crw1 It'd be a lot more palatable if they didn't continually light up and dwell, linger, on cigarette smoking. Surely financed by a tobacco group. 'Authentic' they say. I say, if the story was any good, it wouldn't need that so-called (smoking-justifying) 'authenticity'. Ruins it for me.

yelofneb-63037 For anyone who is Irish, who grew up in the 1960-70's, the Quirke series is like getting a flashback to the time that our parents came of age. For all of us, there was a dark overhanging gloom that we had nothing to do with but had to fight against. That dark gloom is aptly described here.Lately, a whole lot of attention is given to the impending retirement of Daniel Day-Lewis. He is a great Irish actor but I haven't even seen the last three movies that he has been in. Gabriel Byrne, on the other hand, is the actor whose work I do follow. He has mastered the role of the Everyman, faced with all of the sorrow and joy of life, and the negotiation in between. I have never seen him in a role that disappoints, and he is certainly worth watching in the Quirke series.I wish that the series could be continued, especially because Irish social history needs that kind of exploration, with exactly the kind of character that Gabriel Byrne delivers in the Quirke series.I'm giving it 10 out of 10 because it's a great work that has no reliance on anything but the acting performances delivered. It's as if everyone involved had sat down together and agreed about exactly what to do. That kind of intimacy is usually only possible with stage performances. Somehow, the cast and crew of Quirke have managed to achieve that.There is no reason to not watch all three episodes of Quirke, against a multitude of reasons to sit, watch and study. You'll be glad that you can say that you saw it.

abbadon-hades Someone said I should post my comment as a review, so here goes...There are so many procedurals,and cop shows out there,doing the same thing over and over again. This is not one of those regular TV- shows. Crime plays a part of course, but more than that, this is a series that is driven by character development. For each crime we also delve deeper into Quirke's family relations and history. There is a logical development in the way the story is built,so that the plots of the different episodes combine into a whole. And consequences are far from as clean cut, as it would have been in an ordinary cop-show. I have tremendous respect for Gabriel Byrne and Michael Gambon as actors, and I think this material may well have provided the foundation for some of the best acting of their career. The supporting cast is also uniformly excellent, and that nearly all actors in this series is Irish, also makes it that much more convincing.I enjoyed the mood set by the music,and the portrayal of the era. From Smoke-filled streets and bars, to the clothes they use, the cars they drive, and all the small details that make up this wonderful mini-series.

Joe Soap Beautifully shot and atmospheric, though the dark scenes get a bit tedious, good acting all round but the characters are wooden. The script is banal, nobody says anything insightful or cute. Inappropriate responses. In episode two the intimidation and murder in the first episode seems to be forgotten. The continuity is terrible you keep wondering "who is this character now", new characters pop into the episodes fully formed and you're sure you must have missed something previously. This all comes from trying to be too clever. And his daughter's assertion on finding out he's her dad "but I loved you Quirke" just dropped like a lead balloon. Really disappointing.