Vexed a charming buddy-cop series
Police procedurals, by definition, are rote affairs. Start with a bloody murder, add in some detective mumbojumbo, then a twist for kicks and finish with a showdown designed for much fingernail biting and eyebrow knitting.
But man cannot live on generic cop shows alone. Somewhere in a steady diet of random-acronym random-city offerings you need something to cleanse the palate. That’s where Vexed comes in.
Consisting of a tight little pair of seasons — the first has three episodes, the second has six — Vexed is a U.K. import originally aired on BBC Two that dabbles in both comedy and drama.
It’s not demanding stuff. Starring the delightful Lucy Punch as Det. Kate Bishop and Toby Stephens as Det. Jack Armstrong working in modern-day London, it follows in the mixed-sex buddycop tradition of Moonlighting and the more recent TNT series King & Maxwell.
Kate’s the organized one, while Jack’s more laissezfaire. The dialogue is breezy, the flirting understated and the humour as mild as a pot of Starbucks blond roast.
Last week’s premiere played with the stereotype of love-lost women, the kind who watch Bridget Jones’s Diary and read He’s Just Not That Into You. This week centres on a depressed banker, and next week the kidnapping of a girl-band member.
In the anti-Hollywood tradition of British TV, there’s no fancy-dancy computer that can track a suspect’s whereabouts and preferred brand of toothpaste. The soundtrack, while sprightly, won’t give you heart palpitations.
Though the series isn’t as complex as your Broadchurches or your Sherlocks, it has a certain charm and is a fine enough way to pass an hour and, perhaps, practise your British accent so you can break it out at your next dinner party.
If you’re looking for more obvious laughs — the deep Vneck as opposed to the modest Peter Pan collar — Fox’s quirky police comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine is the way to go. Otherwise, you’d better catch this version of Vexed while you can.
Punch left before the show’s second season, and Miranda Raison (as the more emotionally immature Det. Georgina Dixon) replaced her. Super Channel will air both seasons back-to-back, with the first of Season 2’s six episodes debuting on Jan. 7.
“We’ve really tightened it up and made it consistent. (Season 1 was) slightly inconsistent,” Stephens told Digital Spy. “There were really funny bits and then there were slightly puzzling bits. Whereas with the six episodes (of Season 2), it’s all kind of seamless.” (Super Channel) ■ Space airs a marathon of Doctor Who Christmas specials, plus a repeat airing of the docudrama An Adventure in Space and Time. The Time of the Doctor marks Matt Smith’s final appearance as the Time Lord, and Peter Capaldi’s first. (Space) ■ In Duck Dynasty’s Season 2 Christmas special, I’m Dreaming of a Redneck Christmas, Miss Kay creates a four-meat dish, Willie plays Santa at a church event and the men put up festive lights. (OLN) ■ It’s a Wonderful Life, the classic 1946 film and inspiration for many a Christmas TV special, gets yet another holiday airing. (CTV, NBC)