Zen

This beautifully paced series is set in Rome and revolves around a detective, Zen (played by Rufus Sewell), who fights crime while hampered by endemic corruption. No gunfights, no car chases and no dramatic revelations. The bad guys are usually visible as the incorruptible Zen picks his way through the politics to bring them to justice and preserve his career. The producers took the surprising decision not to make a second series. Zen should have run and run, if only as an antidote to the current tired formulas of television crime drama.

I saw ZEN when it was first on the BBC. Everything about is commendable, apart from the fact that there won't be any more episodes made. These are in the Beeb's newest format (a la SHERLOCK) of 3 feature length adventures. The Italian location makes mouthwatering use of piazzas, squares and tumbledown buildings. Glorious. And the actors look good too. Rufus Sewell and Caterina Murino just smoulder. Very stylish and cool.

Zen offers evocative scenery, a tight plot, and beautiful acting (particularly by Sewell, one of the most underrated actors going). The only downside is the totally confused policy on accents - a problem with using an Anglo-Italian cast, I suppose.

I thought this was an excellent short series, with very likeable characters and interesting story lines. I was disappointed when the three episodes were finished and hope there will be others to come.