BBC America offers Anglophiles any number of solid mini-series to sate their longing for the sort of gifted actors who might be in abundance on telly but not necessarily household names in the US.
The Brits have long held TV work as a worthy pursuit for stage trained actors who often juggle the boards and the small screen. This perspective differs from the US model of the acting profession, where the most famous actors are likely to be millionaire film stars who are unlikely to trade their immensely lucrative film work for the relatively modest gains and greater artistic risk of either the telly or the stage.
Scratch a top star in Britain and you are destined to find a classically trained stage actor who just happens to make films, as much for financial gain as for artistic fulfillment. While the Academy Award is no doubt a coveted award for most actors, for a Brit it is the Olivier, BAFTA, and ultimately, a slot on the Queen's honours list that is frequently the ultimate benchmark of their professional achievements.
With that discrepancy in mind, it is no surprise that the latest BBC America offering, "State of Play", star none other than Bill Nighy, a vet of stage and screen, on both sides of the pond, as well as a famous actor. His is more of an ensemble role here, and the man is never less than immensely focused, understated, and fascinating to watch. Did I mention that he is a stage trained actor who juggles acclaimed work across the film and stage spectrum?
With "State of Play" BBC offers another in a line of sturdily acting, well written and directed crime dramas that are neither gratuitous or distractingly formulaic, as is too much US network police TV. One need only think of the stolid but pat "Law and Order" genre. While the actors are often talented and the directing taut, the writing at times seems to be the product of a software program. If you want to know if a suspect is guilty, just wait 'til the inevitable "You have to believe me!" line at approximately 40 minutes into the episode to know that is your culprit.
What BBC offers instead is a more rigorous raft of shows that are both short and sweet. Short in that they are seldom more than six hours in length, and sweet because they inevitably feature some of the most talented actors working in the UK. While David Morrissey and Polly Walker might not be megastars, to quote Dame Edna, they both have hit films under their belt and are imminently watchable. If nothing else, BBC provides stateside viewers the opp to enjoy the sort of actors who deserve more kudos in the states but their focus on the stage and telly indicate they are less likely to make a big splash in the US.
"State" starts with a bang, that is two seemingly unrelated deaths at the top, one which is clearly a murder. The other, the apparent suicide of a young woman on the Underground, sets off a chain of actions that point to the culpability and deceit of our handsome lead, David Morrissey. His reaction to the woman's death, a colleague and clearly much more, sets off a media frenzy that unravels his family life and marinates him in a mixture of legal suspicion and professional reversals that do nothing so much as leave the viewer luxuriating in inspired work that promises to offer further pleasures as the series continues.
While maybe not the most memorable name on offer, "State of Play" still proves worth discovering and tuning into.
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