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As we've mentioned before, we became totally infatuted with the Helen Mirren Prime Suspect Series that was produced intermittently over a period from 1991 - 2006, when Mirren decided to retire from the series -- and to have her character, Detective Chief Inspector and Superintendent Jane Tenison, literally retire from the London Police Force.

We first offered our favorite homicide investigation/political intrigue episode (which ran 200 minutes), Prime Supsect Number Six: "The Last Witness," in the BuzzFlash Marketplace some time ago. It's a masterfully crafted thriller, with the sparkling nuanced acting of Mirren and the entire cast.

The Prime Suspect series is particularly captivating because you are able to enjoy first rate murder mysteries that are invariably intertwined with the politics of the London Police force, while Jane Tenison (Mirren) sacrifices her personal life in order to advance as a woman in a stifling male professional environment. Tenison is not a feminist; she is just someone who always wanted to do police work and to do it conscientiously, as best she could, and close her cases. And she does.

This premium is the first episode and sets the tone for Tenison's insatiable desire to get to the bottom of a case -- no matter what external or bureaucratic obstacles lie in her way.

The entire cast of the Prime Suspect series does their job, but this is Mirren's show. She carries you along with her risk-taking, her insecurities, her mistakes, and her generally dead-on intuition.

From an online reviewer:

DCI Jane Tennison, superbly played by Helen Mirren, is not to be trifled with. Her charging, take-no-prisoners attitude is great fun to watch. She suffers fools poorly . . . or rather they suffer from her. Why do these chauvinists love to pick fights with her? Personally, I'd give her wide berth! Prime Suspect begins the seven-part series.

Full disclosure . . . I'm a flag waving, red state kind of guy. My gastritis flairs when I confess the Brits blow us out of the pond in dramatic construction. These dramas are not just good. They're awesome. Each is exquisitely plotted with three dimensional characters(maybe Jane has five dimensions). The action in the squad room has a documentary feel to it.

It is a joy to watch DCI Jane in action; a role made for Helen Mirren. She flirts with you, insults you, kicks you, and always fights for justice. Usually in a multi-part series such as Prime Suspect, I will have a favorite . . .but this is not true here: each is a gem.

From another online reviewer:

"Prime Suspect 1" matches up superb British actress Helen Mirren with her signature role as tough, ambitious and flawed Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison. In this, the opening production of what became a long-running series on PBS, DCI Tennison gets her big break when the lead DCI on a rape and murder cased dies of a heart attack. Tennison convinces her reluctant boss to let her take over the case but she must face down resistance from the boys club murder squad.

The story itself is an intriguing and gritty murder mystery that becomes more complicated in each of its four component episodes. What seemed like a basic rape/murder is complicated by the discovery of an additional body and the possibility that both murders, and others, may be the work of a serial killer. The investigation is hindered by a inside cover-up to protect the original investigating officer, and by a lack of definitive evidence. Tennison and her crew must sort through a frustrating series of red herrings and blind alleys to get to the truth. The writers of this production were wildly successful in maintaining the suspense to the very end.

DCI Tennison is a highly capable police officer but distinctly a flawed hero. She is smart, persistent, and empathetic with the victims in the case. She is prepared to overturn every available rock to find the killer, but only her skill in office politics keeps her from being taken off the case when she steps on toes within the department. Her relentless drive and ambition cause her to slight her relationships with her live-in boyfriend (Tom Wilkinson) and her family. Her ruthlessness in solving the case takes her right to the limit of the law and perhaps a bit more, while her heavy drinking and smoking foreshadow future health problems.

"Prime Suspect 1" is very highly recommended as a superb British police procedural and as the opening act in a long-running and very successful crime drama series.

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