kwalstedt-1 I know this will sound stupid, but I don't understand who Erol is to Nicky. His brother? His father? Why do they live together with Mattie? I missed the beginning of the series and any explanations they might have given. I am enjoying the broadcasts of this on the BBC America channel, though with British series I am never sure how much delay there has been since the episodes were shown in the U.K. The actors are quite good and although the episodes are fairly plot driven, there aren't as many clichés as I might have feared.Don Gilet brings a real subtlety to the role, and I find his interactions with Dervla Kirwan to be some of the more interesting of the show. George Harris provides a sort of moral weight and depth to the series. I hadn't seen either of these actors before and I am quite impressed.

Erik-Bloodaxe I wanted to like this,honestly I really did.It borrows heavily from the format of the 1970s cop show "The Chinese Detective" in which a detective of Chinese origin is posted to a station and has to deal with racism as well as the usual rigours of police work.However in the 70s Political Correctness didn"t exist so TCD had a bit of "edge"to it.In 55 Degrees North DC Nicky Cole {Don Gilet} has been transferred to Newcastle.Its a scrubbed up Newcastle where hardly anyone speaks with a Geordie accent-or at least a convincing one-and in the episode I saw Cole doesn"t seem to experience any racism at all.So what you are left with is a very low octane cop show where the one cance of making it different has been wasted,and the result is a sort of Soap Opera crossed with a Travelogue for Newcastle.At least it wasn"t peppered with four letter words though.

zetakitty Was 55 Degrees North the precursor for The Night Detective? I'm totally hooked to this show! It has only been on BBC America for two weeks and I would rather watch it than CSI: Miami. Tonight's episode, where Don Gilet's character, Nicky, is asked to strip -- not once, but twice -- I must admit I will tune in every Monday night to see what happens next! I enjoy the fact that the Night Detective seems realistic; there are no story lines that feel forced or out of sync. I like the racial dynamic, especially in the series' opening scene, and as an American, I think a lot more Americans could learn a thing or two about coexisting with those that are "different" than ourselves. But getting off of my soap box, it doesn't hurt that Don Gilet is cute. He's got this boy-next-door feel. I'm really digging this show! Does anyone know how I can go about finding 55 Degrees North on DVD? Is it as easy as going to my local video store and finding it on the shelf?

tonygillan The hero in this is frankly too good to be true.He is bringing up someone else's child. Is a model police officer.I have only seen one episode and it is already obvious that he is going to get together with the lawyer after he (surprise surprise) got off on the wrong foot with her.I also have doubts as to whether he will ever fail to solve the crime and bring the baddies to book.As always with any drama set in Newcastle, every opportunity is taken for a backdrop of the Tyne Bridge.In short, an abundance of cliches.