Why you should be watching Apple’s Criminal Record
Review Overview
Cast
8Corruption
8Complexity
8Ivan Radford | On 24, Jan 2024
Sometimes all a TV show needs is a good cast to stand out from the crowd. “Have you seen that new crime drama?” isn’t necessarily a question to grab your attention. “Have you seen that new crime drama with Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo?” is enough to make you cancel your evening plans. Criminal Record, which sees the two of them face off with glorious intensity, doesn’t disappoint.
Cush Jumbo plays DS June Lenker, a young copper with an innate drive to do the right thing. So when she’s asked to review an anonymous domestic abuse call, she can’t ignore what the caller says about their partner claiming to kill some previously, only for someone else to go to jail for the murder. The caller knows just enough details for it to tally with a case from several years ago: the death of someone called Amelia. Amelia’s boyfriend, Errol, is serving a 24-year prison sentence – and it doesn’t June long to learn that Errol’s mum, Doris (Cathy Tyson), and defence lawyer, Sonya (Aysha Kala), are still convinced that he’s innocent.
The case fell under the remit of DCI Daniel Hegarty (Peter Capaldi), a veteran copper with a stern frown and clinical approach to procedure. He doesn’t exactly take kindly to Lenker digging around an old case, leading to an abrupt exchange that puts them firmly on opposite sides of the force. At this point, another series might turn this chalk-and-cheese pairing into an odd couple who learn and grow from each other, as Lenker corrects Hegarty’s outdated views and behaviour. But not so Criminal Record. Peel back the surface and Hegarty’s gruff exterior conceals an even gruffer interior, while Lender’s dogged pursuit of the truth shows no sign of losing steam.
There are twists and turns aplenty as the mystery unfolds, with flashbacks teasing what Mathis did and why, while on-foot chases in the present day and unexpected bursts of violence lead to some genuinely shocking moments. We also wonder why Hegarty is moonlighting as a chauffeur at nights, when his disdain for his clientele almost visibly emanates from his eyebrows.
But the real reason to tune in is just to watch two immovable objects on a collision course. Because, you see, Criminal Record is smart enough to know that there’s no question about Hegarty’s complicity in covering up something dodgy from Amelia’s murder. We see him running about with old partners trying to secure secret evidence, but it’s effectively taken for granted that corruption is rife in the police.
And so the meaty drama and the gnawing tension lies in the ripples of injustice and prejudice that we witness flowing across the day-to-day reality of policing. Shaun Dooley’s unpleasant DC Cardwell is already notorious for his racist remarks and lives up to that reputation when we meet him, while interviews ostensibly to encourage co-operation are sidelined by accusations of unconscious bias – directed at Lenker by citing protocols down the correct paragraph and line number. At the same time, she’s wheeled out for the TV cameras at a press conference for a shooting, because the optics will be more favourable for the organisation – a timely nod to both the institutional discrimination and apparent disregard for women’s safety that surround recent news reports about the police.
The cast are all superb, never leaning into Line of Duty-esque drama to make their point. Zoë Wanamaker and Cathy Tyson paint a grounded backdrop as Lenker and Errol’s mothers, while Aysha Kala steals every scene going as the conscientious and bold Sonya. It’s her burgeoning friendship with Lenker that opens up the underlying question of whether the end can ever justify the means – something that simmers beneath both halves of the story. It’s underpinned by Stephen Campbell Moore’s nuanced turn as Lenker’s partner, Leo, who awkwardly straddles the line between concerned support and unthinking privilege.
At the heart of all, though, are two towering performances. Cush Jumbo is as brilliant as always as the relentless underdog, portraying not only her gritted compassion and passion for justice but also the way that it’s chipped away and compromised by the system she’s working in. With every increasingly risky decision she makes, she winds up hitting another brick wall.
Peter Capaldi, meanwhile, is chilling as the biggest brick wall of all. His connections and cruelty are heightened by his callous, matter-of-fact delivery that’s almost understated in its nastiness. He’s an insidious presence – a villain who’s too calculated to be cartoonish or simple, and a predator who scrutinises his prey in detail, just waiting for a weakness to appear.
The result is a gripping and frank dissection of misogyny and racism that sinks its teeth into the way that people see each other and construct stories based on those perceptions. And it’s a riveting showcase for two actors at the top of their game.