‘Criminal Record’ tackles racism in police ranks
Stars’ performances make show with thin plot worth watching
Apolice detective in London is asked by her boss to listen to a tape of an emergency call concerning an allegation of domestic violence. It’s more a formality than anything; the caller refused to give her name or any other identifying details. But she does let slip one bit of information that catches the detective’s attention: Her abusive boyfriend told her he killed his previous girlfriend years ago — and now another man is serving a prison sentence for the crime. Then she screams, and the line goes dead.
That call will be the undoing of several cops in the Apple TV+ police procedural “Criminal Record.”
Cush Jumbo stars as June Lenker, a detective who thinks the allegations are worth investigating, opposite Peter Capaldi as the older, more senior detective named Daniel Hegarty, who initially worked the case — and now uses every trick in the book to undermine June’s questions. Is it possible there was a wrongful conviction?
“I don’t want to embarrass you,” Daniel says patronizingly, “but some caller out of the blue, doesn’t give a name, he said/she said — frankly at this point, it’s starting to sound like a prank.” Behind her back, he and his cronies dismiss her as an ambitious token hire with an ax to grind.
Most organizations, be they public or private, are designed to discourage people from asking too many questions that challenge the status quo — especially if it’s a Black woman doing the asking. Systems exist to be preserved, no matter how amoral or dysfunctional.
This is what June is up against. Some of the corruption is driven by pressure from higher-ups to quickly close a case. Some of it is driven by sour, exceedingly stubborn bigotry.
Similar issues were at the forefront of Steve McQueen’s “Red, White and Blue,” one of the films in his 2020 “Small Axe” compilation, starring John Boyega as a cop who is quickly disabused of any ideas that change from within is possible.
But most British cop shows present a more idealized version of events — of a diverse police force where racism isn’t much of a factor in the workplace. The long-running crime series “Vera” comes to mind, not only because Jumbo co-starred on it for a couple of seasons, but because “Criminal Record’s” creators Paul Rutman and Elaine Collins (who is married to Capaldi) are “Vera” alum as well. They’re taking a different approach here, which makes the show stand out.
U.S. audiences might better recognize Jumbo from “The Good Fight.” Capaldi is best known for “Doctor Who” and “The Thick of It,” and together they are a riveting pair.
There’s not enough story here, or suspense frankly, to justify the eight-episode length — like so many other streaming shows, it would have worked better as a movie — but Jumbo and Capaldi’s performances are reason enough to watch. Her face is open, revealing her racing thoughts within. His face is closed off to better hide his secrets, but not his disdain.
June and Daniel are wary and distrustful of one another, forever on edge and trying to figure out how to undermine their opponent. She has righteousness on her side, but little institutional support. His colleagues give him the benefit of the doubt, while his cadre of equally dirty underlings do everything possible to muddy the waters of June’s investigation.
But the pair have certain things in common, including personal lives that bleed into their work lives. Both are worried about their children — her preteen son is racially profiled by one of Daniel’s henchmen to better scare her off; meanwhile he has his hands full as the single father to a drug addicted daughter who sees through his steely bluster.
The resolution, when it finally comes, is unsatisfying. After eight episodes, the thinness of the show’s ambitions are revealed. That’s probably closer to real life than most of us would hope. Even when the outcome tips in favor of justice, the Daniels of the world remain firmly entrenched.
How to watch: Apple TV+