This is a way better instalment than Maigret Sets A Trap, which was so predictable as to be barely held up by some of the cream of English acting talent. Maigret is an interesting idea. There are no French accents here. One has to wonder what British actors are doing playing Frenchmen in France, but such a scenario has been shown to work well in certain circumstances. It worked really well in Spartacus and Rome for example, although in Spartacus serious attempt was made to reflect Latin. It works well here too. Great trouble has been made to reflect the times and culture. No doubt ladies delighted at their fashions, and men felt the part in their suits. Rowan Atkinson is well cast, and does a good job, though I doubt he'll win any awards, the role isn't that demanding and probably reflects his true character more than does his comedy. There was another TV series similar in intent to this one some years back called Jericho. I thought that had real authenticity, if slightly exaggerated, especially when looking at urban London bonhomie of the 1950s. Here's a thought: Isn't it refreshing to watch a detective series where the lead detective is NOT undergoing some unbelievably distracting trauma at home? That's both Jericho and Maigret (as far as I've seen). And for that alone I most certainly welcome this new player to my tv screen.
Review of Maigret's Dead Man
