The Long Call

Matt Roush says...

Pennyworth’s Ben Aldridge stars in an engrossing four-part mystery drama—all episodes available for binge-watching—as a conflicted detective who has second thoughts about returning to his coastal North Devon hometown. Openly gay and married, DI Matthew Venn can only observe his father’s funeral from afar, having been ostracized by the cult-like Brethren evangelical religious community of his upbringing. Matthew’s severe mother (Juliet Stevenson) gives him a frosty reception—“The grief’s turned me sour,” she admits—until she needs his help locating a kidnapped neighbor whose disappearance may be linked to a fatal stabbing of a mystery man found on the beach. The investigation soon turns personal for Venn, a complicated and compelling character embroiled in the sort of twisty case the Brits do better than anyone.

What's Worth Watching (Oct 28)