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THE LEAVING OF LIVERPOOL (REDEMPTION, SERIES ONE)

© ITV & Virgin Media Ireland

So here's another ITV cop series but what's the angle in this one?

Well, 'Redemption' is set in Dublin and is about a Merseyside cop discovering she has grandkids she wasn't aware of.

A co-production with Virgin Media Ireland, it stars Belfast actress Paula Malcolmson as the Scouse cop Colette Cunningham who has to give up her job tackling drug dealers in Liverpool after being contacted by Gardai about a dead body in Dublin.

Even though she is named as the next of kin, Colette doesn't recognise the name of the deceased until Gardai confirm it is her daughter Stacey who walked out on her 20 years ago.

© ITV & Virgin Media Ireland

Arriving in the Irish capital and identifying Stacey's body, Colette finds herself having to raise two teenage grandkids she never knew she had - Abby Fitz's Cara Lockley and Evan O'Connor's Liam.

Of the two, Cara is the hardest to forge a bond with - resenting her grandmother's presence in the family home.

A typical teenager battling to assert her own independence, she bluntly tells Colette that Stacey said she left Liverpool and severed all contact because her mum was a bitch.

As hard as that is to hear, Colette is surprised to learn Stacey wanted her to be her kids' guardian.

© ITV & Virgin Media Ireland

She is also troubled to learn that prior to her death, Stacey was suspended from her work as a nurse for allegedly stealing opioids.

Beginning to suspect foul play, she delves more into Stacey's recent past and secures a transfer to the Garda's Dublin Central station where she works as a detective under the supervision of Siobhan McSweeney's Jane Connolly.

At work, Colette quickly forges friendships with Thaddea Graham's up and coming detective Siobhan Wilson and Keith McErlean's Patrick Fannon.

However she frequently clashes with her by the book boss Connolly, especially as she starts to conduct her own enquiries into Stacey's death.

© ITV & Virgin Media Ireland

Colette has little faith in the organised crime unit who were initially investigating her daughter's death but quickly dismissed it as death by suicide.

This desire to get to the truth leads to her focusing on Moe Dunford's wily thug Eoin Sullivan.

However her investigation into his role in Stacey's life will have profound implications for everyone - especially her grandkids.

And if that wasn't challenging enough, she also has to fend off a bid by Liam and Cara's recently returned father, Ian Lloyd Anderson's Niall Kilduff to gain custody over them.

© ITV & Virgin Media Ireland

Written by Sean Cook and directed by John Hayes, 'Redemption' is a plodding six part drama that follows very predictable beats.

You want a police heroine with a messy family life? Tick.

You want the heroine to be a brilliant but rogue detective? Tick.

You want a nasty thug with a lot of street cunning? Tick.

© ITV & Virgin Media Ireland

There's nothing particularly spectacular about the plot - although it does eventually reward viewers who stick with it with a final episode that builds a bit of tension.

What makes 'Redemption' watchable, though, is Malcolmson's lead performance.

The 'Ray Donovan' star has been waiting for the right vehicle to demonstrate her talent to audiences on this side of the Atlantic.

And while 'Redemption' isn't exactly that, she is still the beating heart of the show - delivering a focused performance and wearing her character's heart on her sleeves.

© ITV & Virgin Media Ireland

Dunford, however, is handed a stock villain's role and you can't help but feel an actor of his talent is a little hard done by.

McSweeney also isn't helped by her previous baggage as Sister Michael in 'Derry Girls'.

Every time you see her behind her desk in the Garda station with her sardonic way of delivering lines, you keep looking for McSweeney's habit.

Fitz and O'Connor make a decent fist of playing troubled teens with boyfriends - the former benefitting from Sean Hughes' intriguing performance as her shady love interest Kevin.

© ITV & Virgin Media Ireland

McErlean, Graham and Kilduff turn in decent, if unspectacular supporting performances but that is mostly down to the humdrum, by the book script.

Despite Malcolmson's good work, 'Redemption' just doesn't feel original enough or sparkling enough to really shine.

Flatly directed by Hayes and often dragging at times, it's a microwaveable drama devoid of any distinct flavour.

Banished to a Friday night slot on ITV, it's another one of those cop dramas you keep wishing would do a lot more with a bit more originality.

('Redemption' was broadcast on Virgin Media Ireland from April 18- May 23, 2022 and on ITV in the UK on March 17-April 21, 2023)

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