The Long Shadow

Dramatizing one of the most infamously notorious and shocking serial killer cases in the world, the hunt for Peter Sutcliffe, commonly dubbed the Yorkshire Ripper, between October 1975 and January 1981, South Yorkshire police undertook the biggest manhunt in British criminal history. The search for Sutcliffe lasted five years, involved over a thousand officers and changed the way the British police worked forever.

The Long Shadow (2023) is a British true crime police miniseries created by George Kay for ITV1. Across seven 48-minute episodes it dramatizes the real hunt for Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, as South Yorkshire police pursue him from October 1975 through January 1981. Senior officers such as CC Ronald Gregory (Michael McElhatton), DCS Jim Hobson (Lee Ingleby) and DI Les Hanley (Jack Deam) carry the investigation, while DC John Nunn (Kris Hitchen) and WPC Jenny Bush (Chloe Harris) work the ground-level leads. The engine of the story is the grinding, unglamorous labour of a case that stretches across years: thousands of interviews, mounting paperwork, false trails and a force racing against a killer who keeps striking. Its tone is sober and realistic, avoiding manufactured tension in favour of procedural detail and the weight of dated attitudes that hamper the search. Set in 1970s northern England, the miniseries is a single self-contained arc rather than a case-of-the-week format. Fans of Manhunt, Mindhunter and Code of a Killer will find resonance in its grounded, investigation-driven approach to real crime.

Reviewers find this British true-crime procedural engaging and well acted, if familiar in form, with its 1970s period detail and dated attitudes praised for adding texture.

• Manhuntshared true crime police investigation drama with a grounded British procedural tone
• Mindhuntershared dramatization of a real serial killer hunt told through police procedure and period detail
• Code of a Killershared British true crime police drama about a long, real-life hunt for a killer

Created by

George Kay

Release Date

2023-09-25

Episode runtime

48 min

Rating

7.7 / 10 (88)

What is The Long Shadow about?

A seven-episode British miniseries dramatizing the five-year police hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper across 1970s South Yorkshire.

What is The Long Shadow like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Long Shadow as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.

Is The Long Shadow violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Long Shadow as moderate.

What did critics think of The Long Shadow?

Reviewers find this British true-crime procedural engaging and well acted, if familiar in form, with its 1970s period detail and dated attitudes praised for adding texture.

Which shows are like The Long Shadow?

Shows with a similar feel include Manhunt, Mindhunter, and Code of a Killer.

How long is The Long Shadow?

The Long Shadow: 1 season, 7 episodes.

Is The Long Shadow still running?

No, The Long Shadow has ended.

Where can I watch The Long Shadow?

In United States, The Long Shadow streams on AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Spectrum On Demand.