Above is the first real look at JK Rowling's new TV series, "Strike" -- formerly Cormoran Strike, based on Rowling's series of detective novels under the pseudonym "Robert Galbraith" which include Cuckoo's Calling, The Silkworm, and that confusing third one with a lot of unnecessary casual racism and no real plot.
BFI Southbank debuted the first episode of the series a few nights back, followed by a Q&A with the cast including stars Holliday Grainger and light of my life Tom Burke.
Despite the name change (frankly Cormoran Strike was a lame title, but less likely to get missed in any media coverage than "Strike" -- particularly if any job action happens anywhere in the English-speaking world), the shaky reception to the books, and the lackluster response to casting news in general, Radio Times gives the preview a warm enough reception. That said, they do wonder whether it might get buried in the avalanche of other "moody detectives with tough pasts and attractive assistants with whom he must fight inevitable sexual tension."
To that end, RT acknowledges that Burke and Grainger's chemistry is good, making the will-they-won't-they more of a question on-screen than it was in the books, but also that Burke adds more comedy to the role than expected, and certainly more than we've seen from a lot of British moody detectives in any number of shows in the last few years.
This quote sums things up rather nicely:
Overall the episode is a thoroughly enjoyable watch. Not breathtaking TV, not particularly original, but a solid, entertaining mystery for a Sunday evening as the nights get colder and autumn approaches.
Not sure about the rest of you, but that's about what I was hoping from the show anyway, as it was what I got out of the books.
Source 1 - Article & Review
Source 2 - Video
Are you going to watch, ONTD? Are you still concerned that Tom Burke is too sexy-ugly for the role?
