The Chelsea Detective is a new Acorn TV original we just started watching. Episode 1 of Series 1 was released last week. This new show is a police procedural set in the posh Chelsea neighborhood of London. Chelsea is located in the western part of London on the banks of the Thames. The show is built to feature its setting. The show’s main characters are Metropolitan Police DI Max Arnold, played by Adrian Scarborough, and his partner, DS Priya Shamsie, played by Sonita Henry.
Max is an unlikely hero. He is 50 something, short, bearded, and has an affinity for cardigans. He rides a bike to work. He is going through a divorce and is living on a houseboat docked on the Thames. He recently lost his father who he had a “complex” relationship with. He has dyslexia, so he uses visual evidence, including much that he takes with his phone, to work cases. Scarborough plays him in the mold that Peter Falk did with Columbo.
DS Priya Shamsie is an interesting foil for Max Arnold. The character played by Sonita Henry has worked with Arnold for a while. She knows her job and is very good at it. She has recently come back to work after having her first child. There is respect and friendship between the characters on both a professional and personal level.
The plotline around the actual case in Episode 1 was a little convoluted. Even though the episodes was 90 minutes long, as much time went to introducing the characters and some of their backstories as was spent on the case. It will be interesting to see how this evolves. We did enjoy the show and plan on watching the rest of the season.
