# Hard Sun (2018)

> Two opposed detectives are forced into partnership as they investigate crimes five years before the Apocalypse.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/63406

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 6
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: crime, drama, science fiction
- Created by: Neil Cross
- Network: BBC One
- Cast: Jim Sturgess, Agyness Deyn, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Derek Riddell, Aisling Bea, Varada Sethu, Jojo Macari, Owain Arthur
- TMDB rating: 6.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6402362/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: bleak, tense, paranoid, gritty

## What critics say

Audience reception is mixed, with the single season praised for its premise and cast while its ambition and execution divide viewers.

## Synopsis

Hard Sun is a British crime drama that aired on BBC One in 2018, created by Neil Cross. Detective Charlie Hicks (Jim Sturgess) and Detective Elaine Renko (Agyness Deyn) are partnered together despite fundamentally opposing views on how policing should be done, and their uneasy alliance becomes the engine of the show. Each case they take on tests their trust in one another and in the institutions around them, while a looming global catastrophe hangs over every investigation. Supporting roles include Nikki Amuka-Bird as Grace Morrigan, Derek Riddell as DCS Roland Bell, and Aisling Bea as Mari Butler. The story unfolds across a single six-episode season of one-hour episodes, a serialized British police thriller with a grounded procedural texture. Set in contemporary Britain, the series builds an atmosphere of paranoia and dread, where ordinary investigative work carries the weight of a world nearing its end. Fans of Line of Duty, True Detective and The Last of Us will find resonance in its mix of gritty crime, morally compromised policing and apocalyptic unease.

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