Taggart (1983–2010) User Reviews (25)

Excellent home-grown detective drama

[cosmic_quest · 8/10 · 1 October 2006]

Over the years, I've grown weary for the depressing drudge that British television companies churn out and have turned to American imports for entertainment. However, never once have I tired of watching a 'Taggart' episode as it's a show that's never been less that great.

Set in Glasgow, the shows sees Maryhill CID investigating the various homicide cases that cross their desks. The team was initially headed by DCI Jim Taggart (played by Mark McManus) with Mike Jardine and Jackie Reid as his underlings but, after McManus' death in 1994, Jardine took command which, in turn, passed onto DCI Matt Burke whose character is much like an incarnate of Taggart.

'Taggart' excels because the story lines are intriguing, continually leaving viewers guessing over the murderer's identity right to the end of the episode, and the characters are solid and engaging without unnecessarily delving deep into their personal lives (many detective and medical shows have been ruined by focusing too much on the characters' love lives and their sad, pathetic childhoods). There is also the dry Glasgow wit that provides an injection of humour to the show as, after all, there can't be many programmes out there where people are referred to as 'tinkies', 'baldie' or 'deid'! It's no surprise this is Britain's longest-running detective show and it's the strength of 'Taggart' that saw it survive after Mark McManus' death and, subsequently, the death of the title character. Long may it continue!

Very Good. Episodes Are Long And Slow-Moving

[aphillips-43057 · 8/10 · 28 December 2019]

My wife and I recently watched all 11 seasons on Amazon and really liked it. McManas is great as DCI Taggart. The show keeps you guessing until the end of each episode. My wife and I often pick a minor background character as the murderer, which turns out to be correct. It deserves better than its 7.2 rating. We gave it an 8.0, but would like to give it a 7.5. We think the low rating is due to most episodes being over 2 hrs. long and sometimes slow-moving

Good procedural but I'm tired of neurotic abusive law-breaking cops/Detectives

[ladybug2535 · 7/10 · 29 April 2018]

H*L* is only offering seasons 18-27, so I can only speak to the show in that season range. So far I've watched seasons 18-20, I will update my review if necessary as I watch: While dated, it held up well enough as a police procedural. Dialogue and production values are decent enough considering it was filmed in the early 2000s. I generally like British television. The cases and the characters tend to be more "real" than the Hollywood versions, and for the most part this is true of Taggart as well---HOWEVER: My biggest gripe with the series is that the tension is artificially generated by the impulsive and often aggressive actions of apparently unstable major characters. This is just lazy writing as the cases, suspects and police sleuthing should be--and ARE interesting enough to carry the show without this added nonsense. Basically I'm just tired of this all too common characterization of any police force--American or British. It's ridiculous and frankly insulting to the viewer.

Neither cops or detectives should be shown as being justified in breaking the law to "solve" a case--or abusing suspects. The one thing THIS show did right was to make it clear that these officers do actually make mistakes when they are "sure" they know who is guilty--AND they do (mostly) suffer the consequences of their actions. That raised my score considerably.

The characters also repeatedly make the point that they have procedures for good reason, and it raises sometimes dire questions (and consequences) when those procedures aren't followed.

But--I absolutely HATE how often the major character YELLS at his subordinates. He's rude and a bully. How would a person like that ever be in a sustained leadership position? He also likes to break the rules--in a "Do as I say, not as I do" fashion--which is completely unfair and ridiculous. Again, how could someone like this keep his job????

I do like that they sometimes show the team as disliking this aspect of their boss, but all too often they wind up defending indefensible behavior. It's so unnecessary! I really, really hope that this particular character doesn't stick around--or that his character arc has him "growing" out of it.

Overall the stories are interesting and the dialogue and the acting are decent. If they cut out the neurotic and abusive nonsense by the main characters this would be a terrific show.

Scotland's great contribution to the "Tv 'Tec" show.

[sisalmon · 12 August 2005]

Taggart is now officially the longest running cop show on British T.V. and indeed has been on for 3/4 of my lifetime. There are several reasons for its longevity but surely the main one is the underlying grim humour that enhances every episode. While it was undoubtedly at it's peak in the Mark "there's been a muurder" McManus years, it has recently returned to peak form with the introduction Alec Norton as the "heid man." Norton combines McManus's tough demeanor with an acting ability that outweighs his predecessor. But then McManus didn't need to be an Al Pacino, he WAS the character, dour and caustic. The other characters always provided a little colour along with occasionally convoluted personal lives. However the real star in Taggart was always Glasgow. while Glasgow has changed greatly since the '80's the city's character and natural humour always shines through. The title song puts it that "this is no mean town, this is no mean city", well it's obviously a mean enough city to sustain a 22 year murder series without ever really seeming unbelievable like the village of "Midsomer Murder" which has a body count higher than New York's! All in all a good cop show and one that as long as it can keep Alec Norton, should continue for a few more years yet.

One of the best.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 24 January 2020]

It's several years now since Taggart ended, and it's still a great watch. It spanned many years, and had different phases, in my opinion the early years with Mark McManus were the best, the dark, gritty writing, coupled with the charisma of the original Detective are a winning combination. I enjoyed the later years also, but wish they'd stuck with the longer running times, the character development in the earlier years was tremendous.

Some wonderful episodes over the years, my personal favourite Death Call had all of the elements, drama, crazed killers and a complex story, but there were many classics, Nest of Vipers, A Death Foretold and Gingerbread, I could go on, there were many.

Many wonderful guest and regular performances over the years, Blythe Duff shone over the years, she was the glue that held it all together, when she was given great material she performed amazingly.

It did seem to end at the right time, the last series was poor, particularly when compared to episodes from the show's glory years. I think it's still the longest running Detective series, will Midsomer Murders overtake it?

I love the accents, landscapes and views of Scotland.

Excellent series 9/10

Jim Taggart's City

[wilsonstuart-32346 · 9/10 · 9 February 2020]

When it was first broadcast all those years ago in 1983, as a mini-series named Killer, Glasgow was very much a city of ship building, heavy engineering and manufacturing - most of which for various reasons was in terminal decline.

Killer caught the character of that city that is now long gone - the cranes, dingy streets, sawdust pubs, old tenements and schemes - and that's been the one constant in Taggart. The evolving face of the city of Glasgow...and it's implicable, unchanging, nature.

The late Mark McManus - in a first rate performance - perfectly eptimisoed the lead character and his city - hard drinking, hard bitten, tough and laconic; yet possessing a dry humour, savviness and a very real decency. In his obituary McManus was described as a sensitive, intelligent man a world away from the character - and as fondly regarded as he was by many Glaswegians, fame did not come easily to McManus. Very sadly, his association with the role led to some verbal abuse and physical harassment. Towards the end of his life he went through a series of difficult breavements.

The other lead player was always Glasgow. It's fascinating watching the evolution of Glasgow over the course of each season. Perhaps my favourite episode was 'Root of Evil' set against the backdrop of debt collectors, Morningside (in Edinburgh) and the immensely popular but now almost forgotten 1988 Garden Festival. It was great stuff...as was 'Evil Eye', ' Flesh and Blood', 'Double Jeopardy' and 'Hostile Witness'.

Also noteworthy was the guest appearances and cameos. Alan Cumming, Robert Carlyle, Diane Keen, John Hannah, Jill Gascoigne and Celia Imrie - very striking as a gangster's moll - all made welcome appearances.

Taggart was more than just a hard copper. Inspired from Glasgow's literature, particularly William McIlvanney's subtle, underrated Laidlaw series - another detective with many of Taggart's characteristics. Any coincidence that the theme song was 'No Mean City'?

In short the McManus era is definitely a worthwhile watch. It's currently playing on UK Drama - I certainly catch it when I can.

Good stories, great accents

[deirdrechalmersdc · 6/10 · 22 August 2020]

Stories are good, entertaining and engrossing. Taggart himself is a bad boss and a horrible husband. The show improves when he leaves.

We can talk here, or doon at the nick!

[wvmcl · 10/10 · 6 July 2022]

The complete Taggart series, every single episode including all the the post-Mark McManus episodes, is currently (2022) available for streaming in the U. S. on Britbox. I've been working my way through the series and, you know what, this may be not only my favorite cop series, it may be my favorite TV series full stop.

Why do I like it so much? I love the gritty cinema-verite settings in Glasgow, the wonderful accents (you might want to turn on the optional English subtitles), the intriguing characters, the sardonic humor, the teriffic music and theme song. But what I love most of all is the writing. Glenn Chandler's scripts are exceptional - movie length twisty-turny mysteries filled with red herrings and unexpected plot shifts, and usually leading to a payoff you didn't see coming. Later scripts by other writers mostly conformed to Chandler's unique style.

The crusty title character played by Mark McManus was in the first 28 or so feature-length episodes (they were originally shown in three parts). After McManus died of a pickled liver at age 54 (in the series, he just "died in his sleep"), his assistants Mike and Jackie became the central characters but the format remained much the same for several more years. I actually think many of the Mike and Jackie episodes compare favorably with the best Jim Taggart episodes - for example, Season 14 Ep3 Dead Reckoning is one of the very best episodes in the entire series, imo.

Eventually the series went to a shorter episode format and had an ensemble cast of four, with Jackie (Blythe Duff) being the only holdover from the early series. These episodes are not quite at the level of the early ones, imo, but are still mostly fine police drama.

If you don't get Britbox, do yourself a favor and sign up for this 7 buck a month service (half the cost of Netflix) which includes almost every classic British cop/detective show from the 1970s on, and lots of other good stuff besides. I don't miss Netflix a bit. In addition to Taggart, you can enjoy the complete Inspector Morse, A Touch of Frost, Prime Suspect, Dalziel and Pascoe, Jonathan Creek, Cracker, and much more.

"Search that hoose!"

No wonder it ended.

[JerlskovFlunkhede · 7/10 · 22 June 2019]

Seasons with Mark McManus as Taggart: 10 stars.

After his death: 7 stars.

Final season: 4 stars.

Tense, exciting and well written!

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 19 May 2009]

Taggart is definitely gritty, but you can't really have a murder mystery that is funny. Sometimes Touch of Frost is like that, but that is because David Jason is a comedy genius, and also knows when to be serious. But if you want a gritty, sombre murder mystery with totally original ideas, Taggart is perfect for you. Such a shame that Mark McManus died during the series' very successful run, though Alex Norton does do a competent job as DCI Burke. Blythe Duff is a very talented actress, and John Michie and Colin McCredie do a credible job also. The episodes are sometimes brutal, but always gritty and tense. Although I am more familiar with the more recent episodes, I wish there were more repeats of the earlier ones with McManus. Another special mention should go to the theme tune, very good indeed, and it was a really original idea to base it around Glasgow. 9/10 Bethany Cox.

Stuff, wooden, yet surprisingly 'charming'

[catnapbc · 7/10 · 31 May 2023]

I think the Scottish accents and bleak landscapes and buildings are what set this apart in the early days of Scottish crime/detective series. Not the most natural or convincing acting, even by most guests stars, but interesting enough in terms or storylines and twists and turns. It's very dated and I found Mark McManus' character almost comical as he mumbles his way through the years, but it actually suits his character. The supporting cast aren't much better either, but at least they behave more believably as detectives than some current offerings. The writing isn't terribly original nor demanding, but it's managed to hold viewer attention for so many years, they must be doing something right. Like Rebus, certain roles are good 'fits', even if not very believable. Always nice to watch a show that reflects a bit of the local character and 'feel' of the place and its people. Ireland, Scotland and Wales have all managed to produce shows that showcase their regions and provide some fairly solid entertainment at the same time.

There's been a... Murder...

[evil_but_cute13 · 9/10 · 18 June 2006]

Fantastic, really a quality drama. I can't believe it's been going for 21 years! Hell it's older than me!

I watch Taggart religiously, for the sole purpose of hearing: 'There's been a MURDER!' Really, it brightens up my day when I hear that iconic phrase...

Blythe Duff is a brilliant actress, I think she is truly talented. The dynamics between the cast are excellent, they play off each other very well.

Best ever episode: Bloodlines. It features lesbians, an aquarium and a guest appearance by the great goddess Michelle Gomez.

In summary: Taggart is one hell of a drama series!

Season 1, 1st episode

[susiemae3 · 5/10 · 15 July 2020]

Taggart's accent is difficult to understand. Treats his new sergeant almost like Jack Frost does. But Jack Frost does it in a clever way. I will watch Frost ..

The second best TV-show in the world - and the best in the detective genre

[ostemad · 29 April 2001]

Probably the best detective-show in the world, it is even better than "Rejseholdet". The very best thing about Taggart is probably that you never know who the criminal is until 5 minutes before the credits, so it is intensely thrilling to the very last minute. Another remarkable feature is the constant focus on the personality of the men and women of the Maryhill police, they never end up as boring detective-robots, the show even allows their personal troubles to play a part in the plot. Another thing I like about Taggart is the way that twice (in the parts, I've watched) they borrow the outlines of another story - ex. Treasure Island by R.L. Stevenson. It adds a unique taste to the plot and makes you wonder, whether the Taggart-plot will end similar to the plot in the other story, but it never does. Finally I just have to emphasize the unique dialect spoken in the show. It is FANTASTIC!!

I loved it first time round and I still do.

[plan99 · 10/10 · 12 February 2021]

I have started watching Taggart again from the first episode and it's every bit as good as I remember it being. Living not far from Glasgow I recognise most of the locations which adds to the enjoyment. Always plenty of suspects and I rarely work out who the baddy or baddies are. This series gave a huge amount of work to Scottish actors and actresses, yes there is a difference, and for the younger ones "getting a Taggart" would have been a career highlight to date for them. A number of the youngsters went on the bigger and better things but they cut their acting teeth here.

Complete crap

[sogs · 1/10 · 21 January 2019]

Mark McManus as a poor mans Weegie lad from the slums always fancied himself as an actor. Its a shame that no one else did. His one dimensional acting skills were there for all to see in this turgid nonsense set in a Through The Looking Glass version of Glasgow. This series ran for far too long in its time, probably due to lack of competitive TV channels and revolved around fantasy crime murders in the make believe environment the writers created to suit the fools that swallowed this tripe. If some reality had been applied here with some real actors, who knows this could have been good. There are plenty of real murders in Glasgow to base a fictional series on. As it strands its utter garbage from moment to end. Only for the brain dead. Avoid at all costs.

"There's a deid boady in Maryhill, Jean !"

[paul sloan · 10 October 2000]

Taggart is total murder fantasy land.Lord knows what the body count is for all the series but it must be substantial.It is usually written to a formula of a whodunnit with one grisly murder following another before the killer is revealed(usually predictable). Mark McManus, who played the part of Jim Taggart up until his untimely death,was quite remarkable. He must have been one of the stiffest actors ever, more wooden than a Californian Redwood. Ironically though, he was perfect for the part of the gruff detective with no time for small talk. The show and its formula became such a brand that it kept the name even after McManus and the character of Taggart both passed away.Every possible angle in the twilight world of homicide seems to have been covered but still they manage to come up with different stories though these are appearing more laboured in recent years despite being superb entertainment. So Taggart continues. Who could imagine Kojak without Kojak or Columbo without Columbo ? As long as there are murders in Maryhill Taggart's old colleagues will have a place.

never saw original shows- OK police drama

[braquecubism · 4/10 · 4 December 2019]

Nevers aw Taggart, as key Detective. Burke is always angry- at his Detectives, and always barking. Robbie is deeply flawed, ladies man, drinks and gambles- Female Detective- she is not cookie cutter looks, Not the worse I've seen. Original. no; well written, hmmmm, debatable Glasgow looks like a lackluster city. Formula police drama. sometimes interesting.

Best of its type

[merlin-35 · 18 December 1999]

Taggart is definitely the best of these British murder mystery police shows. Inspector Morse is good, but Taggart takes the cake due to its huge body count and fantastic Scottish accents. The body count is the major thing lacking in series like Morse and the woeful Inspector Wexford. With Taggart, we are barely given a chance to come up with a suspect for one murder and suddenly someone else has copped it and throws a spanner in the works. Excellent show.

Not as good as I remembered

[Janet1612 · 2/10 · 4 September 2021]

I loved Taggart. In fact my whole family did. Loved the stories, the police officers, the humour, but that was back in the day.

Watched the early episodes recently and how I wish I hadn't. Poor acting, poor script. Most TV programmes and films don't date, but sadly Taggart has. It was great in its day, but the plots are long, slow and pretty boring. I didn't care who did it, or why. I'm back to watching A Touch of Frost.

Still called Taggart but is there an alternative

[Sulla-2 · 12 August 2005]

Yes, it's still called Taggart even though the man has been dead for more than 11 years. Jim Taggart was a grumpy old fashioned detective who got the job done but not until the mortuary was full !. His successors have fared no better. I loved the fact that his boss Detective Chief Superintendent McVitie was know as ' The Biscuit' Taggart was replaced by his protégé Michael Jardine who was nothing like a Detective I have ever seen. The present incumbent, Matt Burke is more in the Jim Taggart mode. For the past 15 years the female lead has been Blythe Duff. More recent additions have been DI Robbie Ross and DC Stuart Fraser. This makes one officer for each rank, more sheriffs than cowboys really. None the less, a great Police drama.

Not the best of British (Scottish?) TV

[radkins01-304-367689 · 4/10 · 3 August 2023]

We've been binge watching several BritBox shows and came across this one. While it isn't awful, it is borderline bad. We get the impression that there are no actual scripts or screenwriters, but instead the actors are pretty much reading lines out of a book -- which makes for a flat performance. Taggart himself is almost like the American detective Kojak, who is ready at a moments notice to slap or otherwise batter a suspect (rubber hoses, anyone?), as well as being crabby and ill-willed toward just about everyone. But then again, most of the characters in Taggart are very insulting and condescending toward the other characters. Maybe that's the way the Scottish are? On a scale of 10, we'd give it a 5. Watchable, but very uneven.

taggart is the best

[funky_purple_hippie · 20 May 2002]

Taggart is a great show. first its scottish which makes it great i love watching it cos i can say i've been there. the actors are excellent mark macmanus was fantastic and made the show cool. i tohught it was perfect in 94 four when jardine and reid and taggart were togther it was great the humour was excellent. my fave character is played by blythe duff (whos an excellent singer i seen her on that country singer program and she was fab) shes a great actress. the shows aird this year showing the sad and dramtic deprature of reid long term friend jardine was deeply moving and i thoguht here acting in fire burn was great i was in tears. i also think that alex norton is great too the bit were hes eating ice cream i thought was funny. i also like that the character jackie is developing greatly with the addintion of brian holmes all though there was sparks between her and robbie ie john michie which i'd like to see develop.

Jackie's Dreams

[lancemjefferson · 12 February 2009]

I have watched Taggart from the first show. Although we have never received Taggart in the Vancouver area I am in the middle of "Running Out of Time". Is it me? I liked the character of Sgt. Jackie Reid in the earlier shows but now it's as if the show should be retitled, "Jackie's Dreams". Must she always be the conscience? Must she always - I was sure that she was going to find the injured DCI Burke in his canoe about 2 minutes after the programme started. Well, I must go back and see how she solves this one. But, I think that I've reached my limit.

Lance M. Jefferson

Greatest English'', crime-television show ever.

[Gunnar_Runar_Ingibjargarson · 29 September 2008]

Scottish detective television programmer, created by Glenn Chandler (who has written many of the episodes), and made by SMG Productions (STV) for the ITV network. Taggart is a Glaswegian detective television programmer, originally set and filmed in the area of Maryhill police station in Glasgow, Scotland, but is internationally famous and is now translated into many languages including Dutch, French and Japanese. The series revolves around a group of detectives in the Maryhill CID of Strathclyde Police. It is the world's longest continually running police drama,[1] although "Woodentop", the one-off drama that later served as a the pilot for another ITV police drama, The Bill, aired one month before the first episode of Taggart.

The Scottish English and Glasgow Patter used by the characters in the show has been the subject of a number of skits. The 1980's BBC Scotland comedy series Naked Video regularly featured a series of 'Taggart' sketches in which Tony Roper portrayed Mark McManus/Jim Taggart complete with his "There's been a murder!" catchphrase pronounced with an extremely thick Glaswegian accent rolling the 'r' in murder. There is also a Tennents lager advert where CG-animated pints of Tennents play Taggart characters. "There's been a murder!" was commonly used to stereotype the show - especially in the Mark McManus era.