Incubator escapee wiki

Prime Suspect

Article Discussion

Template:Short description Template:For-multi Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox television

Prime Suspect is a British police procedural television series devised by Lynda La Plante. Broadcast on ITV between 1991 and 2006, it stars Helen Mirren as Jane Tennison, one of the first female Detective Chief Inspectors in Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service, who rises to the rank of Detective Superintendent while confronting institutionalised sexism within the police force.

For her role as Tennison, Mirren received three consecutive British Academy Television Awards for Best Actress between 1992 and 1994, two Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, and in 2006, the British public ranked her number 29 in ITV's poll of TV's 50 Greatest Stars.<ref name="ITV poll">Template:Cite news</ref>

PlotEdit

Prime Suspect focuses on a no-nonsense female Detective Chief Inspector (DCI), Jane Tennison (played by Helen Mirren), who is an officer in the Metropolitan Police, initially at the fictional Southampton Row police station.

The series follows her constant battles to prove herself within a male-dominated profession in which many of her colleagues are determined to see her fail, though she has the support of her boss, Detective Chief Superintendent Mike Kernan (John Benfield), and the loyalty of Detective Sergeant Richard Haskons (Richard Hawley).

In later series, Tennison is reassigned to rotating duties, including a vice squad in Soho and a gang squad in Manchester. She is promoted to Detective Superintendent in series 4 and retires from policing at the end of series 7.

CastEdit

Main castEdit

  • Helen Mirren as Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison, initially of Southampton Row Police Station in Central London, later Detective Superintendent in series 4. Mirren has described Tennison as "extremely directed, ambitious, talented and very uncompromising. Therefore she is deeply frustrated by her job; the way her sex is a barrier."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Supporting cast, including notable guest starsEdit

Template:Div col

Template:Div col end

EpisodesEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} List of Prime Suspect (British TV series) episodes

Concept and developmentEdit

{{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= Template:Ambox }} }}

ThemesEdit

The first series features sexism in the workplace as a significant subplot and a barrier to the investigation. Sequels have tended to downplay this theme, relying on straight procedure or on other subplots, such as institutional racism in Prime Suspect 2 or child sexual abuse and prostitution in Prime Suspect 3, but they continue to demonstrate the determination of some of Tennison's male peers and those in upper echelons to see her fail.

Tennison's difficulty in achieving a balance between her work and her life outside the job, and her difficulty in maintaining stable relationships, are recurring themes within the series. Towards the end of Prime Suspect 3 she arranges to have her pregnancy terminated. As the series progresses, she increasingly relies on alcohol to help her cope. This culminates in the final episode of the series in her attending meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous, where she finally acknowledges and confronts her addiction.

SettingEdit

Prime Suspect is set mostly in London and surrounding areas, but series 5 is set in Manchester.

ProductionEdit

Every series of Prime Suspect except series 4 follows a single case and runs around 3Template:Frac hours (excluding commercials). It has usually been shown in two or four parts. Prime Suspect 4 is an exception at slightly over five hours, with three separate cases.

The first five series were produced annually from 1991 to 1996, until Mirren left the role, supposedly to avoid typecasting (according to a PBS interview). She returned to play the character in 2003 and again in 2006.

Prime Suspect was produced by Granada Television for the ITV network. Series four to seven were co-produced by WGBH Boston for its Masterpiece Mystery anthology series.

MusicEdit

The first five series were scored by the Academy Award-winning composer Stephen Warbeck, who was nominated for a BAFTA TV Award for Prime Suspect series one. Rob Lane composed the music for Series 6. Nicholas Hooper won a BAFTA TV Award for his score for Series 7.

Reception and impactEdit

Prime Suspect was voted 68th in the list of 100 Greatest British Television Programmes as compiled by a poll given by the British Film Institute, and in 2007 it was listed as one of Time magazine's "100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME."<ref name="Time 100">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The series has won multiple BAFTA Awards, Emmy Awards, and a Peabody Award.

Awards and nominationsEdit

Prime Suspect won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Drama Serial over G.B.H. in 1991.<ref name="baftagate">Template:Cite news</ref> Afterwards, four of the seven voting members of the jury raised a discrepancy to jury chairperson Irene Shubik,<ref name="baftagate2">Template:Cite news</ref> and later signed a public statement declaring that they had voted for G.B.H. to win.<ref name="baftagate"/> BAFTA Chairman Richard Price stated that the ballot papers passed on to him by Shubik had shown four votes for Prime Suspect and three for G.B.H.<ref name="baftagate"/> Price claimed that the ballot papers could not be recounted as they had subsequently been destroyed.<ref name="baftagate2"/> Prime Suspect won Best Drama Serial once more for series three, and was nominated four other times.<ref name="BAFTA">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The series won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries three times, and was nominated twice more.<ref name="Emmy">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Mirren won three BAFTA TV Awards for Best Actress for the role, and has been nominated three other times.<ref name="BAFTA"/> She won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie twice, with four additional nominations.<ref name="Emmy"/>

Prime Suspect 3 was awarded a Peabody Award in 1993 for its realistic scenes and dialogue.<ref name="Peabody">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Writer/creator Lynda La Plante received an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for series one in the category of Best TV Feature or Miniseries. The following year, Allan Cubitt won in the same category for series two. Prime Suspect was later nominated for series three and six.<ref name="Edgars">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Series Award Category Nominee(s) Result Template:Abbr
Series 1 (1991) British Academy Television Awards Best Drama Serial Christopher Menaul, Lynda La Plante, Don Leaver Template:Won <ref name="BAFTA"/>
Best Actress Helen Mirren Template:Won
Zoe Wanamaker Template:Nom
Best Actor Tom Bell Template:Nom
Best Film or Video Editor – Fiction Edward Mansell Template:Won
Best Film or Video Photography – Fiction Ken Morgan Template:Won
Best Sound – Fiction Ray French, Brian Saunders, John Rutherford, Paul Griffiths-Davies Template:Nom
Best Design Roy Stonehouse Template:Nom
Best Original Television Music Stephen Warbeck Template:Nom
Edgar Awards Best TV Feature or Miniseries Lynda La Plante Template:Won <ref name="Edgars"/>
Royal Television Society Awards Best Single Drama Prime Suspect Template:Won <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Performance Award Helen Mirren Template:Won
Writer's Award Lynda La Plante Template:Won
Series 2 (1992) British Academy Television Awards Best Drama Serial Paul Marcus, John Strickland, Allan Cubitt Template:Nom <ref name="BAFTA"/>
Best Actress Helen Mirren Template:Won
Best Film or Video Editor – Fiction Edward Mansell Template:Nom
Best Sound – Fiction Nick Steer, John Rutherford, John Thomas, John Senior, Jaquie Ophir, John Whitworth Template:Nom
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Miniseries Sally Head, Paul Marcus Template:Won <ref name="Emmy"/>
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Special Helen Mirren Template:Nom
Edgar Awards Best TV Feature or Miniseries Allan Cubitt Template:Won <ref name="Edgars"/>
Series 3 (1993) British Academy Television Awards Best Drama Serial Paul Marcus, David Drury, Lynda La Plante Template:Won <ref name="BAFTA"/>
Best Actress Helen Mirren Template:Won
Best Film or Video Editor – Fiction Edward Mansell Template:Nom
Best Design Chris Truelove Template:Nom
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Miniseries Sally Head, Paul Marcus Template:Won <ref name="Emmy"/>
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Special Helen Mirren Template:Nom
Outstanding Writing in a Miniseries or Special Lynda La Plante Template:Nom
Peabody Award Prime Suspect Template:Won <ref name="Peabody"/>
Edgar Awards Best TV Feature or Miniseries Lynda La Plante Template:Nom <ref name="Edgars"/>
Series 4 (1995) British Academy Television Awards Best Drama Series Paul Marcus Template:Nom <ref name="BAFTA"/>
Best Actress Helen Mirren Template:Nom
Photography and Lighting – Fiction David Odd Template:Nom
Best Sound – Fiction/Entertainment Nick Steer, John Rutherford, John Senior, John Whitworth Template:Nom
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special Helen Mirren Template:Small Template:Won <ref name="Emmy"/>
Series 5 (1996) British Academy Television Awards Best Actress Helen Mirren Template:Nom <ref name="BAFTA"/>
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Miniseries Gub Neal, Rebecca Eaton, Lynn Horsford Template:Won <ref name="Emmy"/>
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special Helen Mirren Template:Nom
Series 6 (2003) British Academy Television Awards Best Drama Serial David Boulter, Peter Berry, Tom Hooper Template:Nom <ref name="BAFTA"/>
Best Actress Helen Mirren Template:Nom
British Academy Television Craft Awards Editing – Fiction/Entertainment St John O'Rorke Template:Nom
Best Sound – Fiction/Entertainment Simon Okin, Ben Baird, Nick Roberts Template:Nom
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Miniseries or Movie David Boulter, Rebecca Eaton, Andy Harries Template:Nom <ref name="Emmy"/>
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Helen Mirren Template:Nom
Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries Movie or a Dramatic Special Tom Hooper Template:Nom
Edgar Awards Best TV Feature or Miniseries Peter Berry Template:Nom <ref name="Edgars"/>
Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards Make Up Design - Drama David Myers Template:Nom <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Series 7 (2006) British Academy Television Awards Best Drama Serial Andrew Benson, Philip Martin, Frank Deasy, Andy Harries Template:Nom <ref name="BAFTA"/>
British Academy Television Craft Awards Best Writing Frank Deasy Template:Nom
Best Original Music Nicholas Hooper Template:Won
Best Editing – Fiction/Entertainment Trevor Waite Template:Nom
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Miniseries or Movie Andrew Benson, Philip Martin, Frank Deasy, Andy Harries Template:Nom <ref name="Emmy"/>
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Helen Mirren Template:Won
Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or Movie Frank Deasy Template:Won
Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or Movie Philip Martin Template:Won
Golden Globe Awards Best Miniseries or Television Film Andrew Benson, Philip Martin, Frank Deasy, Andy Harries Template:Nom <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Helen Mirren Template:Nom
Royal Television Society Awards Drama Serial Prime Suspect Template:Nom <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Best Actor - Female Helen Mirren Template:Won

Influence on other programmesEdit

Many observers have viewed Prime Suspect as the inspiration for female characters in U.S. TV series, particularly noting strong similarities between this series in general—and the character of Jane Tennison in particular—and the later American series The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick in the role of Deputy Chief of Police Brenda Leigh Johnson. Critics noted the similarities between the series in a stronger way during the first seasons of The Closer, with one 2006 article in USA Today calling The Closer "an unofficial Americanization" of the British series,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and a later reviewer noting that, "When The Closer was first shown, critics were quick to compare it to Prime Suspect...[and] there's something in that...."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In interviews Sedgwick has acknowledged that The Closer owes "a debt" to Prime Suspect, and that her admiration for that show and for Mirren were factors that first interested her in the role.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> According to Sedgwick, Prime Suspect was one of the shows that "paved the way" for The Closer,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and her manager got her interested in the series by saying that it was "a little bit like Prime Suspect."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Taped interview with Kyra Sedgwick, along with other cast members and creators of The Closer, Fancast.com. Template:Webarchive</ref> Sedgwick is quoted as saying that the Tennison character did become her inspiration in some ways for her portrayal of Brenda Leigh Johnson.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Reviewers in U.S. papers, including the Christian Science Monitor, have noted that The Closer, while not a direct remake of the British series, "owes" much to it,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> or that it "echoes many of the elements" of it.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> One The New York Times article refers to The Closer as a "direct descendant" of Prime Suspect, although less hard-hitting than the original:

<templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />

There is one show, however, that is a direct descendant, however different its tone might be: The Closer, on which Kyra Sedgwick’s Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson obsesses over her cases, tramples feelings and battles the old-boy network. Her vice, however, is candy; no booze or one-night stands. If you want the hard stuff, you need to head back to Prime Suspect.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>{{#if:|{{#if:|}}

— {{#if:|, in }}Template:Comma separated entries

}}

{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Blockquote with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | author | by | char | character | cite | class | content | multiline | personquoted | publication | quote | quotesource | quotetext | sign | source | style | text | title | ts }}

Other reviewers have also made the point that the differences between Tennison and Johnson are as important as their similarities:

<templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />

But then there's the locker-room pissiness of her [Johnson's] all-male department, which she navigates like an estrogen version of Prime SuspectTemplate:'s Jane Tennison. (That's not a running gag error, either: Sedgwick plays Johnson as if her toughness, intelligence and wit blossomed naturally from her Southern femininity, whereas Helen Mirren plays the dogged Tennison as if womanhood were a liability.)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>{{#if:|{{#if:|}}

— {{#if:|, in }}Template:Comma separated entries

}}

{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Blockquote with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | author | by | char | character | cite | class | content | multiline | personquoted | publication | quote | quotesource | quotetext | sign | source | style | text | title | ts }}

NBC picked up an adaptation of the British series for the 2011–2012 season.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was taken off the schedule after 13 episodes were produced.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

SpoofsEdit

In 1997 a short spoof episode Prime Cracker was produced for the BBC's biennial Red Nose Day charity telethon in aid of Comic Relief. A crossover with ITV stablemate crime drama Cracker, the spoof starred Mirren and Cracker lead Robbie Coltrane as their characters from the respective series, sending up the perceived ultra-seriousness of both shows.

Dead Ringers featured a parody with Queen Elizabeth II in the lead role, as a reaction to Helen Mirren's portrayal of her in the 2006 film The Queen.

Prequel seriesEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} A six-part prequel, Prime Suspect 1973, was announced in 2015 by ITV, based on the book Tennison by Lynda La Plante, adapted by Glen Laker. It tells the story of a 22-year-old Jane Tennison as a probationary WPC in Hackney, London, investigating her first murder case.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The series began airing on 2 March 2017. The role of Tennison is played by Stefanie Martini.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In June 2017, ITV confirmed that the series had not been recommissioned for a second series.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Home mediaEdit

On 1 October 2013, Netflix made the Series 1–6 available online for streaming.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On 27 August 2013, Acorn Media released the entire series in a seven-disc Blu-ray Disc set. Each disc contains the individual programme, upscaled to 1080p HD and converted to 16:9 Widescreen (apart from season 4 episode 1 which remains in 4:3 aspect ratio). Bonus material includes a 50-minute behind-the-scenes special, a 23-minute Series 6 behind-the-scenes featurette, a photo gallery and cast filmographies.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The DVD format of the series was released in 2010 by ITV Studios/Global entertainment. It has an overall running time of 1,437 minutes approximately, and encompasses ten discs, with each Series set on one disc except the triple-episode Series 4, which is set over three discs. As with the Blu-ray production, the final disc contains a Behind-the-Scenes of Series 7.

ReferencesEdit

Template:Reflist

External linksEdit

 | title/{{#if: {{#invoke:ustring|match|1=0098898|2=^tt}}
   | Template:Trim/
   | tt0098898/
   }}
 | {{#if: {{#property:P345|from=Q1518758}}
   | title/Template:First word/
   | find?q=%5B%5B%3ATemplate%3APAGENAMEBASE%5D%5D&s=tt
   }}
 }}{{#ifeq: {{#invoke:If any equal|main|Q618779|Q67325957|Q33999|value=Template:Wikidata}} | yes 
     | {{#switch: Template:Wikidata 
       | Q618779 
       | Q67325957  = awards Awards for
       | Q33999  = fullcredits Full cast and crew of
       }}
   | {{#if: Template:Wikidata 
     | {{#switch: Template:Wikidata
       | Q63032896 
       | Q66763446  = fullcredits Full cast and crew of
       | Q107974527 
       | Q482994  = soundtrack Soundtrack of
       }}
     }}
   }} Template:Trim] at {{#if: | IMDb | IMDb }}Template:EditAtWikidata{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:IMDb title with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|showblankpositional=1| 1 | 2 | 3 | description | id | link_hide | qid | quotes | title }}{{#switch: {{#invoke:String2|matchAny|^tt.........|^tt.......|tt|.........|source=0098898|plain=false}}| 1 | 3 = Template:Main otherTemplate:Preview warning| 4 = Template:Main otherTemplate:Preview warning}}{{#if: 0098898 {{#property:P345}} || Template:Preview warningTemplate:Main other }}{{#switch: Template:Wikidata

| Q21191270 | Q21664088 | Q50062923 | Q50914552 | Q99079902 | Q123186929 | Q55422400 | Q61220733 =Template:Preview warning | Q3464665 =Template:Preview warning }}{{#ifeq: Template:Wikidata | Q21191270 |Template:Preview warning }}{{#if: 0098898 | Template:WikidataCheck }}

Template:Navboxes Template:Lynda La Plante

pt:Prime Suspect

Retrieved from "https://zalansite.site/mediawiki/index.php?title=Prime_Suspect&oldid=161496"