REVIEW: ‘No Offence,’ now available on DVD from Acorn
Photo: No Offence stars Elaine Cassidy as DC Dinah Kowalska. Photo courtesy of Acorn / Provided by press site with permission.
There is much to enjoy in the comedic police procedural No Offence, which is now available on DVD from Acorn. Over the course of seven discs and three series, the show from the mind of Shameless’ Paul Abbott takes a tongue-in-cheek look at what transpires amongst police officials in Manchester, England.
The very funny Joanna Scanlan plays Detective Inspector Viv Deering, the head of the local homicide bureau, and one of her direct reports is DC Dinah Kowalska (Elaine Cassidy). Whereas Viv is constantly telling profane jokes and seemingly more interested in her reputation than sound police work, Dinah is meticulous and thoughtful, dedicated to her job but also not immune to mistakes.
The first series of the TV show deals with an often frightening case involving disappearances of little girls who have Down Syndrome. Viv, in her usual manner, does not deal with the particulars of the case with any sense of political correctness, but it becomes obvious that she will have to take this one seriously and join forces with Dinah and the rest of the detectives to catch the killer before he terrorizes again.
In No Offence, the specifics of the cases sometimes take a backseat to the thoughtful characterizations in and around the police station. This is less a whodunit and more of a “who are these people” narrative, and that should be welcome news. Too much focus on the case in hand means less time spent on characterization; remember, at its heart, this is a dark comedy.
Scanlan is wonderfully comedic throughout the series, but she also represents a powerful female leader who has ascended the ranks in a male-dominated world. She’s a bit of an anti-heroine with her joking and lack of seriousness, but there’s an appreciated deep dive into her personal and professional life.
Cassidy is another highlight, and, in some ways, Dinah receives more of a story arc than any other character. The entire show actually begins with an incident involving Dinah running barefoot after an assailant, and the chase ends in tragedy — a tragedy that overshadows Dinah’s stellar record.
These two central women, plus Alexandra Roach as DS Joy Freers, provide a an important perspective on policing, society and Manchester. Too often TV police procedurals mimic the male-dominated world of real police work, meaning that strong female characters — even flawed female characters — are missing from the spotlight. Not so with No Offence.
Supporting work in the show is also quite strong, with memorable turns by Will Mellor, Paul Ritter (such a great actor), Saira Choudhry, Ste Johnston, Tom Varey and Neet Mohan.
No Offence, which has been compiled together by Acorn into one DVD set, will remind viewers of the short-lived show Babyloni from a few years ago. Both episodic entertainments take a look at modern policing, allowing room for serious considerations and hilarious line deliveries. Both shows have a host of oddball characters, several of them pining for advancement and promotion, and others who should probably leave police work altogether. In these characters’ ascents and inevitable descents, there’s a lot of engaging television to be experienced.
Corruption is a common theme in No Offence, with many of the detectives playing fast with the rules. This makes the show more interesting and more difficult to categorize. Except for Dinah, there are not many pure-blue police officials in this detective bureau. They don’t always respect protocol (or the law), and yet they are on the hunt for evil people stalking the local neighborhood. Perhaps that’s No Offence’s most lasting impression: the consideration of what one might do, and what might be perceived as permissible, in the pursuit of justice.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
No Offence: Complete Collection is now available on DVD from Acorn. Created by Paul Abbott. Starring Joanna Scanlan and Elaine Cassidy. Rating: 
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