Scott & Bailey

D.C. Rachel Bailey and D.C. Janet Scott have a robust and engaging friendship which enables them to draw upon each other’s strengths and investigate murders for the Manchester Metropolitan Police.

Scott & Bailey (2011-2016) is a British police procedural series created by Sally Wainwright and Diane Taylor for ITV1. Suranne Jones plays DC Rachel Bailey, an edgy and impulsive detective, and Lesley Sharp plays DC Janet Scott, a family-minded colleague who is her steady counterpart. Working for the Manchester Metropolitan Police, the two women draw on each other's strengths as they investigate murders across the city, with Amelia Bullmore as DCI Gill Murray overseeing the squad. The engine of the show is the procedural grind of interviews, forensic leads, and station-house politics, with some cases spreading across several episodes while others close quickly. Over five seasons and thirty-three episodes, the series keeps a single continuing thread of personal lives alongside its case work. Its tone is grounded, warm, and bantering, with moments of real darkness in the crimes. Fans of Cagney and Lacey, Happy Valley, and Prime Suspect will find resonance in its female-led partnership and northern English realism. The show suits viewers who want character-rich crime drama with a human heart.

Viewers broadly rate Scott & Bailey as a well-crafted, character-driven police procedural whose strength lies in the friendship between its two detectives.

• Cagney & Laceyfemale detective partnership, procedural case work, grounded British crime drama
• Happy Valleynorthern english police procedural, character driven crime drama, regional setting
• Prime Suspectbritish police procedural, gritty crime investigation, strong female lead
• Verabritish police procedural, detective partnership, long-running crime series tone

Created by

Sally Wainwright, Diane Taylor

Release Date

2011-05-29

Episode runtime

45 min

Rating

8.0 / 10 (85)

What is Scott & Bailey about?

Two Manchester detectives lean on their friendship to solve murders in a grounded British police procedural.

What is Scott & Bailey like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Scott & Bailey as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.

Is Scott & Bailey violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Scott & Bailey as moderate.

What did critics think of Scott & Bailey?

Viewers broadly rate Scott & Bailey as a well-crafted, character-driven police procedural whose strength lies in the friendship between its two detectives.

Which shows are like Scott & Bailey?

Shows with a similar feel include Cagney & Lacey, Happy Valley, Prime Suspect, and Vera.

How long is Scott & Bailey?

Scott & Bailey: 5 seasons, 33 episodes.

Is Scott & Bailey still running?

No, Scott & Bailey has ended.

Where can I watch Scott & Bailey?

In United States, Scott & Bailey streams on Britbox Apple TV channel, BritBox, BritBox Amazon Channel.