Karen Pirie: Trailer, certificate and where to watch
A fearless young cold-case detective gets to the truth
Year: 2022-
Certificate: 15
Created by queen of 'Tartan Noir' Val McDermid, Karen Pirie is a plucky young DS when we first meet her. Known for being 'blunt and unequivocal', in Pirie we have a lead who is youthful, forthright and refreshing.
Played in these adaptations by Lauren Lyle (Outlander), Pirie is brought in to front a reopened cold case because of the optics - in other words, it'll look good to have a young woman on the case, instead of the old blokes who messed up the first time. This message is delivered as wry humour rather than preaching in a show that isn't afraid to be funny.
There is a lot of crime on TV but it's mostly of the 'crime of the week' variety. What sets Karen Pirie apart is that she gets to really sink her teeth into cases. Burrowing down rabbit holes, being led up garden paths, over three feature-length episodes per series she eventually gets to the truth.
Both series see her diving feet first into cold cases, in the first the unsolved murder of a barmaid, in the second the kidnapping of an heiress and her toddler son. Both also see her grow as a detective and a human. (Two series)
