From the man who brought you the Sun Hill fire comes the first original drama from Channel 5 in four years.
Starring Damien Molony, Fay Ripley and Clare-Hope Ashitey, this series focusses on three detectives in East London, as they investigate a violent crime. So far, so what... but Suspects is largely unscripted; scenes are semi-improvised and the thing has an air of a fly-on-the-wall documentary about it; with camera shots from CCTV etc.
The first season was split into two (to give it a better slot after it had problems against Line of Duty), counting as series 1 and 2 and airing in 2014. Series 3 and 4 aired in 2015, and a fifth series with a revised cast came out in 2016.
This show contains examples of:
- Cowboy Cop: DS Jack Weston, who frequently gets told off by his DI... and was once about to plant evidence on a suspect before said suspect ended up falling from his balcony.
- Luke, You Are My Father: In series five, Jack discovers his girlfriend from his teen years, while in prison, gave birth to his daughter. The ex and the daughter are intricately involved in the crimes being investigated.
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Spiritual Successor: To The Bill, with a focus on the officers only, little on their private lives and an East London setting. -
Throw It In!: What the whole series is based on... The actors are given extensive character background, a story line for each episode, and an outline for each scene, but all the dialogue is improvised.
