Murphy's Law: Series One - Region 0 DVD

A maverick Irish cop takes on the London crime world

Detective Tommy Murphy has nothing left to lose. Guilt-ridden over the death of his young daughter, who was slain by the IRA, he flees to London to work undercover for the Metropolitan Police. Hardheaded, hard-drinking, brash, and brooding, Murphy is down on his luck. But he still has more than a bit of the old Irish charm, flashing quick wit and a roguish grin.

James Nesbitt (Cold Feet, Match Point) is "absolutely brilliant" (The Mirror, U.K.) in a role created especially for him by novelist Colin Bateman (Divorcing Jack). Murphy delves into London’s criminal underside--drugs, blackmail, murder--assisted by DI Annie Guthrie (Claudia Harrison, The Cat’s Meow), his sexy, savvy boss.

As seen on BBC America.

BONUS: biography of James Nesbitt.


Undercover cop Tommy Murphy (James Nesbitt, Cold Feet,Jekyll) throws himself into dangerous assignments to escape his painful past. He infiltrates a trigger-happy gang of diamond thieves, gets sent to prison to lure information out of a serial kidnapper, and risks becoming the victim of a murderous female who uses a gym to find her victims. Other assignments--such as acting as the bodyguard for a threatened snooker player--seem less dangerous, but minor problems (a snooker player's surly manners, for example) swiftly escalate to threaten the lives of Murphy and his superior, DI Annie Guthrie (the excellent Claudia Harrison). Murphy's Law: Series One has a lighter tone than the show would develop in later series, but the balance of procedural thrills and humor is thoroughly enjoyable. Nesbitt's expressive eyebrows get a good workout; cheekiness comes naturally to him, but he's just as good at revealing Murphy's other sides, such as when his ex-wife appears and forces Murphy to face buried secrets. Most episodes feature cunningly surprising plots--in particular "Kiss and Tell," in which Murphy pursues a female serial killer while a vengeful Russian mobster is pursuing him. Series One is the only series featuring Harrison, who dropped out at the beginning of the second. It's too bad, because the chemistry between Nesbitt and Harrison is a pleasure to watch. Murphy's Law is given added ballast by guest stars like Ray Stevenson (Rome), Lynda Steadman (Career Girls), Adrian Dunbar (Hear My Song), and David Bradley (the Harry Potter series). --Bret Fetzer