Top James Nesbitt Crime Dramas You Can’t Miss
Top James Nesbitt Crime Dramas You Can’t Miss
When James Nesbitt graces the screen, you know you’re in for a thrilling ride. The Northern Irish actor has a knack for delivering gripping performances in crime dramas and thrillers. From Bloodlands to The Missing, and a range of Harlan Coben adaptations like Netflix’s Missing You and Stay Close, Nesbitt’s charisma and grit shine through. He often portrays ordinary men facing extraordinary circumstances, making his performances all the more compelling.
James Nesbitt’s Latest Thriller: Run Away
The 60-year-old actor is currently starring in Run Away, Netflix’s latest New Year thriller hit in collaboration with Harlan Coben. Inspired by Harlan’s 2019 novel, the eight-part series features Nesbitt as Simon, a father whose perfect life unravels when his daughter Paige runs away. In his desperate search for his daughter, Simon is drawn into a dangerous underworld, threatening to expose deep secrets.
Top James Nesbitt Crime Dramas
If you’ve already binge-watched Run Away and are looking for your next James Nesbitt fix, here are some of his best crime thrillers:
The Missing
An absolute must-watch, The Missing introduced audiences to Julien Baptiste. In the first season, Nesbitt plays Tony, a desperate father devastated when his five-year-old son Oliver goes missing during a family holiday in France. As France’s finest detective Julien Baptiste (Tcheky Karyo) leads the manhunt, Tony and his wife Emily (Frances O’Connor) find themselves in a media maelstrom. Eight years later, with Oliver still missing, Tony can’t move on.
The synopsis continues: “After years of searching, Tony is given new hope when a shred of evidence emerges. This reignites the interest of Julien Baptiste, the lead French detective at the time of the disappearance, who returns to Chalons Du Bois to try and finally get to the bottom of what happened to Oliver Hughes.”
The first season received BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations and boasts an impressive score of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. Plus, the show comes from writers Harry and Jack Williams, whose production company Two Brothers Pictures is behind TV hits such as Fleabag, Liar, and The Tourist.
This one will keep you guessing until the very end. Watch on BBC iPlayer.
Stay Close
This 2021 limited series centers around three people living comfortable suburban lives who each conceal dark secrets that even the closest to them would never suspect. Nesbitt portrays Broome, a detective unable to let go of a missing person’s cold case, while Cush Jumbo also stars as Megan, a working mother of three, and Richard Armitage plays Ray, a once-promising documentary photographer now stuck in a dead-end job.
The synopsis teases: “As the past comes back to haunt them, threatening to ruin their lives and the lives of those around them, what will be their next move?”
The eight-part series holds a respectable 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while The Guardian described the thriller as “irresistible.” Watch on Netflix.
Bloodlands
If you love cat-and-mouse thrillers, then it’s time to check out Bloodlands. Nesbitt portrays DCI Tom Brannick in the series, which opens when a car containing a possible suicide note is pulled out of Strangford Lough. It’s not long before Brannick connects his investigation to an infamous cold case with huge personal significance.
The series follows the determined detective as he hunts for a legendary assassin. The drama, which ran for two seasons, received four stars from The Guardian for its first outing, while Radio Times described the series as “an unpredictable thriller with all the hallmarks of a Jed Mercurio drama.” Watch on BBC iPlayer.
Suspect
In this eight-part crime thriller, Nesbitt plays troubled detective Danny Frater, who gets a terrible shock when he finds the corpse of his estranged daughter Christina lying in the hospital mortuary during what he thought was a routine ID check. While the pair had a complicated father-daughter relationship, Danny refuses to accept that she would have ended her own life and sets out to uncover the truth.
The series, which is an adaptation of the original Danish series Forhøret by Christoffer Boe, was met with mixed reviews from TV critics, while many viewers were “hooked” from the start and praised the show as “compelling” in online reviews. Watch on Channel 4.
Stan Lee’s Lucky Man
Is he a detective again? Yes, he is, but this time with a supernatural twist! In this 2016 crime drama, which comes from comic book legend Stan Lee and is produced by the team behind Downton Abbey, Nesbitt plays DI Harry Clayton, who hits rock bottom after a series of gambling debts mount up.
Harry is on the verge of losing everything, including his family, when he meets a beautiful and mysterious stranger named Eve, who gives him an ancient bracelet with magical properties that can change a man’s luck.
The synopsis teases: “Soon afterwards, the detective’s world is turned around as fortune finds him, but it comes at a hefty price.” While The Telegraph described the show as a “little silly” in its review of episode one, it did highlight the “terrific” cast.
For more information on James Nesbitt’s filmography, you can visit his IMDb page.
