# Shetland (2013)

> A Scottish island detective and his team investigate murders in a tight knit Shetland community where isolation shapes every case.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/42491

## Facts

- Seasons: 11
- Episodes: 56
- Episode runtime: 53 min
- Status: Returning Series
- Genres: crime, drama, mystery
- Created by: Ann Cleaves
- Network: BBC One, BBC Four
- Cast: Douglas Henshall, Ashley Jensen, Alison O'Donnell, Steven Robertson, Julia Brown, Mark Bonnar, Erin Armstrong, Julie Graham
- TMDB rating: 8.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2396135/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: melancholic, atmospheric, measured, isolated

## What critics say

Audiences broadly acclaim the early seasons for their atmospheric island setting and character-driven murder mysteries, though later seasons are rated noticeably lower.

## Synopsis

Shetland (2013-present) is a British crime drama series created by Ann Cleeves for BBC One, adapted from her novels. Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez (Douglas Henshall) leads a small police team that includes DI Ruth Calder (Ashley Jensen), DI Alison McIntosh (Alison O'Donnell) and DC Sandy Wilson (Steven Robertson) through murder investigations across the Shetland Islands. The engine of each story is a close knit island community where everyone is related or knows a suspect, so the team must rely on local knowledge, patience and an unusually resourceful style of policing. Each episode is built around a single case, while Perez's personal life carries a thread of family strain across seasons. The series runs ten seasons and remains on air, a steady run of mysteries rather than one continuing arc. Its tone is measured and atmospheric, with bleak northern weather, ferry crossings and wide empty landscapes giving the investigations a melancholic, isolated mood. Viewers who enjoy Broadchurch, Vera and Hinterland will find similar resonance in its rural British crime tradition and its emphasis on place and character.

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