This quirky and memorable '80's cop show represents a rare cross between tough guy TV such as 'The Professionals' and lightweight action fun like 'The Avengers.' Its main visible assets are the well-balanced cast and some decently written scripts. Michael Brandon and Glynis Barber are certainly made for each other. Their initial male/female antagonism is something of an overused movie-plot cliché. He thinks women are unsuited for police work, whilst she regards him as a boorish burden which she must endure. The 'referee' between them is provided by their tough boss, Spikings, played well, and with gruff understatement, by Ray Smith. Whilst being every bit as tough as Dempsey himself, he too disapproves of Dempsey's New York ways and his over-readiness with a gun but, unlike Harriet Makepeace, has a certain natural empathy with him - being a pretty formidable no-nonsense character in his own right.
This show has often been derided by fans of 'serious' cop drama for its (admittedly) somewhat absurd improbabilities and free use of gunplay in a country which doesn't normally assign firearms to police officers. Much of this is cheerfully explained away by the fact that our two heroes are part of a new unit named SI-10. This presumably being some policing experiment which therewith permits its officers to go around shooting up the bad guys as if London were just another suburb of Dempsey's home town New York.
The basics of the plot are that James Dempsey is in hiding from the corruption-ridden NY police department. To keep him alive long enough to testify against the cop bad guys he is sent secretly to London where he is teamed up with the aristocratic glamorous cop, Lady Harriet Makepeace. Of course this is all highly improbable nonsense; but it serves to provide the framework for the show and sets the stage for all that follows throughout the three series.
To some extent this unlikely situation setting would appear to be inspired by the 1970's John Wayne movie 'Brannigan,' in which the Duke is let loose in England with a female partner (Judy Geeson) to keep a wary eye on him, as he wreaks havoc upon sundry bad guys; finds time to organise a traditional western bar-room brawl, whilst simply making up the rules as he goes along. In this context Michael Brandon's character plays John Wayne, whilst his own female partner initially rides shotgun on him, keeping him marginally under some moderate sort of control, whilst gradually, and ironically, becoming ever more like him in his/her free-shooting ways. By the time we reach series two - or thereabouts - any plot pretensions are rendered pretty much redundant, with the pair having evidently reached some understanding, and mutually despatching the baddies whilst exchanging quips and the occasional sexual innuendo. She begins to appreciate, and trust, Dempsey's innate decency, courage and integrity; whilst he realises that maybe he has underestimated her all along. The subtext, to the viewer anyway, is an underlying emotional and romantic attachment between them, which remains (wisely) unstated throughout the entire run of the show.
Whilst being lively and entertaining; visually this show suffers badly from the era in which it was made. The 1980's as a decade has not aged well; the typically awful fashions and hair styles of the period are unfortunately on full display; and the sight of an attractive woman like Glynis Barber attired in men's business suits is something that any sane heterosexual male viewer can easily do without. I know that most people will wear any old rubbish in the name of fashion, but what on earth were the wardrobe department (and indeed the 1980's) thinking of??? Possibly someone in the production team had similar misgivings, as this aspect of the show's 'look' becomes (somewhat) less visually offensive as we reach the latter part of the first series.
Overall, this is all just good unpretentious action and fun. Dempsey is a man of many skills; really whatever the occasion demands. He can sky-dive - with or without a parachute - he is something of a motorcycle stunt-rider, and is even skilled in bomb deactivation. She is always ice-cool under pressure and, overlooking her dreadful fashion sense, never has a hair out of place whatever the situation. Of course it's all completely bonkers, and far removed from any semblance of reality, even by the standards of television cop shows past and present. It cannot, and should not, be judged harshly in comparison with any of the purportedly 'serious' cop shows - which are, in themselves, absurdly unrealistic; albeit in a different way. This is well cast, well acted, and well done in its own way.
Fashions aside, this show is stylish, classy, and definitely worth watching; in no small part due to the charisma and charm of the personable actors involved, and their innate personal compatibility. Take it all lightly and you'll have a good time viewing.
This show has often been derided by fans of 'serious' cop drama for its (admittedly) somewhat absurd improbabilities and free use of gunplay in a country which doesn't normally assign firearms to police officers. Much of this is cheerfully explained away by the fact that our two heroes are part of a new unit named SI-10. This presumably being some policing experiment which therewith permits its officers to go around shooting up the bad guys as if London were just another suburb of Dempsey's home town New York.
The basics of the plot are that James Dempsey is in hiding from the corruption-ridden NY police department. To keep him alive long enough to testify against the cop bad guys he is sent secretly to London where he is teamed up with the aristocratic glamorous cop, Lady Harriet Makepeace. Of course this is all highly improbable nonsense; but it serves to provide the framework for the show and sets the stage for all that follows throughout the three series.
To some extent this unlikely situation setting would appear to be inspired by the 1970's John Wayne movie 'Brannigan,' in which the Duke is let loose in England with a female partner (Judy Geeson) to keep a wary eye on him, as he wreaks havoc upon sundry bad guys; finds time to organise a traditional western bar-room brawl, whilst simply making up the rules as he goes along. In this context Michael Brandon's character plays John Wayne, whilst his own female partner initially rides shotgun on him, keeping him marginally under some moderate sort of control, whilst gradually, and ironically, becoming ever more like him in his/her free-shooting ways. By the time we reach series two - or thereabouts - any plot pretensions are rendered pretty much redundant, with the pair having evidently reached some understanding, and mutually despatching the baddies whilst exchanging quips and the occasional sexual innuendo. She begins to appreciate, and trust, Dempsey's innate decency, courage and integrity; whilst he realises that maybe he has underestimated her all along. The subtext, to the viewer anyway, is an underlying emotional and romantic attachment between them, which remains (wisely) unstated throughout the entire run of the show.
Whilst being lively and entertaining; visually this show suffers badly from the era in which it was made. The 1980's as a decade has not aged well; the typically awful fashions and hair styles of the period are unfortunately on full display; and the sight of an attractive woman like Glynis Barber attired in men's business suits is something that any sane heterosexual male viewer can easily do without. I know that most people will wear any old rubbish in the name of fashion, but what on earth were the wardrobe department (and indeed the 1980's) thinking of??? Possibly someone in the production team had similar misgivings, as this aspect of the show's 'look' becomes (somewhat) less visually offensive as we reach the latter part of the first series.
Overall, this is all just good unpretentious action and fun. Dempsey is a man of many skills; really whatever the occasion demands. He can sky-dive - with or without a parachute - he is something of a motorcycle stunt-rider, and is even skilled in bomb deactivation. She is always ice-cool under pressure and, overlooking her dreadful fashion sense, never has a hair out of place whatever the situation. Of course it's all completely bonkers, and far removed from any semblance of reality, even by the standards of television cop shows past and present. It cannot, and should not, be judged harshly in comparison with any of the purportedly 'serious' cop shows - which are, in themselves, absurdly unrealistic; albeit in a different way. This is well cast, well acted, and well done in its own way.
Fashions aside, this show is stylish, classy, and definitely worth watching; in no small part due to the charisma and charm of the personable actors involved, and their innate personal compatibility. Take it all lightly and you'll have a good time viewing.