TV law states that all middle-aged male actors must eventually play the role of Moody Cop with a Troubled Past (overcoat and alcoholism optional).
And so in BBC’s Bloodlands, we say goodbye to the boyish banter of Cold Feet’s James Nesbitt, and hello to grown-up Nesbitt, who fortunately still retains a twinkle in his sad eyes.
He plays DCI Tom Brannick who, on first impressions, is a dedicated single dad, conscientious cop and deeply disturbed by “something he’s not telling us”.
Some viewers did complain about all the cliches.
But do you know what? I think sometimes, we secretly love spotting them.
May I recommend cliche bingo – a game you can play to add a frisson of excitement to your viewing.
Brannick certainly is troubled.
Add to this a Belfast-set plot relating to the actual Troubles and you’ve got yourself a rather dark piece of Irish noir.
Produced by Jed Mercurio, the man behind Line of Duty, any comparisons to that ratings hit are probably unfair as this four-parter feels much more contemplative and not one police interrogation scene so far.
That said, Brannick does need to weed out a bent copper, mother of God so he does.
When a postcard featuring a crane is found taped to the wing mirror of a car pulled out of a river, its owner kidnapped, Brannick’s expression goes all Blue Steel.
“Is there something you’re not telling me?” asks colleague DS Niamh McGovern, played by Charlene McKenna.
“Yes. Carry on,” he replies, a fleeting smirk of dark humour.
Turns out the postcard is the calling card of a forgotten assassin, codenamed Goliath, who killed four people in the months leading up to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, including – plot twist – Brannick’s wife.
What we now have is a grieving detective on a mission to find his wife’s killer, who must a) dodge top brass who try and stop him, and b) trust no one.
Scenes flip from Nesbitt looking pensive and pained to tense moments including a petrol bombing and a particularly exciting scene with a bomb disposal expert.
By the end of episode one, three bodies have been dug up, Brannick’s Blue Steel look has become permanent and I am left with several burning questions.
Is Brannick’s wife actually dead? Who is Goliath? Is the police chief dodgy?
Is that too obvious?
And will Brannick break out the Nesbitt charm for the sexy doctor?
The gritty thriller continues tonight and whether we think we’ve seen it all before or not, this is a class act of its genre. I’m all in.
