TV: Touching Evil (M)

Touching Evil was a British television show starring Robson Green as Dave Creegan in an FBI-type agency.

The crimes are really interesting, and we really care about making sure the perpetrators are brought to justice. However, this show is really about Creegan; "troubled" doesn't even begin to describe the man.

When the show begins, Creegan is just returning to work after recovering from a gunshot wound to the head. He is recently divorced and his ex-wife is living with someone else. He visits his kids (some of the cutest TV kids ever!) every night, but his real focus is his job. Convinced that his instincts are right, he constantly challenges his boss and takes some extreme risks. His commitment to his work leads him even further away from his family.

You get the feeling that Creegan was probably this obsessed and committed to his work before the head injury. Now that his personal relationships have eroded beyond repair, he has nothing else to lose and throws himself even more intently into his work. It is a downward spiral, but his obsession with solving crime and his despair after losing his family render him unable to make any other choice.

The first and third seasons of this show were outstanding; the second season suffered from uneven writing and had the cast making some very unlikely decisions on the job, but overall this show is well worth a look. Grade: A-