Babylon (TV Mini-Series 2014)

Babylon is that very clever sort of black humour the British do so well with that very off kilter aspect of many Channel Four series such as the vastly under appreciated Utopia. Commercial networks churn out soulless, unimaginative, by the numbers, template police procedural spin offs such as CSI:Cyber and the even more soullessly cardboard, NCIS: New Orleans, both of which will probably be rejigged and propped up for second, maybe even third, seasons. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy NCIS, Bones and even L&O:SVU, despite the lumpen Mariska, whose Slightly Animated Brick Wall makes Nelson Eddy's acting positively Oscar-worthy. I also note now she's a producer of the current series, her character seems to be going for Emmy beautification as St Mariska of Hegarty. But, these series are produced with little artistic input other than to change the city of location and the particular dysfunctional issues the ex-Marine/Black Ops lead character has with his ageing mother/father, usually played by Joanna Cassidy or Tom Berenger. Earning revenue seems to be the main concern whereas fostering original, imaginative concepts, characters and story lines are much lower down on the producer's scale of So What, Who Cares. And Babylon? If you enjoyed the subtleties of The League of Gentlemen, then you'll enjoy Babylon But, if you're looking for a series about a law enforcement unit headed by a reformed alcoholic, divorced ex- Marine with access difficulties and mommy issues and watching them noisily solve crimes in between their own complicated love lives, you would be better to play a game of Cluedo or wait until CSI:Wisconsin comes out. If you appreciated Utopia or The League of Gentlemen, then you should enjoy Babylon.