Inside Television with Alan Sepinwall

Review: BBC America's 'State of Play' the best repeat you'll see all month

John Simm, Bill Nighy and Kelly Macdonald shine in 2003 journalism/political thriller

By Alan Sepinwall Tuesday, Dec 6, 2011 9:00 AM

Review: BBC America's 'State of Play' the best repeat you'll see all month

David Morrissey and John Simm in "State of Play."

Credit: BBC

In the late '90s, NBC launched an ad campaign to try to boost the image, and viewership numbers, for repeats, by boasting, "If you haven't seen it, it's new to you!" At the time, I soundly mocked the slogan, as was my moral obligation as a television critic.

Today, though, the idea seems much less bogus. We live in an age where there's more original programming - and good programming, at that - than even a professional TV watcher can ever hope to get to. And we live in an age where there are so many ways to see shows, past and present, that no one's limited solely to watching what's on right now. (Whenever you hear a bell ring, it means that someone is watching season 1 of "The Wire" for the first time on DVD.)

Tomorrow night at 10, BBC America presents a good case in point by rerunning "State of Play," a miniseries from 2003 (it first aired in America in early 2004) about a group of newspaper reporters who get caught up in a wide-reaching political conspiracy.

Back in the day, "State of Play" was universally praised by critics on both sides of the pond, but I wasn't one of them, because for reasons I can't recall, I never got around to watching it. (Skimming The Star-Ledger's archives from the week it premiered in America suggests I was devoting a lot of time and mental energy to the first season of "The Apprentice," which means 2011 Alan has a whole lot to teach 2004 Alan.) For a long time, I kept the VHS screener BBC America had sent (this is how long ago it was), but never got around to it, despite the raves I kept hearing from friends and colleagues.

So when BBC America scheduled a repeat of the six episodes as part of its new Wednesday "Dramaville" line-up, I still hadn't seen it, and it was still new to me.

And I watched it - and it was every bit as bloody fantastic as I'd been promised so many years before.

The series stars a murder's row of British TV actors from the time; the cast is so loaded that a very young, baby-faced James McAvoy doesn't even get mentioned in the opening credits. (A similarly youthful Kelly Macdonald does, however.) John Simm, who would re-team with "State of Play" co-star Philip Glenister in the original "Life on Mars," plays Cal McCaffrey, hotshot reporter for one of London's biggest newspapers, and old friend to rising political star Stephen Collins (David Morrissey). When Collins' mistress dies in what appears to be a subway accident, Cal has access that the rest of the fourth estate would kill to get - especially once it becomes clear that there was no accident, and that the mistress' death connects to a huge conspiracy involving the government and a major energy conglomerate. And there's tension in every conversation Cal has with Stephen, and Stephen's wife Anne (Polly Walker), because they're usually looking at him as a friend and he's always looking at them as sources, even though he likes them.

Simm and Morrissey are both tremendous, as are Macdonald (now playing Mrs. Schroder on "Boardwalk Empire") and McAvoy as young reporters whose stories wind up tying in with what Cal is up to. But Bill Nighy walks away with the production as newspaper editor Cameron Foster, a very wise, very careful, very charming man who's always figuring out the angles as the story keeps changing and expanding. As with his more recent turn in PBS' "Page Eight," Nighy is brilliantly minimalist, rarely so much as raising his voice and yet saying so much with the tiniest little change in expression. (He is also, unsurprisingly, dryly hilarious when the occasion calls for it.)

Cameron, and the story in general, suggest a period that should be much older than eight years; it has more in common with the days of "All the President's Men" than what the world of journalism looks like today. The newspaper is flush, fully staffed and able to throw tens of thousands of dollars at what seems like a very sketchy story at first, and there are no hints of the massive cuts most papers would have to make shortly thereafter. (The 2009 movie version, with Russell Crowe as Cal and Ben Affleck as Stephen, had trouble compressing six hours of story into two, but it was recent enough to acknowledge the sweeping changes in the industry.)

"State of Play" was created by Paul Abbott, who wrote for and/or created "Cracker," "Shameless" and "Touching Evil" (all of which had their own US adaptations, to varying degrees of creative success), and directed by David Yates, who parlayed the gig into directing the last four Harry Potter films. It's a tour de force: gripping suspense, engaging mystery, unexpected bursts of dark comedy, and even some mournful romance, on top of how colorfully it captured the world of investigative journalism. (In one of the better exchanges, Cal tells a homicide cop that they have to work together to advance the story, and the irritated cop replies, "It's a case, not a story.") I know some quibbled with the ending at the time, suggesting Abbott came up with it at the last minute, but it works well enough with all the genius that came before that I'm fine with it.

As I sat through the six one-hour installments, I kept kicking myself for not popping the screener into my VCR back in 2004. Then I realized that, where I'm often jealous of people watching "Deadwood" or "The Shield" for the first time, for once I got to belatedly see a great piece of work through virgin eyes.

I hadn't seen it, so it was new to me. And it was fantastic. Better late than never.

Alan Sepinwall may be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com

---

NOTE: Because this is an old miniseries that many of you have already seen, discussion of any and all of it is fair game in the comments. If it's new to you, just watch it tomorrow and don't read below.

Related Searches: State of Play, John Simm, Kelly MacDonald, James McAvoy, David Morrissey, Bill Nighy, Paul Abbott, David Yates

SazzyMCH

I LOVED this when I saw it in 2003, and I'm so glad I'm now in the US and have a chance to see it again.
December 6, 2011 at 10:20AM EST Reply to Comment
Alex T.

I've been meaning to see the original so I'm really glad BBC America is broadcasting it. Now all I need is more Sherlock (I'm talking to you PBS!!!).
December 6, 2011 at 10:29AM EST Reply to Comment
- Pledge Drive Masterpiece Sherlock is made possible by the generous donations of the Alex T. Foundation for Good Taste in Television. Please donate as much as you can and show how much you care about quality television.
  December 6, 2011 at 11:28AM EST
todor hristov

The show is fantastic. I've seen it half a dozen times and it still holds.
To all of those who haven't watched it, do yourselves a favor and see it. You won't be dissappointed!
December 6, 2011 at 10:33AM EST Reply to Comment
Norgard

Nitpick: saying Paul Abbott was the man responsible for "Cracker" is like saying George Pelecanos is the man responsible for "The Wire". Not to take anything away from either man's fantastic contributions, but "Cracker" was primarily Jimmy McGovern's brainchild.

And yes, "State of Play" is fantastic, and Bill Nighy just owns it. Years later, the one scene I most vividly recall is when he's been told he can't run his story and decides to just run the paper with blank white space instead of the story, all under a headline reading (I'm paraphrasing) "This is what your government does not want you to know". Just marvelous.

By the way, am I misremembering or wasn't there at least a hint of what was to come in the final scenes when Cameron Foster is forced to retire and tells his son that he's glad he's out now, because this kind of investigative journalism is only going to get harder?
December 6, 2011 at 10:36AM EST Reply to Comment
- sepinwall You're absolutely right, Norgard, and I knew this once upon a time. But over the years, Touching Evil and Cracker have blended together into part of one cohesive whole for me, and I mistakenly credited Abbott for both. Fixed.
  December 6, 2011 at 12:51PM EST
cbc

To address your point about budget concerns and staff cutbacks in the movie British newspapers are an entirely different culture than their American counterparts. Newspaper readership is still quite high though declining over there and London supports a variety of different newspapers.
December 6, 2011 at 10:59AM EST Reply to Comment
Crow3711

This a really great, truly terrific series. The American movie was decent, but it missed so much of what made this so incredible great.
December 6, 2011 at 11:00AM EST Reply to Comment
chip_christian

Ha! Something I've seen before you! Great television. This was the performance that put Bill Nighy on my radar and let me forgive David Morrissey for Basic Instinct 2.
December 6, 2011 at 11:09AM EST Reply to Comment
Tarasa

It was great when I saw it in 2004 and it was still gret when I rewatched it last year. Even if you saw the American version (loved it or hated it), still highly recommend catching this.
December 6, 2011 at 12:24PM EST Reply to Comment
Kelli Oliver George

I am averting my eyes from the spoilers, but I did want to post a quick "Thank you!" As a longtime reader, I really appreciate all of the shows you've pointed me toward over the years.

Just yesterday, I watched Never Let Me Go, per your Tweet and wow - I was pretty blown away and am STILL haunted about that movie this morning, as I replay bits of it in my mind.

So, thank you, Alan. Peace to you and yours this holiday season.
December 6, 2011 at 12:32PM EST Reply to Comment
asarael

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned that State of Play was remade as a movie with Russell Crowe, which I thought was a fairly good movie.
December 6, 2011 at 12:32PM EST Reply to Comment
- gridlock "The 2009 movie version, with Russell Crowe as Cal and Ben Affleck as Stephen, had trouble compressing six hours of story into two, but it was recent enough to acknowledge the sweeping changes in the industry."
  December 6, 2011 at 12:46PM EST
- virginia I've seen the Crowe-Affleck-Mirren movie version and have enjoyed it. Not as compelling as the original but entertaining.
  December 6, 2011 at 4:41PM EST
Blake

I will DVR this, thanks for the tip.

I loved Life on Mars and have been hoping for years that the BBC will show the third sequel, Ashes to Ashes Part II, here. Would you know anything about that?
December 6, 2011 at 1:01PM EST Reply to Comment
mrbilliam

Do most people get BBC America? I live in the midwest, and I've only ever seen it included in the very most expensive cable/satellite packages.
December 6, 2011 at 1:38PM EST Reply to Comment
- klg19 BBC-America is part of my cable package, which is a tier above basic but doesn't include premium channels like HBO or Cinemax.
  December 6, 2011 at 3:57PM EST
- Cathlene I'm currently watching this series via Netflix.
  December 6, 2011 at 10:55PM EST
- Angela Ditto, I have BBC America as the second tier, no HBO, Cinemax, etc. My only gripe is that every time I set to record a series on this channel it deletes it once I've played an episode. My memory isn't helping matters.
  December 8, 2011 at 2:51AM EST
Ovid

I saw this a few years ago and loved the acting and the depiction of the journalism, but like you wasn't so impressed with how the thriller elements worked out. (I was actually a bit surprised that critics complained about the spy elements in The Hour this year - I found it much more plausible that a massive state media enterprise like the BBC might be infiltrated by the KGB in the 50s than this story).

It's interesting to consider the journalism depicted here with what's come out about the British tabloids recently. The tactics are similar although the aims are different. Andrew Marr, the BBC's last politics editor, describes in his autobiography how as a cub reporter he was taught how to sabotage public payphones and bribe pub landlords to hand 'out of order' signs on theirs in order to stop rivals getting the story out before he did.
December 6, 2011 at 1:40PM EST Reply to Comment
- Ovid *"hand"="hang"
  December 6, 2011 at 1:41PM EST
Ovid

Kelly McDonald has been a recognisable name in the UK since the movie Trainspotting - hence the billing.
December 6, 2011 at 1:43PM EST Reply to Comment
CrunchyFrog

I watched this on DVD from Netflix a few years ago. Really liked it, but I vaguely recall being somewhat unsatisfied by the resolution. Can't handle BBC America. Too many commercials, and I don't trust them not to make cuts in the broadcast material.
December 6, 2011 at 2:18PM EST Reply to Comment
- aforkosh In the old days, BBC America would insert commercials, but lengthen the program window to accommodate them. 30-minute shows (such as The Office) ran in 40-minute slots and 1-hour shows (such as State of Play) ran in 80-minute slots.
  
  I have the DVD for State of Play. It claims to have 350 minutes of material for 6 episodes (over 58 minutes/episode). BBC America is fitting the show into 6 1-hour slots, so there will be cutting.
  
  It looks like I'll be rewatching the DVD rather than the network presentation.
  
  Note: In the Dramaville set, the 1st episode of The Hour was put in a 1:15 slot and the remaining episodes were squeezed into 1 hour slots. I bought the Blu-Ray instead to avoid the cutting.
  December 6, 2011 at 2:45PM EST
- I think the resolution (and, really the underlying scandal) is a bit unsatisfactory to an American audience because the corruption at the heart of the scandal would barely, if at all, be considered corrupt or even illegal in American politics, at least if engaged in by a legislator.
  December 7, 2011 at 2:51PM EST
Ben

Alan--There's no need to apologize for getting hooked on Season 1 of "The Apprentice", which was a great launch for the show, became the stunning #1-ranked, 29 million finale viewers story of 2004 midseason, and looked like it was setting the table to become the next "Survivor" (not least because of Mark Burnett's connections to both). Then came Season 2 (sigh) and after that, yes, any focus on great or even decent programming would have been a better journalistic endeavor than where Donald Trump drove a potentially great reality show (into a ditch).
December 6, 2011 at 3:57PM EST Reply to Comment
klg19

I bought my region-free DVD player years ago just to get the DVDs for "State of Play." It's brilliant, compelling, beautifully written and staggeringly well-acted. I wouldn't even consider going to the US remake, much though I admire Russell Crowe as an actor.
December 6, 2011 at 3:59PM EST Reply to Comment
virginia

Great cast, great script, wonderfully paced and full of real atmosphere. And my imaginary boyfriend, Mr. Nighy, who manages to steal every scene he's ever been in -- anywhere anytime. I so wish he would make many many more films. Thanks for telling us this would be on again.
December 6, 2011 at 4:39PM EST Reply to Comment
Jeanette

John Simm's Cal McCaffrey is the real heart of this program. Callous yet tender and torn between his personal feelings and the story, Cal makes you care about how this story plays out.

If you haven't seen it, watch it on BBCA, then buy the DVDs for the complete program.
December 6, 2011 at 5:56PM EST Reply to Comment
- Cathlene I rented State of Play on Netflix after seeing John Simms do such a good job in Skellig - the Owl Man, which I watched because Tim Roth was in it. Russel Crowe also did a good job in the same part.
  December 6, 2011 at 11:08PM EST
fresser28

Alan, you forgot to mention that Rome's Polly Walker is also in State of Play. The talent in this mini is off the charts. I became even more of a McAvoy fan after seeing this (became one after seeing him in the somewhat regrettable Children of Dune). In all, a great series.
December 6, 2011 at 6:05PM EST Reply to Comment
Wallace Stroby

I think I was one of the colleagues raving about it back in 2007, when I first saw it on UK DVD. Couldn't stop watching it. As different as journalism is in the UK, the newsroom vibe seemed dead on. It's telling - but not surprising - that when the series made the transition to Hollywood, the reporting team was replaced by the standard lone-wolf maverick journalist working on his own.
December 6, 2011 at 7:01PM EST Reply to Comment
Batman

Speaking of BBC do try and get your hands on Black Mirror. It was really good.
December 6, 2011 at 11:27PM EST Reply to Comment
- Angela Checked on Netflix it's not there. What's it about?
  
  December 8, 2011 at 2:55AM EST
- SazzyMCH Black Mirror is a Channel 4 show, nothing to do with the BBC.
  December 10, 2011 at 6:54PM EST
Debbie Downer

Great. Now I have these snippets in my head:

See how their stories intertwine
In the City of Caroline
This summer catch the episodes
Of all your favorite TV shows
Chances are you missed a few
So don't forget, it's new to you!
N-B-C
December 7, 2011 at 4:01AM EST Reply to Comment
Boylerhaus

the genius of bill nighy is his little barely noticed laughs in the background after something particularly awesome. someone less charming could not pull that off
December 7, 2011 at 9:13PM EST Reply to Comment
Angela

I loved this series. I watched it not long ago but I just changed my mind to re-watch again as it's one of those series that holds up really well to repeat viewings.

On the aside BBC America is going to run one of the BEST series I've seen in years, called "Shadow Line". I wish I could say exactly when but not sure yet. I'm just *so* excited about this show and can't wait to see how it goes over on here. The wait's been killing me ever since I first watched it.

There are a few gems to look forward to in what often feels like a wasteland.
December 8, 2011 at 2:59AM EST Reply to Comment
Jerry B.

Looks like a good show. Too bad it's not captioned for those of us who speak english!
December 8, 2011 at 7:08PM EST Reply to Comment
- SazzyMCH Why would it be? Us poor Brits have been putting up with the murder of our language on dodgy US shows fpr years without subtitling! ;)
  December 9, 2011 at 9:31PM EST

News From Our Partners

About This Blog

All through his childhood, Alan Sepinwall's relatives told his parents, "All that boy does is watch television! How's he going to make a living doing that?" His career as a TV critic has been 15 years and counting of his attempt to answer their concerns. "What's Alan Watching" is a blog whose title is self-explanatory: Alan watches TV shows, then writes about what he watched. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com

Follow: RSS Facebook

Follow @sepinwall

Get Instant Alerts on What's Alan Watching

HitFix Poll

Will you still watch Community without Dan Harmon behind it?

Latest Posts

Are you ready for the summer? (2012 edition)

Our summer rewind will take us into season 2 of 'Deadwood'

Thursday, May 24, 2012
Review: Bros will be bros in TBS' forgettable 'Men at Work'

Danny Masterson and friends don't do much of interest in Breckin Meyer-created sitcom

Wednesday, May 23, 2012
We have to go back! Great 'Lost' scenes, 2 years later

Celebrate the finale's anniversary with Jack, Sawyer, Hurley and friends

Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Firewall & Iceberg Podcast, episode 129: 'Community,' 'House,' 'Avengers' & more

Dan and Alan also review TBS' 'Men at Work' and announce their summer rewatch

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Film Festival

Inside Television with Alan Sepinwall

Review: BBC America's 'State of Play' the best repeat you'll see all month

Send to your friends

Direct link: http://tinyurl.com/723mp8d

Review: BBC America's 'State of Play' the best repeat you'll see all month

Share this Post on ...

Direct link: http://tinyurl.com/723mp8d

Review: BBC America's 'State of Play' the best repeat you'll see all month

Comments

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

SazzyMCH I LOVED this when I saw it in 2003, and I'm so glad I'm now in the US and have a chance to see it again.

Alex T. I've been meaning to see the original so I'm really glad BBC America is broadcasting it. Now all I need is more Sherlock (I'm talking to you PBS!!!).

Pledge Drive Masterpiece Sherlock is made possible by the generous donations of the Alex T. Foundation for Good Taste in Television. Please donate as much as you can and show how much you care about quality television.

todor hristov The show is fantastic. I've seen it half a dozen times and it still holds. To all of those who haven't watched it, do yourselves a favor and see it. You won't be dissappointed!

sepinwall You're absolutely right, Norgard, and I knew this once upon a time. But over the years, Touching Evil and Cracker have blended together into part of one cohesive whole for me, and I mistakenly credited Abbott for both. Fixed.

cbc To address your point about budget concerns and staff cutbacks in the movie British newspapers are an entirely different culture than their American counterparts. Newspaper readership is still quite high though declining over there and London supports a variety of different newspapers.

Crow3711 This a really great, truly terrific series. The American movie was decent, but it missed so much of what made this so incredible great.

chip_christian Ha! Something I've seen before you! Great television. This was the performance that put Bill Nighy on my radar and let me forgive David Morrissey for Basic Instinct 2.

Tarasa It was great when I saw it in 2004 and it was still gret when I rewatched it last year. Even if you saw the American version (loved it or hated it), still highly recommend catching this.

asarael I'm surprised nobody has mentioned that State of Play was remade as a movie with Russell Crowe, which I thought was a fairly good movie.

gridlock "The 2009 movie version, with Russell Crowe as Cal and Ben Affleck as Stephen, had trouble compressing six hours of story into two, but it was recent enough to acknowledge the sweeping changes in the industry."

virginia I've seen the Crowe-Affleck-Mirren movie version and have enjoyed it. Not as compelling as the original but entertaining.

Blake I will DVR this, thanks for the tip.I loved Life on Mars and have been hoping for years that the BBC will show the third sequel, Ashes to Ashes Part II, here. Would you know anything about that?

mrbilliam Do most people get BBC America? I live in the midwest, and I've only ever seen it included in the very most expensive cable/satellite packages.

klg19 BBC-America is part of my cable package, which is a tier above basic but doesn't include premium channels like HBO or Cinemax.

Cathlene I'm currently watching this series via Netflix.

Angela Ditto, I have BBC America as the second tier, no HBO, Cinemax, etc. My only gripe is that every time I set to record a series on this channel it deletes it once I've played an episode. My memory isn't helping matters.

Ovid *"hand"="hang"

Ovid Kelly McDonald has been a recognisable name in the UK since the movie Trainspotting - hence the billing.

CrunchyFrog I watched this on DVD from Netflix a few years ago. Really liked it, but I vaguely recall being somewhat unsatisfied by the resolution. Can't handle BBC America. Too many commercials, and I don't trust them not to make cuts in the broadcast material.

I think the resolution (and, really the underlying scandal) is a bit unsatisfactory to an American audience because the corruption at the heart of the scandal would barely, if at all, be considered corrupt or even illegal in American politics, at least if engaged in by a legislator.

klg19 I bought my region-free DVD player years ago just to get the DVDs for "State of Play." It's brilliant, compelling, beautifully written and staggeringly well-acted. I wouldn't even consider going to the US remake, much though I admire Russell Crowe as an actor.

virginia Great cast, great script, wonderfully paced and full of real atmosphere. And my imaginary boyfriend, Mr. Nighy, who manages to steal every scene he's ever been in -- anywhere anytime. I so wish he would make many many more films. Thanks for telling us this would be on again.

Jeanette John Simm's Cal McCaffrey is the real heart of this program. Callous yet tender and torn between his personal feelings and the story, Cal makes you care about how this story plays out.If you haven't seen it, watch it on BBCA, then buy the DVDs for the complete program.

Cathlene I rented State of Play on Netflix after seeing John Simms do such a good job in Skellig - the Owl Man, which I watched because Tim Roth was in it. Russel Crowe also did a good job in the same part.

fresser28 Alan, you forgot to mention that Rome's Polly Walker is also in State of Play. The talent in this mini is off the charts. I became even more of a McAvoy fan after seeing this (became one after seeing him in the somewhat regrettable Children of Dune). In all, a great series.

Batman Speaking of BBC do try and get your hands on Black Mirror. It was really good.

Angela Checked on Netflix it's not there. What's it about?

SazzyMCH Black Mirror is a Channel 4 show, nothing to do with the BBC.

Debbie Downer Great. Now I have these snippets in my head:See how their stories intertwineIn the City of CarolineThis summer catch the episodesOf all your favorite TV showsChances are you missed a fewSo don't forget, it's new to you!N-B-C

Boylerhaus the genius of bill nighy is his little barely noticed laughs in the background after something particularly awesome. someone less charming could not pull that off

Jerry B. Looks like a good show. Too bad it's not captioned for those of us who speak english!

SazzyMCH Why would it be? Us poor Brits have been putting up with the murder of our language on dodgy US shows fpr years without subtitling! ;)

News From Our Partners

About This Blog

Sign up to receive alerts

HitFix Poll

Latest Posts

Recent Activity on Facebook

Most Popular on Facebook

About HitFix

Advertise on HitFix

Subscribe to HitFix

Popular Topics

SazzyMCH

I LOVED this when I saw it in 2003, and I'm so glad I'm now in the US and have a chance to see it again.

Alex T.

I've been meaning to see the original so I'm really glad BBC America is broadcasting it. Now all I need is more Sherlock (I'm talking to you PBS!!!).

todor hristov

The show is fantastic. I've seen it half a dozen times and it still holds.
To all of those who haven't watched it, do yourselves a favor and see it. You won't be dissappointed!

cbc

To address your point about budget concerns and staff cutbacks in the movie British newspapers are an entirely different culture than their American counterparts. Newspaper readership is still quite high though declining over there and London supports a variety of different newspapers.

Crow3711

This a really great, truly terrific series. The American movie was decent, but it missed so much of what made this so incredible great.

chip_christian

Ha! Something I've seen before you! Great television. This was the performance that put Bill Nighy on my radar and let me forgive David Morrissey for Basic Instinct 2.

Tarasa

It was great when I saw it in 2004 and it was still gret when I rewatched it last year. Even if you saw the American version (loved it or hated it), still highly recommend catching this.

asarael

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned that State of Play was remade as a movie with Russell Crowe, which I thought was a fairly good movie.

Blake

I will DVR this, thanks for the tip.

I loved Life on Mars and have been hoping for years that the BBC will show the third sequel, Ashes to Ashes Part II, here. Would you know anything about that?

mrbilliam

Do most people get BBC America? I live in the midwest, and I've only ever seen it included in the very most expensive cable/satellite packages.

Ovid

Kelly McDonald has been a recognisable name in the UK since the movie Trainspotting - hence the billing.

CrunchyFrog

I watched this on DVD from Netflix a few years ago. Really liked it, but I vaguely recall being somewhat unsatisfied by the resolution. Can't handle BBC America. Too many commercials, and I don't trust them not to make cuts in the broadcast material.

klg19

I bought my region-free DVD player years ago just to get the DVDs for "State of Play." It's brilliant, compelling, beautifully written and staggeringly well-acted. I wouldn't even consider going to the US remake, much though I admire Russell Crowe as an actor.

virginia

Great cast, great script, wonderfully paced and full of real atmosphere. And my imaginary boyfriend, Mr. Nighy, who manages to steal every scene he's ever been in -- anywhere anytime. I so wish he would make many many more films. Thanks for telling us this would be on again.

Jeanette

John Simm's Cal McCaffrey is the real heart of this program. Callous yet tender and torn between his personal feelings and the story, Cal makes you care about how this story plays out.

If you haven't seen it, watch it on BBCA, then buy the DVDs for the complete program.

fresser28

Alan, you forgot to mention that Rome's Polly Walker is also in State of Play. The talent in this mini is off the charts. I became even more of a McAvoy fan after seeing this (became one after seeing him in the somewhat regrettable Children of Dune). In all, a great series.

Batman

Speaking of BBC do try and get your hands on Black Mirror. It was really good.

Debbie Downer

Great. Now I have these snippets in my head:

See how their stories intertwine
In the City of Caroline
This summer catch the episodes
Of all your favorite TV shows
Chances are you missed a few
So don't forget, it's new to you!
N-B-C

Boylerhaus

the genius of bill nighy is his little barely noticed laughs in the background after something particularly awesome. someone less charming could not pull that off

Jerry B.

Looks like a good show. Too bad it's not captioned for those of us who speak english!