# Messiah (2001)

> A British police detective leads investigations into murders across feature-length episodes.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/12329

## Facts

- Seasons: 5
- Episodes: 11
- Episode runtime: 90 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, mystery, drama
- Network: BBC One
- Cast: Michelle Forbes, Marc Warren, Ken Stott, Kieran O'Brien, Maxine Peake, Art Malik, Neil Dudgeon, Jamie Draven
- TMDB rating: 7.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0249301/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: grim, measured, atmospheric, tense

## Synopsis

Messiah (2001-2008) is a British crime drama series created for BBC One, produced by BBC Northern Ireland. Ken Stott plays DCI Red Metcalfe, a detective leading murder investigations in England, with Neil Dudgeon as DI Duncan Warren and Maxine Peake as DS Vickie Clarke among his principal team. Michelle Forbes plays Susan Metcalfe, whose connection to the investigations adds emotional weight to the work. Each story unfolds across feature-length ninety minute episodes, tracking the procedural detail of tracking down a killer through interviews, forensic leads, and tense confrontations. The series runs five seasons with eleven episodes in total, and each season builds its own investigation rather than a single continuing arc. The tone is grim, measured, and atmospheric, with a focus on the pressure placed on the detectives. Fans of Cracker, Prime Suspect, and Broadchurch will find resonance in its British police procedural approach to dark crime.

## Shows like Messiah

- [Five Days (2007)](https://ember.film/tv/3964)
- [Blue Murder (2003)](https://ember.film/tv/12997)
- [Unforgotten (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/55562)
- [Taggart (1983)](https://ember.film/tv/2304)
- [Wolfe (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/110028)
- [Above Suspicion (2009)](https://ember.film/tv/15192)
- [No Offence (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/55662)
- [Prime Suspect (1991)](https://ember.film/tv/2455)
- [What Remains (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/51788)
- [Bancroft (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/65447)

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