Kicking off this Sunday, BBC One’s Bloodlands looks poised to become one of the most talked-about shows of 2021 so far. The latest in a long line of successful crime thrillers from Jed Mercurio (Line Of Duty, Bodyguard), it stars Charlene McKenna and James Nesbitt as a pair of Belfast detectives trying to track down a legendary assassin. It also speaks to the complicated legacy of the Good Friday Agreement, and has been billed as the first ‘Irish noir’ TV drama.
“Bloodlands is one of the best things I’ve watched in a very long time,” says Stylist’s digital editor-at-large Kayleigh Dray. “McKenna and Nesbitt have excellent onscreen chemistry, the mystery at the heart of the show is fiendishly twisted, and Belfast – with its gorgeous scenery and simmering tension – feels almost like a character itself. Fair warning: the first episode ends on the mother of all cliffhangers. And, for the first time in forever, we’re going to have to wait a week between each episode. But that means we have lots of time to get into armchair detective mode…” Starts 21 February, 9pm, BBC One