Coming to PBS: "Prime Suspect: Tennison"

One of the first British mystery dramas that I ever got into was "Prime Suspect." It starred Helen Mirren and focused on a female police detective who investigated horrific murders and sex crimes while also contending with workplace hostility at the hands of her sexist male counterparts. "Prime Suspect" last for seven series between 1991 and 2006. It's a heavy program and worth watching if you haven't already seen it.

So you can imagine how excited I was when I saw a preview for a new program on PBS titled "Prime Suspect: Tennison" (or "Prime Suspect 1973" if you live in the UK!). It features Jane Tennison's first adventures as a 22-year-old police officer to learns to deal with intense sexism before finding herself thrown into the big leagues during a murder inquiry. This preview video stresses that this is an inexperienced Tennison, who is still learning the ropes when it comes to police work.


The concept appears to be an attempt at recreating "Endeavour," by taking a popular television detective who's no longer around and jumping backward in time to revisit his or her first adventures. "Endeavour" has been largely successful. I can only hope for the same with "Prime Suspect: Tennison."

"Prime Suspect: Tennison" will make its premier at 9:00 PM CST on Sunday, June 25th. You can watch the entire preview clip here.