“Solid Storytelling” and “Funny Wigs”

Law & Order: UK will debut tonight on the BBC America channel, and TV Squad says U.S. viewers would do well to watch:

The cast of Law & Order: UK (9 p.m. ET Friday, BBC America) is so terrific that it recalls classic L&O lineups (think Jerry Orbach, Stephen Hill, Sam Waterston). You may well wonder if our nation needs yet another incarnation of Law & Order. But if it’s this solid and satisfying, why not?

Granted, if you’re not an L&O addict, then none of the spin-offs will do much for you. But if you do enjoy these criminal-justice stories, which sometimes range into prickly emotional and political arenas, there’s much to enjoy about the well-made L&O: UK.

Like the original at its best, L&O: UK manages to be both an economically told story about crime and a subtle character drama that allows the actors to do more than merely march through interrogation chambers and courtrooms. Friday’s well-crafted case, in particular, has a haunting quality that makes all the characters wonder if justice was really served.

You can find the full report here.