For an American who doesn't watch a whole lot of British cop TV, it also provided an interesting insight into police work on that side of the pond. In some ways, the blurry morality and internal affairs theme reminds me of The Shield. Cassidy is quite good, creating a character who progresses from gung-ho righteousness to grim determination she is both manipulated and manipulating. Though the lead good cop, played by Elaine Cassidy, succeeds in most of her missions, the result is rarely satisfying to the character or the audience, as tragically flawed cops get caught in traps and slippery career-minded superiors operate behind the scenes. It is not light stuff, and the good cop bad cop plots tackle serious issues of law enforcement ethics and the slippery morality of undercover "internal affairs" cops. I really enjoyed this 8 part series, largely due to the lead character's convincing evolution from episode to episode. It surely deserved better than a late night slot and the minimal publicity it received. Even if at times, the world portrayed seems just that bit more intense than reality ever is, this is still top quality drama, intelligently structured, fast moving, and impeccably executed. In the lead role, Elaine Cassidy is superb, and in general the acting is good, although both her boss and partner seem a little young for their roles (surely such sensitive missions would be handled by people a little more senior?). By focusing on a single officer, it retains a claustrophobic feel throughout: in general, we know what she knows, nothing more. But 'The Ghost Squad' does also have some distinguishing characteristics of its own. The requirements placed upon its officers seem immense, and to generate the story lines, they always have to get more personally involved in a case than is altogether desirable (or, more to the point, likely). Additionally, 'The Ghost Squad', whose investigators work undercover, sometimes seems to strain credibility. The hand held camera work, the quick inter-cutting of scenes, the stock characters (most notably, the bitch of a boss who may or may not be trustworthy): it's all been seen before. And some senses, this is more of a handicap than a blessing, as the police drama is such a staple of the schedules that it's very hard for a program to appear fresh. 'The Ghost Squad', Channel Four's new drama, is an heir to both those series, with a premise similar to the former's, but put together in the style of the latter. 'The Cops' was another excellent series, with its gritty, cinema-verite portrait of life on the force. 'Between the Lines' was one of the outstanding British television drams of the 1990s, the story of a police investigations unit.
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