Chemistry of Death (2023– ) User Reviews (30)

Brit/Forensic/Drama/Whodunnit ... what's not to like?

[rich-mac · 8/10 · 30 January 2023]

If you're tiring of the Brit Forensic drama Silent Witness then Chemistry of Death should reignite some interest in the genre.

I haven't read the books the series is based upon, nor did I engage with the trailers or blurb - and sometimes no preparation is the best preparation for a whodunnit - and that's possibly the case here.

This is a stylish and moody show that also introduces a back story to give us some context to Treadaway's (Mr Mercedes) lead character. The opening case is suitably creepy to lay a good foundation, and, although I guessed the 'villains', it had done a pretty good job of creating multiple plausible subjects.

It does have the signature Brit vibe and claustrophobic locations and shooting technique which in this case adds to rather than diminishes the intrigue. A strong supporting cast who contribute well to the combination of pace and menace.

Too fast

[madloom · 7/10 · 29 January 2023]

I like almost everything about this show - the actors, their acting, camera, music, wow! Also the choice of locations is awesome.

I read the books but I don't want to compare two completely different ways of storytelling. Of course a show or movie is not like the book and the other way round.

But if you have the chance to make a tv show from a novel you should use the opportunity to take your time to tell the story. "Chemistry of Death" is rushed, only two episodes for one book.

And there are way too many flashbacks, that's a bit annoying. Also the main character seems much more depressed and emotional than in the books.

Dark as hell, it follows the Nordic film noir path quite convincingly

[godsnames · 7/10 · 28 January 2023]

The best about this show is undoubtedly the cinematography. Many times, it just takes the breath away. And not just the landscapes, but rather how they use it to depict characters, the scene, the environment they are in, the mood, the atmosphere. That is outstanding, 10/10. The story is arresting, dark from the very start, and just goes on and on to build up the protagonist of the series, a forensic pathologist riddled with guilt about his past. I would say, that's the less convincing - however, vital - element of the character, the theme about it well overused (in my opinion). The score is good, original and well in sync with the cinematography. One of the best English series in recent years. You won't be disappointed if you watch it, for sure.

David Hunters story

[kristinhill1102 · 7/10 · 19 February 2023]

I am a huge fan of Simon Beckett and seeing that the books got finally a chance, to be on screen excited me extremely.

Of course, the books will never be topped, the details Simon Beckett put into it is just insanely good and you get a sense of the smell in the air and it seems like you are there with David.

The darkness of David's story is captured well, I do wish tho, that it would have been a bit more. To understand the character better. Through out the series of the books, it gives a better understanding of who he is and how he deals with his demons.

Yes, the accents are missing and it could have been a bit better handled, but through and through I am hoping for a new season.

If you want the whole feeling for the character, you have to start reading the books.

I give it a 7/10 because I was feeling excited through out watching the show even as I have read the books.

It's a generational thing...

[A_Different_Drummer · 7/10 · 22 January 2023]

Recently the "reboot" of CSI:VEGAS (2021) ran into a tiny spot of trouble. No viewers. To solve the problem, the producers coaxed some of the original stars out of retirement to put in cameos, trying to create a "bridge" between the old show and the new one. And that, in a nutshell, is the key to CHEMISTRY OF DEATH. It is not MORSE. It is not LEWIS. In fact, nothing about the show is done in a way that is intended to appeal to viewers who grew up on the traditional "English" mysteries. The pace is faster. The editing is faster. Voice-overs replace music. Shocking the viewer with jump-cuts and "big reveals" is not only acceptable, but actually encouraged. This is indeed a new generation of mystery show, and its success or failure will most certainly hinge on the charisma of Harry Treadaway. The same actor whose strong performances in MR MERCEDES, and STAR TREK PICARD, mesmerized viewers during his limited screentime. Clearly, the producers here felt that it was time to give Treadaway his own show, stand back, and see what happens. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

delighful

[asenterprisesksa · 10/10 · 21 January 2023]

If you were looking something to remind you of the original True Detectives (other than the chemistry between Rust and Marty), i guess this is it.

A little slow, a little British, but the main character David did his best.

Not sure if his past is relevant, with constant flashes of it, but i am sure, it is going to be another reveal later on in the show.

The detective however is not Lieutenant Colombo he is asking typical questions and boring the audience to death. Same goes for his partner.

I hope the 2nd episode goes a little faster and picks up the pace, otherwise the show will end up like many other typical British murder series.

A case of bad chemistry

[bb-772-999720 · 6/10 · 16 February 2023]

TV shows are made from many different ingredients and in the case of The Chemistry... some are good but unfortunately it's the bad ones that give the flavor. The good ones: main cast is solid, cinematography nice and the overall feel one of a high quality production inspired by shows like True Detective. But the main plot and every second scene just make no sense, so much so that you watch with growing resistance. And it's not just the emotionally incredulous things like having flashbacks of your dead baby girl running happily on a beach while you're in a ruined cottage with a horribly burned and disfigured murder victim or technicalities like having a SWAT team on standby in a small village. It's even mundane things like people wearing rain coats in a storm but never zipped and not putting hoods on, professional police investigators leaving bagged evidence scattered all over the murder scene or knowing a big storm is coming but not securing a body in an already weather damaged shack. I really wanted to love this show. Instead I just grew more and more irritaded with each episode. A shame cause it could've been a really iconic show and Threadway has potential to pull off a complex, disturbed yet charismatic character, the likes of Sherlock Holmes.

Really Interesting

[phillip-henry · 8/10 · 10 February 2023]

This is a great concept and makes for interesting viewing, the acting is good and the background character is well thought out.

It's good see an adaptation of the book and great to see Harry Treadway as a leading role, this could have been slow and miserable but it's got a great pace, the only thing I'm getting a bit fed up with is the constant flashbacks, I understand he's a tortured soul.

Sam Anderson plays the detective and is really good, the last time I saw him was in Doctor Who and I expected to see him in a lot more following that.

A great start I hope it keeps up this level of entertainment looking forward to the next instalment.

Murders in the backcountry

[DLochner · 7/10 · 22 February 2023]

A great book with an adaptation that lacks a bit of suspense - What the audience is offered is nothing that you haven't seen in other British crime series in one form or another: from the investigator who is tormented by private demons, to the village one Setting with dense forests and aging pubs where everyone knows everyone else, all these elements have long been seen in much more interesting implementations. The acting isn't particularly good either. What is reproduced in the original book through interesting and professional monologues by a forensic scientist only works like annoying talk in the series.

The biggest weakness of the series, however, is that the pacing is simply not right here. The first episode babbles along lamely, in the second the events roll over - cliffhangers included - before everything is dealt with very quickly in the third and Hunter is sent to his next investigations just as briskly as he is unmotivated. Real tension, for which the name Simon Beckett actually stands for fans, never wants to arise there. Maybe a movie would have been better than a series. All in all an average crime thriller that could have been much better with the excellent book template.

Watch if you're desperate.

[Avidviewer-02847 · 4/10 · 15 February 2023]

From the description, I thought this might be an upgraded "Silent Witness", but it's not. It's not a "Vera", a "Shetland", an "Endeavour" or a "Grantchester", or even a "Beck" (Swedish series), the script is really poor compared to those series. The flashbacks drive me crazy, David Hunter should check into a psychiatric facility and get some help. I just fast forward through the flashbacks, they are boring. The writers and director should have trimmed them down.

I like Harry Treadaway, but he's burdened with a poor script. The locations are beautiful, from rural England to the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. When the writers adds twist after twist, I know the series is headed downhill.

Chemistry of Mystery

[Martipee · 9/10 · 30 June 2023]

Odd show in that it is basically in two parts; one where the main character is in the countryside and the next in the Scottish Isles. Both have murders obviously, but both aren't the same in content, nor in mystery.

Characters throughout the series are wonderful and create excellent supporting credibility to the storylines. The countryside of both areas are breath-taking and the well written script compliments everything needed for a brilliant tale.

The last episode is one of the best I've seen, and as is the tradition these days, watch the credits , please! Lots of little herrings and just enough to lead to a satisfying conclusion before the mysteries are finally revealed, which will not disappoint viewers of this genre.

Ponderous melodrama

[ukgreek · 5/10 · 22 February 2023]

I really wanted to like this because I generally like mysteries, and I'm a fan of Amy Manson. But I don't like shows that focus on the brutalisation of women, and still managed to weather through three episodes, and wow... tedious. Unrealistic script, awful directing and cinematography, and it positively plods along half the time. Far too many closeups of the Doc's tortured face. He's in constant pain and it's simply overwrought, with his constantly invasive thoughts on his family. Nearly everything about the show is clichéd, including his narration of "the chemistry of death". I should've known because the title was not a good choice. Still, I'll give it one thing in addition to the actors doing their best: the scenery is stunning, particularly when we get to the islands.

Fast-paced British crime thriller

[Streaming-Kati · 9/10 · 11 April 2024]

"The Chemistry of Death" is a film adaptation of Simon Beckett's bestsellers. The first two novels have been incorporated into the six-part series. So you shouldn't expect the depth of the novels in the series. However, those who are able to steer clear of this will be entertained at a fast pace.

Basically, there is nothing on offer here that has not already been seen in one form or another in other British crime series. From the investigator who is tormented by private demons to the village with pubs that are getting on in years and where everyone knows everyone else, surrounded by dense forests. And yet the series was still convincing. It does a lot of things right. Starting with an enchanting, melancholy, gentle intro song. "Mogli - AFTERMATH" had to be bought straight away. The locations are beautiful, from rural England to the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. One of the strengths here is the cinematography. And it's not just the landscapes, but the way it captures the characters, the scene, the environment the characters are in, the mood and the atmosphere that immerses the viewer.

Time is taken to explore the broken side of the protagonist, a forensic pathologist. There are repeated flashbacks to his past. These run throughout the episodes and could have been fewer. His trauma is a crucial element of the character. Harry Treadaway embodies his fragile, sometimes weak character very convincingly.

The entire cast is wonderful and lends excellent credibility to the storylines.

The story is gripping, mysterious and dark. The voice-over, in a calm, gentle voice, gets under your skin. The brisk pace in particular does not allow for long stretches and maintains the menace right to the end. The story convinces with new twists and turns and remains unpredictable until the very last moment. - Especially the ending, where you should definitely watch the credits!

--------------- Conclusion:

Worth watching - a stylish and atmospheric series that entertained me with its pace better than many a traditional British crime thriller.

READ THE BOOKS INSTEAD OF WATCHING THIS

[maximenike · 3/10 · 15 August 2023]

How can such a great series of books be done so poorly? I am shocked.

And as if that wasn't all, they're also turning 2 books into a series of just 6 episodes.

This is a warning to everyone: read the books instead of watching this garbage. If you still want to watch it, please do so after reading it! You are missing so much!

Important characters remain pale and the series doesn't manage to reproduce the charm of the books at all.

You get the feeling that someone has pressed fast forward at 4x speed.

One can only hope that the series will be canceled after season 1. Let some time pass and then please give capable people the task of turning the books into a series again. HEY HBO, how about it? ;)

I can't believe it.

Nothing new......

[stevejwesley · 5/10 · 2 February 2023]

Started well, but let's be honest, you've seen it a thousand times before. I personally get particularly frustrated by a father constantly chasing the shadow of a passed child, but then that's just me. It's difficult to invest in any one of the characters, especially the lead role. Thankfully it doesn't delve into the Dexter/Da Vinci's Demons style crime scene overview each time he assesses a dead body or that would be it!

It may improve as the series moves on, but I'm of an impatient nature so ep 3 was about my limit. If you like predictable, crime scene investigation then its not terrible, but if you prefer to be kept guessing then leave well alone.

Enough already...

[cdrw6622 · 1/10 · 21 February 2023]

...with the endless flashbacks (and I mean flash) to his wife and young daughter. Either explain what happened or move on. It's EXTREMELY annoying. And what a wimpy, uninteresting main character. Couldn't care if he lived or died. Thankfully, the other characters and main stories are interesting or I would have given up after the first episode. That's what makes the show so frustrating. It has promise, but with such a poorly conceived (or portrayed) main character and the endless flashbacks, I'm not sure it's worth the effort. I'll probably wait til the current multi ep story arc ends and then give up, unless David suddenly grows a pair and becomes less of a wimp, and they come to their senses and stop the annoying flashbacks.

Adjusted the rating down from 4 to 1 star after the 6th episode. The solution to who killed the girl found burned in the cabin MAKES NO SENSE!!!!! So the old man who found the body and notified the police and then pestered them to investigate because "we get pushed to the back of the line", ends up being the killer???????????? WHAT??????? No one would be investigating if he hadn't said anything. Where's the logic????? Awful awful awful.

Boring and derivative

[artabuneta · 4/10 · 19 January 2023]

What a bore. Every character here is a cliché, the plot predictable and derivative.

We have the broken, traumatized hero whose trauma is revisited in zillions of little flashbacks. Flashbacks are this sensible man's thing, as it transpires. The man is the world's leading specialist in forensic anthropology, now playing at being a simple GP in the boondocks until a series of improbable and, frankly, risible ritual murders draw him into the cases.

There are a number of twists, some of them wuite surprising, the usual false arrests and, of course, the imperiled love interest who suffers from ... diabetes. Thankfully, it's not asthma.

Not very well acted throughout, with the low production values and bland look typical for British series, this is no feast for the eyes.

Medically woeful

[karinberlot · 3/10 · 20 April 2023]

Was kind of enjoying except for tedious flashbacks but as a doctor this became SO ridiculously poor I had to stop watching...it was when the love interest was - and I quote 'in hypo.' And the doctor asked for insulin - I'm sorry but anyone with even a passing knowledge of diabetes knows you give glucose to diabetics in hypos as adding more insulin would literally kill them. Who was the medical advisor to this series??? I know I sound pedantic but for a series literally about medicine this is woeful.

Harry Treadaway is wasted here. Usually enjoy him as an actor and he's great as usual but now wondering if the accidental death of his daughter they keep flashing back to was in fact his horrific lack of medical knowledge?

Boring

[treborbasset · 3/10 · 2 February 2023]

Bad pacing, underdeveloped characters, and lacking in plot.

The initial opening was intriguing, in which two boys find an unusual corpse in the woods. But as for the rest of the first episode, I couldn't tell you what happened in it and I literally just watched it five minutes ago. The problem was: nothing happened. I couldn't even tell you a single character's name. I have no reason or desire to continue watching.

Apparently The Chemistry of Death was a novel first, so something must have gone seriously wrong in translating it to the screen. Television is such a mature medium now that writers, directors and producers should know how to tell a story and keep the viewer engaged.

For something that's meant to be set in a sleepy English village, it certainly didn't feel like it. I'm not sure what was missing, but if it wasn't for the occasional shot of a house in the countryside, I would have thought this was set in London. Perhaps an issue of casting, acting etc. The atmosphere wasn't there, it didn't feel like any of the people actually knew each other or lived in the same place as each other. Fundamentally it didn't convey the feeling of the place or the people it was meant to.

It seems like many shows nowadays are a checklist or painting by numbers, rather than a labour of love in which the creators have a passion to create something wonderful or brilliant because it matters to them.

Nice scenery.....

[innovativelogic · 5/10 · 14 May 2023]

Pretty much end of the good news! Sorry.

Hope this guys books aren't this bad. I'm thinking someone grabbed a great story and made a HUGE mess of it.

So much promise with so little fulfilment. The plot has holes in it big enough to drive a truck through. Suggest you don't waste your time. There's so much tv out there it's not worth the effort to watch something this bad.

PS David Heyman is the only saving grace.

Ok first review from me. Now I've got to figure out why there is a character minimum on a review! I'm damn certain I've seen shorter ones than this. Still not enough, guess I'll keep typing unti...

As far as British Crime series go, this thing is a dud.

[marylips · 4/10 · 5 February 2023]

A convoluted, inept mixture of about 10% intrigue, and 90% cheesy manipulation. Characters fall into 3 categories: obnoxious, dim-witted or just plain dull. Poor writing sinks the series at every turn. Plot twists consist of nothing more than non-sensical contrivances.

The basic concept is good, about a forensic pathologist trying to establish a new life in a quaint English village. Said village, unfortunately, soon turns into murder central. While naive and very slow reacting townsfolk traipse about doing their daily business. Worst, or at least funniest, sequence is when one of the suspects tries to escape the police by closing the door in their face, going into his backyard, then WALKING through neighbouring backyards and randomly opening gates and doors to see where it might lead him. Always back to the waiting arms of the police as is glaringly predictable. Just too silly to take with any seriousness, or interest. Will not continue watching this as it is just too third-rate.

Horrendously bad

[xarlieedwards · 1/10 · 7 February 2023]

Without spoiling this for anyone it's littered with factual errors in how crimes would be investigated and horrendously bad medical errors.

On top of this the acting from several of the cast including the lead actor is really wooden. The story itself is slow and boring.

The series could actually be renamed CSI Boring it is that bad. The continuous flashbacks to the lead actors deceased family just gets boring and whoever writes this stuff clearly underestimated most viewers ability to grasp very quickly what the writer takes ages to try and build a picture to the story.

From episode 3 there are some occasion nice scenic shots but those are ruined with every return to the wooden acting.

Garbage doctoring

[heidilapin · 3/10 · 16 April 2023]

Look, if your main character is a doctor, and the woman he's just been kissing/saving from a murderer is a type 1 diabetic, you do not give insulin to someone in hypoglycemia unless you want to finish the job.

Otherwise, the scenery is nice. Are any of the actors from Norfolk? Or at least able to perform a Norfolk accent? Or has everyone moved to this quaint little village from afar after tragedy stuck.

Though I do love the cast, maybe it's a direction thing? Or writers. Definitely a lack of fact-checking/mild research in hypo-/hyper- glycemia. No wonder the world gets Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes mixed up if this is where we're getting any sort of information about it. I digress.

Harry Treadaway

[TomatoesareRotten · 5/10 · 8 March 2023]

He's the main reason I tuned in. From the outset, it's trying extremely hard to emulate its Scandinavian forebears ; landscape shots ( lots of them ), vertical drone shots ( lots of them ) and hazy camerawork, but the plot is as thin as a pancake. How did they discover the second ( historical ) body ? With the original murder being investigated ( in a tiny fictional village ), why does every single victim walk into situations blindly ? A priest who becomes confrontational with the village doctor, in a pub full of the locals. A registered and resident doctor getting stuck into plonk every lunchtime, whilst on duty ? As I said previously, really thin on plot details. A shame really, I was looking forward to this.

Really poor

[ainnes1958 · 1/10 · 15 March 2023]

It starts off in Norfolk, where a world renowned pathologist has got a job as a GP presumably without any specialist training, the reason he gave up pathology not clear... however the local detective takes him onto the case of murder which of course he solves then the local detective immediately and presumably on his own initiative sends him to a remote outer hebridean island because no one else is available anywhere in Scotland?? There is a 'storm' which appears like a stiff breeze at worst then loads if people get individually burned alive and there are sick immigrants and an affair and a swearing local cop ..meanwhile no one back in Norfolk can get appointment for their gp..help!!!!

Oh yeah and he has flashbacks involving the wee girl from Don't Look Back...complete with red coat.