The Ghost Squad

2005

Seasons & Episodes

  • 1
7.4| 0h30m| en| More Info
Released: 15 November 2005 Ended
Producted By: Company Pictures
Country: United Kingdom
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website: http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/G/ghost_squad/show.html
Synopsis

The Ghost Squad was a 2005 British crime drama series produced by Company Pictures, for Channel 4. The show was created by Tom Grieves. Inspired by the real life "Ghost Squad" that existed between 1994 and 1998, secretly investigating police corruption, the premise of the series is that the squad continued to operate in secret after officially being shut down. It starred Elaine Cassidy as a police constable recruited into the squad and Jonas Armstrong as her handler. The show was cancelled after a single seven episode series.

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Reviews

Hellen I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much
BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
Aiden Melton The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.
Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.
you_me557 It was one of the best series I have watched in a while. It is of such a compelling high standard but with an interesting twist in the last episode, which brings in the human element. The story line was quite different and shown a different part of policing otherwise never seen before. Dramas from the UK always impress me with the great scenery, even if it is in the middle of London. The cast of Elaine Cassidy as Detective Amy Harris, Emma Fielding Detective Superintendent, Jonas Armstrong as the support detective was well cast and scripted, however I felt that the casting of 'Amy' as such a young detective may be unrealistic, but maybe thats part of the cover.very enjoyable
terim-1 I really enjoyed this 8 part series, largely due to the lead character's convincing evolution from episode to episode. It is not light stuff, and the good cop bad cop plots tackle serious issues of law enforcement ethics and the slippery morality of undercover "internal affairs" cops. Though the lead good cop, played by Elaine Cassidy, succeeds in most of her missions, the result is rarely satisfying to the character or the audience, as tragically flawed cops get caught in traps and slippery career-minded superiors operate behind the scenes. Cassidy is quite good, creating a character who progresses from gung-ho righteousness to grim determination; she is both manipulated and manipulating.In some ways, the blurry morality and internal affairs theme reminds me of The Shield. For an American who doesn't watch a whole lot of British cop TV, it also provided an interesting insight into police work on that side of the pond. Unfortunately, the photography and editing can be distractingly bad, and yet the excellent acting and thought provoking perspective on police ethics more than make up for technical shortcomings. Kudos especially to Cassidy, who has proved herself an astonishingly versatile actress in recent years.
Theo Robertson I saw the trailers for GHOST SQUAD a couple of times on Channel 4 but never got round to seeing it mainly because I got turned off by cop dramas in the 1990s sometime when that was the only type of show they seemed to be making in Britain and I guess that my gut instinct of the show was that it seemed like a pitch that got sidelined when reality TV replaced cop shows as the staple diet of British television at the turn of the century For some reason I found myself watching the penultimate episode last week and was fairly impressed . Okay I don't want to over praise it by describing GHOST SQUAD as must see television but as one hour of gritty British television it does the job nicely . It's kind of like BETWEEN THE LINES without the chain smoking and bed hopping: Drugs that have been going missing from a police station have been finding their way on to the streets again and Amy Harris an agent from the ultra secretive anti police corruption " ghost squad " has to find out who's the corrupt cop behind it . It was compelling enough for me to make a point of watching the final episode tonight which was feature length but I was slightly disappointed . The plot itself was fine which featured a cop being murdered by a black gang on an estate and Harris being told to find out if a black Detective Inspector who grew up on the estate has been giving the gang inside info and covering up for them . The reason it disappointed was simply down to the fact that there wasn't enough plot to last two hours and therefore it has a bit too many twists and turns and red herrings to work successfully . It would have worked much better as a hour long drama Anything that made me dislike the style of the series ? Just one - The camera work which has far too many irritating jump cuts and for some reason the screen is almost always filled with a close up on a characters face but it's not the directing of GHOST SQUAD which will be its failing but the format . The producers of BETWEEN THE LINES changed the whole style of the series almost certainly because they realised that plots featuring corrupt cops is very limited so I doubt if GHOST SQUAD will be lasting longer than a second series which is no criticism of its quality but a reflection of how many plots people can think up without running out of ideas
nat365 This is the first really gritty police drama I've seen for a long time. I am a big fan of CSI, Law and Order SVU, Without A Trace. But unlike those shows, that have the shine of Hollywood on them, this really feels dirty. It's portraying police work as it is. No false glamour, just real people, doing a job that most people wouldn't have the stomach for.SPOILERS:I loved the first episode of this, when Amy got into the 'Ghost Squad'. She was forced to turn on her friends, and although she didn't like it, she did it. It was a great introduction to the series, and to Amy's character.The second episode was far less straightforward. In fact, for most of it I was confused as to who was undercover, who was undercover with the people who were undercover, and who were the straightforward bad guys (although it's possibly my fault, for not giving the program my absolute full attention during the first half). However, I equate this confusion with a good programme. It made me think, and many TV shows are scared to challenge their audiences in this way.Lots of swearing, but that's to be expected in real life, so that's what you get here. I'm always amazed that Jack Bauer gets through each of his horrible days, swearing so little.Anyway, to sum up, this is a brilliant new drama, full of promise. I hope it lives up to it's first couple of episodes, and from what I've seen so far, I'm sure it will.

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