Now, 'thetvreviewguy' has always been partial to a bit if Scandinavian crime-fic gloom and 'Wallander' (BBC1) lives up/down to all his expectations. Henning Mankell is one of the better exponents of the genre and the casting of Kenneth Branagh as the eponymous down-trodden, depressed detective with a penchant for taking on all the woes of the World (and this being Sweden, there are a lot of woes) is perfect. Branagh's journey from wunderkind to knight of the realm has been seamless; he was an established Shakespearean actor going back to the 1980s. This adaptation hits all the right marks; it's not gloom for the sake of it, instead 'Wallander' matches the subject and psychological subject matter of the books - the 'look and feel' is totally appropriate. If you like Mankell, and if you're into Crime Fiction as 'thetvreviewguy' is, then you'll see Branagh as the natural fit for Kurt Wallander, an emotionally scarred, all too human, cerebral copper. This is about as far as you can get from the CSIs as possible - it's a grown-up series that once again shows the BBC, despite many rightful criticisms, to still be one of the best broadcasters and producers of quality dramas anywhere. 'Wallander' is a must see plasma fare...watch even if afflicted with 'Sunday Night Blues'.
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