BritBox's Irish 'Redemption' Introduces a New Female Detective
Until recently, getting TV series from across the pond usually meant imports from the U.K.'s two largest networks: the BBC and ITV. Since the proliferation of streaming services in recent years, the competition has caused American production studios to branch out to Channel 4, Channel 5, and Alibi, and niche-driven services like Acorn TV and BritBox have been partnering further afield. Still, it's rare for Americans to get series from Ireland's Virgin Media One (formerly TV3, the country's first commercial network). But the latest title on the docket, Redemption, comes from a deal with Virgin and ITV. The latter's involvement brought the Virgin original over to join BritBox's ever-growing stable of exclusive detective show titles.
Commissioned in the spring of 2021, Redemption hails from the producers behind the successful ITV drama The Bay, which coincidentally also streams in the US on Britbox. It's the first project created by writer Sean Cook (The Code). It introduces a brand new female detective in the form of plain speaking, no-nonsense DI Colette Cunningham, played by Irish actress Paula Malcomson (best known in the states as Trixie from Deadwood). When the series introduces Cunningham, she lived in North West England and had the respect of her Merseyside Police Serious Crime Squad colleagues.
The series begins when a phone call from the Irish police, the Garda, turns her world upside down, as the mysterious victim of an apparent suicide has listed her as next of kin. After some initial confusion over a name change, the victim turns out to be Cunningham's daughter, Kate, who (according to her mother) disappeared one day when she was 16 years old and was never seen again. Kate has been living in Ireland for years and is the mother to a pair of teenagers, who say their mother claims Cunningham threw her out, abandoning her when she needed it the most. Wracked with guilt, Cunningham transfers to the Garda, determined to discover the truth behind what happened to her daughter.
Here's the official synopsis for Redemption:
A powerful story about family and second chances at its heart, the series follows the life of a dedicated detective, DI Colette Cunningham, whose estranged daughter has been found dead. Consumed by grief, Colette resolves to stay in Ireland to work for the Garda, while also piecing together the truth about Kate's death. If she did fail her daughter in life, Colette is determined to do right by her now - but is she prepared for what she finds?
Malcomson is joined by a high-profile cast that includes Siobhan McSweeney (Derry Girls), Thaddea Graham (Doctor Who), Ian Lloyd Anderson (Magpie Murders), and Sean Duggan (Miss Scarlet and The Duke). The series also features Moe Dunford (The Dry), Jade Jordan (Kin), Caoimhe O'Malley (Dublin Murders), Keith McErlean (Cold Courage), Scott Graham (Vikings), and Patrick Martins (Blasts from the Past), plus newcomers Abby Fitz and Evan O'Connor.
Redemption premieres on BritBox, with all six episodes, on Tuesday, June 14, 2022.
