# Grace (2021)

> A dogged Brighton detective superintendent, haunted by his wife's disappearance, reopens long-forgotten cold cases while fighting to keep his job.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/99949

## Facts

- Seasons: 6
- Episodes: 20
- Episode runtime: 90 min
- Status: Returning Series
- Genres: crime, drama, mystery
- Created by: Russell Lewis
- Network: ITV1
- Cast: John Simm, Richie Campbell, Rakie Ayola, Brad Morrison, Amaka Okafor, Laura Elphinstone, Zoë Tapper, Craig Parkinson
- TMDB rating: 7.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11639300/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: brooding, bleak, suspenseful, atmospheric, gritty

## What critics say

Viewers rate Grace positively overall, praising its complex, closely plotted police mysteries and the lead performance, while finding the tone darker than many police shows.

## Synopsis

Grace (2021-present) is a British police procedural series created by Russell Lewis for ITV1, adapted from a novel series. Detective Superintendent Roy Grace (John Simm) is a hard-working Brighton detective whose career sits at rock bottom after another reprimand for his unorthodox methods. Haunted by the unexplained disappearance of his beloved wife Sandy, he throws himself into long-forgotten cold cases with little prospect of success, while his loyal colleague DS Glenn Branson (Richie Campbell) and DS Bella Moy (Laura Elphinstone) help him keep the investigations moving. The engine of the show is a man who cannot let go, pushing against superiors who want him gone while each episode unpicks a single crime with layered, carefully hidden motives. The series runs across six seasons of ninety-minute episodes, a continuing drama in which personal grief runs alongside the case files. Set in the seaside city of Brighton, the atmosphere is moody and bleak, with a dark, suspenseful tone. Fans of Shetland, Luther and Wallander will find resonance in its brooding British detective storytelling and its appetite for complicated mysteries.

## Shows like Grace

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- [Vera (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/36009)
- [Unforgotten (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/55562)
- [The Guilty (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/51931)
- [Waking the Dead (2001)](https://ember.film/tv/4617)
- [Ridley (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/109311)
- [DCI Banks (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/37291)
- [Bergerac (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/166885)
- [Lynley (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/181292)

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