New Tricks: An Ode (To Remaining Largely Unnoticed)
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Written by Joe McDonald / October 7th, 2015, 10:21am
I remember exactly where I was when I first heard about the premise of New Tricks. I was on the sofa, gleefully opening the TV guide like I used to do every week (I was a pretty sad kid) when a little feature caught my eye. ‘Three old codgers and a blonde? Investigating cases every week? That will never work!’ said my nine-year-old self. Twelve years later, most critics would agree with my snap judgement
And yet ratings never went below five million. If ITV or another rival network had a big TV programme scheduled, the BBC would lazily respond by scheduling a repeat of New Tricks. The same thing would probably happen if a major sporting event was cancelled or the BBC schedule was suddenly changed. Default reaction? Randomly select an episode of New Tricks and stick it on. The viewers will come swarming.
Then it got cancelled.
As I read the article on Digital Spy, I was surprised by how sad I was that this cornerstone of British TV was finally being demolished from the screens. Sure, it hadn’t been the same since three of the four originals left. And yes there was that whole very public spat between the writers and the actors that may or may not have been related to the originals quitting. But cancellation seemed like an overreaction.
So I did something I never thought I’d do, watch a whole series. And as I watched, I saw why it had become a mainstay on our televisions since 2003. The answer lies in the rather formulaic approach to each episode. Cold case is dug up somehow (literally in one case), our four trusty detectives investigate, we’re presented with a list of suspects played by someone our brains label ‘Oh it’s them! They were in that drama once!’. After a series of revelations, murderer is caught, case closed, let’s go down to the pub for a drink and a bit of ‘quality banter’.
You’d think this would get boring but strangely it didn’t. I enjoyed trying to work out who did it before the detectives. I enjoyed trying to remember where I’d seen a particular actor before. I liked the camaraderie between the three detectives (I don’t count Sasha. She was basically a robot), even after Larry Lamb replaced Dennis Waterman in the opening episodes.
But more so, this wasn’t a series that tried. It knew what it was - a solid murder mystery with a wry sense of humour that didn’t need to rely on overused devices and ‘explosive’ plots to get people to watch. That’s why it’s lasted longer than the cult classics of the 21st century like Lost, Heroes or Downton Abbey. It serves its function the same way an Agatha Christie mystery did. And it worked. Five million regular viewers tuned in, with a slight rise for the penultimate episode last week (the ratings for last night’s episode had not been released at the time of writing).
So well done to a drama that surpassed all expectations. You won’t be missed - the repeats on BBC and the Drama Channel will see to that - and I doubt anyone will be calling for your return anytime soon. But if anyone remembers you, it’ll be for providing us with an hour of light relief. And sometimes that’s all anyone wants from a TV drama.