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Re: Threadneedle Painting Prize

From: Lord Kenneth Clarke
Date: 10 Sep 2010
Time: 15:07:05 -0500

Review

The governing idea, as the trailer makes clear, is one so obvious other TV and movie writers are probably kicking themselves for having failed to see it staring them in the face all this time: good cop, bad cop, the ultimate buddy conflict. Unfortunately, this may actually have been the idea more of the trailer makers than the writer, who may himself be kicking himself now for having failed to come up with it. The trailer is, in all respects, far better than the clumsily written, painfully embarrassing programme itself, which, like certain other recent Brit TV shows (Ashes to Ashes), seems like a first draft, full, in this case, of poor characterisation, terrible dialogue, shit jokes, poor observation and wearying clichés. The worst thing about it is that the bad cop just isn't bad enough. The trailer made him look like a hilariously irresponsible loony. The show has him more as a supposedly endearing overgrown boy lad figure. The writing wants us to like and relate to him too much, so we don't.