had no clear motive to have brutally murdered HIS wife, although the 'she was more rich' is proposed.) One of the lessons a skilled detective SHOULD know is: don't tamper with the crime scene since that may link you to the homicide via forensics. However, in neither film does that slip-up create any irresolvable issues.

We know John Simm (a Martin Freeman DR WATSON doppelgänger) from LIFE ON MARS & GRACE. For this role, there's a lot of faces to put on, but, above all, is he shrewd enough to stay on the loose & put the pieces together as to who framed him? I am only in Episode 2, so, no spoilers here. The character actor Craig Parkinson can be be counted on to be slippery (he played the 'crooked cop' in LINE OF DUTY). And is there a Brit cop show without P. Glenister? Action-packed so far, with twists & turns. 8/10 (bit of language).

I only recently caught up with Prey which starred the excellent John Simm. It was a three part series which was a whodunnit drama with a twist. As he is charged with the murder of his wife and child Farrow, who is a detective himself, manages to escape and then goes to investigate the case whilst being on the run from the police at the same time.

The mystery was quite clever because it seemed like it was really complicated but in the end turned out to be really simple. The twist of being on the run at the same time was great and there was some really clever scenes where Farrow escaped in some excellent ways. It had fantastic characterisation and although John Simm is excellent in every role he plays I really thought this was one of the best.

A great drama and it is nice to see ITV being able to now compete with the BBC with high-quality dramas.

The Brits just seem to have the formula for these types of series..always spot on..better than anything on American and Canadian TV...and anything with John Simm in it is going to be A1 entertainment...

Great series with John Simm only in season 1..the only constant character was inspector Sue Reinhardt who figures in both season 1 and 2. Who is always on the verge of being demoted or fired but always manages to pull things off at the last minute ...season 1 was basically based around the old 60s TV show The Fugitive with John Simm as a police inspector accused of killing his wife and child and goes on the run..very formulaic in twists and turns..a few deceptions to throw you off the main culprit regarding who framed him..very well written..good pace..storyline. Season 2 was a little slower but basically same framed storyline about a prison guard whose daughter is taken hostage. He must conspire with an inmate to help her and her partner to find a past co conspirator and get the 200k in money they previously stole..in order for him to get his daughter back...who is pregnant also..inspector Sue Reinhardt to the rescue again in various unorthodox ways..but gets it done. Great series ..worth the time and a good binge watch..as mentioned Brits do it best!.......Darryl Arrand.

Both series were excellent tho, of course, for me the draw was John Simm.

In series 1 a police officer must clear his name in the murder of his wife and son. Betrayed on all sides, he never knows who to trust.

Series 2 follows a prison guard who is forced to assist a prisoner escape to free his kidnapped pregnant daughter.

Both men are relentless in seeking justice and in protecting the ones they love.

The entire cast is brilliant. Well worth watching!

Nick Murphy's drama 'Prey' is a fast-moving, gritty crime drama, with a typically strong performance from John Simm in the lead role. Although the plot is complex, the audience isn't really encouraged to waste too much time on it: the twists and turns are mainly Maguffins, serving mainly to justify the next explosive chase. If aspects of the series (lone hero set up for a crime he didn't commit) are generic, Simm keeps it real, and with just three episodes, it doesn't outstay its welcome. It's not quite up to the level of 'Prime Suspect', but it's nice to see ITV still keeping their hand in with authentic-feeling police procedurals.