# Payback (2023)

> A widow in Edinburgh discovers her late husband laundered money for a crime boss and must navigate both the police and his dangerous associates.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/138301

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 6
- Episode runtime: 47 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, drama
- Created by: Debbie O'Malley
- Network: ITV1
- Cast: Morven Christie, Peter Mullan, Prasanna Puwanarajah, Derek Riddell, Steven Mackintosh, Grace Chilton, Eileen Duffy, Steven Miller
- TMDB rating: 7.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21955290/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: tense, gritty, bleak, suspenseful

## Synopsis

Payback (2023) is a British crime drama limited series created by Debbie O'Malley for ITV1. Morven Christie plays Lexie Noble, a woman whose comfortable life on the outskirts of Edinburgh collapses when her husband is murdered. As she tries to make sense of his death, she discovers he had been laundering money for the notorious crime boss Cal Morris, played by Peter Mullan. Now a partner in her late husband's accountancy firm, Lexie finds herself squeezed between Morris's people and the police, including DCI Adam Guthrie (Derek Riddell) and DC Jibran Khan (Prasanna Puwanarajah), each of whom wants a say in her next move. The engine of the six-episode run is her attempt to keep her footing while untangling ledgers, lies and loyalties, with each episode turning up a fresh threat. Told as a single continuing story across one season, the miniseries has a gritty, tense register grounded in Scottish streets, boardrooms and interview rooms. Viewers who enjoy the moral pressure of Bad Sisters, the crime-family menace of Peaky Blinders and the procedural tension of Line of Duty will find a familiar appeal here.

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