The Responder (2022– ) User Reviews (193)

Dark and intelligent police drama that's a cut above

[JRB-NorthernSoul · 8/10 · 24 January 2022]

Written by Tony Schumacher, himself a first-responder cop on Merseyside for 11 years.

The story is fictional but has the air of authenticity, it's real life down and dirty drama on the streets of Liverpool. Martin Freeman (an award winning performance here) plays a burnt out cop who seems to have lost his moral compass.

Production values were good all round, script and supporting cast were top notch, plus a nice score too. It won't be for everyone, it has black humour but it's quite bleak and reminiscent of Ken Loach and Jimmy McGovern who mentored the writer.

I liked its original approach, its not just another police procedural. A strong and well made drama that looks honestly at inner-city Britain today. Hope it wins the wide audience it deserves and gets another series. Big congrats to all involved.

A gritty, intense series, worth your time.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 7 February 2022]

Chris is a Policeman on the edge, his personal life and work life are tipping him near the edge, he has some tough decisions to make.

One word sums this series up, gritty, this is an intense watch, you will be on pins watching, you'll be stressed, you'll feel Chris's anxiety and despair. It is somewhat bleak, it's loaded with bad stuff, but it does offer hope.

I found it had to get into this initially, I was unsure about Parts one and two, by part three I was hooked, part five was awesome.

The acting is unbelievable, whether you love or hate the story, you can't help but be impressed by the brilliance of Martin Freeman, he is awesome throughout, a terrific supporting cast, including Myanna Burring, Warren Brown, and David Bradley (who is just awesome.)

Has the door been left open for a second series, I hope so?

Stick with it, it's well worth it, 8/10.

Freeman excellent

[CrazyArty · 8/10 · 19 February 2022]

Realistic police drama. Martin Freeman stars as a troubled cop at the end of his tether. Burnt out by the stresses of the job, he operates at, and beyond, the edges of the law.

Freeman is really excellent here, a great role for him, he is extremely convincing as the tough and broken cop.

It flows nicely, full of strong content with a decent plot. Lots of elements making for a very good TV drama. A good score reflects that it keeps you engaged over all 5 episodes.

Deeply unpleasant, yet impossible to stop watching

[altereggo123 · 9/10 · 6 April 2022]

There is a nightmarish quality to this series. I wanted to turn it off and to wake up from the bad dream, but there was a momentum about it that propelled me onward. There are few sane, grounded characters -- they are all lying to themselves and to others, making one bad decision after another until everything is careening out of control. I kept watching to find out how it would all be resolved.

I wish I could sympathize more with the characters. In spite of some grand gestures, the "responder" is no saint and has a pretty casual attitude about drug dealing. One hopes that most cops have a clearer moral compass and aren't such screw-ups. Still, Martin Freeman's performance was riveting. Watching this was like watching a car wreck. It's hard not to look.

Hard to watch, but worth it.

[elilumwow-66013 · 9/10 · 20 June 2022]

Ok, I admit, the first episode...yeah, that was a tough sell. I stuck with it though and have been mightily rewarded. It is a masterful character study. There is the poor wife, left out of his inner life which she desperately needs to be able to share his troubles. His dying Mother, who can see he's at his wits end but is powerless to help him. His snarky partner who is trying to do right by the book. His childhood friend who is using him for his own ends. He is definitely between a rock and a hard place. I don't know how he holds it all together...a man against the wall, with no outs. Brilliantly directed, you will cheer for the good, the strength that you see in everyone! It's brilliant. Stick with it. Trust me.

A very peculiar policeman

[paul2001sw-1 · 7/10 · 10 February 2022]

Martin Freeman plays a very stressed policeman in 'The Responder'. At first he just appears depressed and harassed, but we soon learn he's up to his neck in stuff he shouldn't be, stuff which is only going to get worse. There are some tense moments in this drama, but its basic problem is that almost everyone we meet appears to be unusually screwed-up. At least one normal perspective might have provided some balance. As it is, Freeman's good cop/bad cop finds himself in a mess entirely of his own making. The series is thus like the tragic endgame of a larger, but more ordinary story, which we only pick up as it spirals out of control.

Superb acting, compelling script

[cathyannemoore-66196 · 10/10 · 25 January 2022]

So pleased all episodes were available on iPlayer. Watched them back to back until early hours of the morning as the plot was so compelling. I nearly didn't watch it at all as it doesn't seem to have been promoted by the BBC (I can't recall seeing a trailer). Martin Freeman will undoubtedly receive an award for his acting. I'm not from Liverpool but to my ear his accent sounded authentic and consistent. The plot follows a several nights that the character Chris Carson is on duty responding to crimes in the city. This gives us insight into his mental state and moral compass after many years of doing the job. Contrasting, with Carson's perspective is that of the probationer, Rachel, who lacks his experience and believes everything should be done by the book. We also gain insight into how Carson''s job affects his relationship with his wife and other pressures in his life (money worries and a mother dying of cancer) By the end of the episodes, I felt compassion for most of the characters dealing with the cards that life has dealt them. None of the main characters were stereotypical cops and villains, each was complex. Only after watching all of the episodes did I find out that the writer was ex-police himself - this explains why he was able to achieve this credible portrayal of the moral dilemmas faced by those breaking the law and upholding it. Excellent piece of writing.

A new age police drama

[Eddie_J84 · 25 January 2022]

I was very impressed with the style and flow of The Responder. Dark, deep and human. It was great that all the episodes were available to binge watch and that I certainly did.

The opening episode really shows the grind and frustration of the lead character Chris played by Martin Freeman as a first response police officer and slowly through the series you meet other characters who are just as rich and interesting as Chris. Even though it is set in Liverpool it feels like it could be my home town or any city so easy to relate too which helps.

The show really helps build this constant tension and stress inflicted on Chris boiling up all the way to the end of episode 3 when a big moment happens which takes Chris on a new journey at this point you don't know to hate or love him. You then really see the inner turmoil and the human in Chris through some very emotional and human scenes in the penultimate episode (get the tissues out) which makes you feel like you understand his rooted mental health issues.

The finale has me wanting to see more of this brilliant show and hoping that this turns into the new line of duty.

hard hitting

[mick120359 · 7/10 · 25 January 2022]

An interesting look at how the stress of being a police officer can affect you mental state. My only criticism is how a police officer could survive with his problems.

Outstanding!

[randymcbeast · 10/10 · 30 January 2022]

I didn't know what to expect when I first saw this pop up but in the end was blown away at how good it was. Season 1 was amazing. Martin Freeman is brilliant and is surrounded by a superb cast. A very special nod though to Emily Fairn and Josh Finan. They took this to the 10 level it deserves.

This is a gritty, fast-paced, humorous, intense and well-written/directed/acted TV series full of twist and turns. I flew through the 5 episodes and want more. Hopefully, there will be a second season.

One other note, the song 'Pilgrim' by Fink is on the soundtrack. First time hearing the song and loved it!

Love the grime, but tonally inconsistent

[Markus_Beer · 6/10 · 18 July 2022]

Whenever the story is with Freeman, the series is great. But the supporting characters make it hard to really love The Responder. Marco, for example, has been borrowed directly from Scooby-Doo: he's portrayed as such a comically stupid comic-relief character that you get whiplash from the tonal shift of his scenes. Likewise, Rachel, the partner of Freeman's Chris, is somewhat bizarre in her development towards the last third of the series.

It is this inconsistency that has somewhat spoiled this high quality series for me: Chris's life feels real, the lives of most of the supporting characters feel like made-up stories.

The dark side of Liverpool

[carlmccormick-71931 · 9/10 · 25 January 2022]

Refreshing to see what the dark gritty side of Liverpool is really like as being a scouser myself every character has put in a performance down to a T especially the Scouse dialect lingo which is completely spot-on. Great performances by Martin Freeman! Must watch.

classic Freeman acting, but script too unrealistic.

[surfisfun · 6/10 · 28 February 2022]

The way the junkies act and interact was at time ludicrous. If you give them a big bag of hard drug they like, they would simply be focus on using it over doing anything else.

Freeman charisma as an actor hold the series together with his presence and turmoil.

This can have been much more memorable with a tighter script ,better dialogues, and more real representations of criminals.

Still, recommended .

Not Great

[lucasarts-88947 · 5/10 · 3 February 2022]

I have watched two episodes and I cannot get into this and hate the main character. I cannot see where this is going or what the point of the show is.

If this is what our police force is like then we are in trouble big time.

Incredible acting performance.

[tomweir-85599 · 8/10 · 25 January 2022]

Martin Freeman is totally brilliant in this gritty and affecting drama. It's a pretty grim and dark setting so if you're expecting some light relief then this won't help. But if you enjoy totally immersive and compelling acting then you'll love it. One of the best acting performances I've seen in years.

If only he could do the paperwork!

[allanmichael30 · 8/10 · 25 January 2022]

Its gripping to watch, as he conscience leads him on a dark path. This is the sort of role you expect to see Stephen Graham take on. It well written and directed and great cast.

Stupidity of the plot undermines everything

[Makkers1 · 25 January 2022]

Acting is top notch by Martin Freeman, not amazing by the rest of the crew. With all the stuff that is happening with Chris Carson (Martin Freeman) how on Earth does the Force let him get away with it? It's so freaking blatant. That's when you sort of lose faith in the drama. Weak characters but a solid production.

Overrated

[tcecoleshaw · 6/10 · 26 January 2022]

I was actually glad it's only 5 episodes long because the story isn't focused enough to warrant much more. The characters are all frustrating and annoying. The plot tries to introduce too many themes but 5 episodes isn't enough to explore them properly so they get rushed instead. There are a couple of twists but all pretty standard and sort of tie everything together but without much substance. At times it doesn't feel like it takes itself seriously but then tries to introduce domestic abuse as a late theme as well as the clichés throughout like an extra marital affair between Chris's wife and his nemesis. Yawn. Overall it's not the most imaginative writing and while worth binging, it's clearly written to be forgotten.

Surprisingly good

[Foxtrot-Alpha777 · 9/10 · 26 January 2022]

First of all I must admit I'm not a huge fan of Martin Freeman, hence the surprise. He does a really good job to the point I forget who the actor is, that's impressive.

The pace of the show isn't fast but that's all the best, it moves on at a decent speed but doesn't try to be actioned packed. The script is good and well acted by all concerned. Other reviews complain about the bad language, they need to consider that this is based on the drug business in Liverpool and not a Swiss finishing school.

It's really worth watching.

Does anyone actually get arrested?

[gallagherkellie · 6/10 · 7 April 2022]

I've watched 4 episodes and he's let every single person go without arresting them. Don't they ever question why he's out working every night and doesn't get an arrest?

Other than that the acting is well done. The accents are well done by those putting it on. I can't understand a thing Marc says so I need subtitles haha the story is ok nothing amazing.

This is Very Good

[phil-83737 · 8/10 · 26 January 2022]

My wife and I binge watched the whole series of this yesterday. Its very good. The acting and story are top notch.

I also found that it had some very funny moments in it also.

As an ex officer I found the characters realistic even if Martin Freeman's version of a police officer wasn't.

Very entertaining.

Liverpool's Finest

[Prince-P · 6/10 · 17 June 2022]

Some actors seem to be able to portray anyone (or anything) as soon as they're placed in front of a camera. Martin Freeman, for example, was fantastic as a long-suffering employee in "The Office". He didn't disappoint as Dr Watson in "Sherlock" either, or when he was transformed into half-pint Bilbo in "The Hobbit".

Now Freeman is back in "The Responder". This time he plays a bitter, disillusioned police officer who struggles to survive the night shift in Liverpool's harsh underworld. The only glimmer of hope in his tough life comes when he is paired with a young, female rookie (Adelayo Adedayo). She still has her illusions left, but the question is whether the pair can continue to work together after she realizes what murky secrets her new partner is hiding.

Tony Schumacher, the guy who wrote "The Responder", knows his material. He previously worked as a police officer at the Merseyside constabulary, so he's truly familiar with the reality he describes in the series. And it shows...

Compelling Viewing

[daviddunn-90653 · 10/10 · 30 January 2022]

Outstanding series that I binge watched in one evening. It is seriously good in every respect. A gritty storyline, very depressing but so true to life. The acting was top notch. Hopeully there will be a second season.

... this should have been better... acting not the issue

[bjarias · 6/10 · 10 February 2022]

... Freeman with his usual reliable acting-work... script is typical to a kinda boring degree... & who ever though the idea of locking a grown woman (even one physically-mentally-abused) inside a double-louver-door-closet using a wooden-clothes-hanger through the outside handles wasn't completely absurd... a child coulda-easily-pushed their way-outta-there.

Relentlessly Depressing

[levybob · 2/10 · 3 June 2022]

I am no Polyanna. I am not opposed to dark and disturbing tales. In fact I 'enjoy' (of course that's not the best term) them. More than that there is much to learn, much to take away from stories about people on the edge, on the very brink. More than once I have seen myself, or parts of myself, represented in a dark character.

But 'The Responder'; it is relentless. Relentlessly depressing. For the episodes I viewed I kept wishing for a break, a slice of sunlight, a hope. But there was none. A film or book or TV Series about a depressed individual need not - itself - be depressing. Over the course of the story there can be moments, characters, even alternate points of view - that give the reader or viewer a breath of fresh air and, in doing so, cast the main character's darkness in an even more dramatic 'light'.

Unfortunately this series does not do anything remotely like that.