Review: 'Lynley' Finds the Kink in Competence

In Britbox’s latest, Lynley (premiering September 4), Leo Suter steps into the role of DI Thomas Lynley. He’s the son of an Earl, an Oxford-educated lawyer, and not exactly the kind of guy you’d expect to see wearing a badge. That pedigree makes him both an outsider and a curiosity inside the Horsford police department. His partner is Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers (Sofia Barclay), a sharp, blunt, no-nonsense cop who’s burned through partners because none could keep up with her.

Lynley is a wealthy, white aristocrat; Havers is a working-class woman of color. Their partnership bristles with class and cultural friction, but that tension also sharpens their work. Hovering over them is DCI Brian Nies (Daniel Mays), who’s had it out for Lynley since their days at Scotland Yard. He doesn’t like him, doesn’t trust him, but can’t argue with his results.

That’s the stew Lynley simmers in. The series is based on Elizabeth George’s Inspector Lynley novels, which were previously adapted into the long-running BBC drama The Inspector Lynley Mysteries. While the setup leans on gender and class contrasts, those themes fade once Lynley and Havers lock into their rhythm. By then, the focus is squarely on the work.

And the work is where Lynley excels. There’s no gimmick here — no psychic visions, no superhuman instincts. Just detectives who are exceptionally good at what they do. At an hour and a half apiece, the four feature-length episodes have room to breathe. Each case is layered, twisty, and refuses to resolve the way you think it will. Motives multiply. Suspects emerge and collapse. It’s police work stripped to its essentials, and there’s real pleasure in watching smart people slowly, methodically untangle the knots.

That’s the series’ quiet trick: it feels ordinary on the surface, yet it’s elevated by sharp writing, elegant plotting, and a cast that makes the whole thing click. It takes about half an episode to settle into its rhythm, but once it does, the effect is oddly soothing. You can relax knowing that Lynley and Havers will grind their way to the truth, not through shortcuts or tropes, but through skill, persistence, and dogged attention to detail. It’s comfort television disguised as crime drama, which is basically the Britbox forte.

‘Lynley’ streams on Britbox beginning Thursday, September 4th.