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.
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.