Pie in the Sky: Series 3
The Delectable British Series
A detective with an eye for crime and a nose for pie.
Henry Crabbe (Richard Griffiths, Harry Potter, The History Boys) continues to balance life as a part-time policeman with his duties as a part-time chef. Having opened a restaurant with his bean-counter wife (Maggie Steed, Shine on Harvey Moon), he hopes his days as a detective are numbered. But the early retirement he craves never seems to come, thanks to the machinations of his self-serving boss, Assistant Chief Constable Fisher (Malcolm Sinclair, Casino Royale), who knows Crabbe is too good a cop to let go.
Member Reviews
Unusual Combination That Works - Gregg
Here’s an usual combination, we have a detective series crossed with the story of a chef opening his own restaurant.
Richard Griffiths (Harry Potter’s Uncle Vernon) plays Henry Crabbe a Detective Inspector all set for retirement when he is shot in the line of duty. Thinking he is all done with that phase of life and ready to open his own restaurant named “Pie in the Sky” he is frustrated to find that his superior is still in need of his services and therefore finds a reason to question the circumstances of Crabbe’s injury. Using the threat of his pension he persuades Crabbe to continue to assist him on the occasional investigation.
The mysteries aren’t as complex nor as dark as most contemporary detective series which some will appreciate, and we also get a show dedicated to classic British food.
The mystery aspect gets shortchanged a little for a couple of reasons. The first is the length of the episodes which is comparable to a one hour American network show and there really isn’t enough time to build up an array of viable suspects in that amount of time. The other reason although not as important is the attention upon the restaurant, its staff and their food. While a more complex mystery would be appreciated some of the enjoyment and certainly the uniqueness of the series comes from the food.
The series has some good performances, though the standout is certainly Richard Griffiths character and his performance, it’s a far cry from other detectives and likely from other roles you may have seen him in before. In support Maggie Steed as Henry’s wife Margaret and Malcolm Sinclair as ACC Fisher give strong supporting performances throughout the series.
For those that like there detective stories on the light side, this series is certainly to be appreciated. My one complaint would be that occasionally the balance between the mystery and the restaurant is off and the resulting episodes aren’t quite as enjoyable as they could be.
Member Reviews
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Unusual Combination That Works - Gregg
Here’s an usual combination, we have a detective series crossed with the story of a chef opening his own restaurant.
Richard Griffiths (Harry Potter’s Uncle Vernon) plays Henry Crabbe a Detective Inspector all set for retirement when he is shot in the ...