The First Look at Apple TV+ Thriller 'Criminal Record' Sees Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo Face Off

Between the return of espionage drama Slow Horses, the premiere of the buzzy Edith Wharton adaptation The Buccaneers, and the arrival of prestige films like Napoleon and Fingernails in the next few months, Apple TV+ is slowly shaping itself into a must-have platform for Anglophiles. (And that's not even counting the ongoing question about the future of the Ted Lasso franchise.)

That trend seems set to continue in early 2024 with the arrival of Criminal Record, an eight-part crime thriller about two detectives caught in a professional tug-of-war over a historic case. 

The series stars former Twelfth Doctor Peter Capaldi as Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Hegarty and Cush Jumbo (The Good Fight) as Detective Sergeant June Lenke, two police detectives at very different stages in their careers. Though Jumbo has been in several crime dramas in recent years, including Deadwater Fell, and The Beast Must Die, playing a DCI is something of a departure for Capaldi, whose post-Doctor Who career has included roles in projects as varied as The Devil's Hour, The Suicide Squad, The Personal History of David Copperfield and Paddington 2. (Though, let's be real, it's probably his turn as Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It that feels most prescient today.) 

Set in the heart of contemporary London, the character-driven drama sees an anonymous phone call draws Hegarty and Lenker into a confrontation over an old muder case, and their response to the conflict reflects the different professional positions both find themselves in. Hegarty is an older well connected man and veteran officer, someone determined to protect his legacy and reputation in the twilight of his career. Lenker, on the other hand, is in the early stages of her professional life and eager to make a name for herself --- perhaps by shaking up the established systems currently in place. 

As the two clash, Criminal Record will purportedly wrestle with the difficulty of finding common ground in an increasingly divided Britain, as well as systemic and institutional failures within the police force. 

Alongside Capaldi and Jumbo, the series also stars Charlie Creed-Miles (World on Fire), Dionne Brown (Queenie), Shaun Dooley (Gentleman Jack), Stephen Campbell Moore (The Confessions of Frannie Langton), Zoë Wanamaker (Shadow and Bone), Rasaq Kukoyi (Andor), Maisie Ayres (Silent Witness), Aysha Kala (The Undeclared War), Cathy Tyson (Boiling Point) and Tom Moutchi (Mood). 

Here's the series synopsis. 

 Criminal Record,” is a powerful new London crime thriller starring Academy Award winner Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo. An anonymous phone call draws two brilliant detectives into a confrontation over an old murder case — one a young woman in the early stages of her career, the other a well-connected man determined to protect his legacy. The series touches on issues of race, institutional failure and the quest to find common ground in a polarized Britain.

Criminal Record hails from Paul Rutman, who previously developed the long-running Vera series based on the books by Ann Stanhope. It is produced for Apple TV+ by Tod Productions and STV Studios and executive produced by Elain Collins (Shetland), along with Rutland, Capaldi, and Jumbo.

The eight episode series is directed by BAFTA Award winner Jim Loach (Save Me Too) and Shaun James Grant (The Devil's Hour). 

Criminal Record will premiere globally on Apple TV+ on Friday, January 12, 2024, with the first two episodes, followed by new installments every Friday through February 23.