SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

aredfish This program has what you might call an "actor's script" - in other words, it needs a considerable input from the actors to bring the characters to life and make the dialogue sparkle. The deadpan delivery it gets from this crew of C-listers just doesn't do the job. Judging from the plot types and visual style of this series, the producers were trying to re-create "The Avengers". That, too, depended on the actors, and stopped working after Diana Rigg left. This material might work if delivered by a really over-the-top team, like Monty Python or the Comic Stip. With these actors, it's just a turkey. I'm surprised it lasted as many episodes as it did. Well, you get that with the BBC I guess: their lack of slavery to the ratings sometimes leads to some brilliant TV that wouldn't succeed commercially - but also to total rubbish like this.

Tin Bates Those that have queued up to criticise this detective series have shown they have no idea of what constitutes quality TV (they are probably closet TV producers). Just once in a while a TV executive commissions something worth making, this is one of those occasions. To say that Mayo is quirky, witty and, at times, satirical is to state the obvious. The acting talents of Alistair MacGowan and his cohorts are remarkable, they each have, hopefully, long futures in TV and film. Critics or "people who have no abilities and hate seeing ability in others" have said "inane", "grating" "poorly written", these are the sort of people that praise the latest 'reality' show where shop assistants, cleaners, airport workers, bailiffs or wheel clampers parade their lack of talent, or of hopeful singers (some with talent) are crushed by non-entities. When loudness makes up for lack of humour and mediocrity for lack of imagination, it is unsurprising that one of the best TV series in 10 years is cancelled in favour of non-entities showing their inability to dance.

baz-51 Those who have knocked this series have merely proved that they simply are so unused to being required to look beyond the surface (despite The Simpsons) in a television programme that they are no longer capable of seeing the joke.This is a surreal world with real world concerns, a joke at the expense not only of English stereotypes, but of the very concept of detective drama. It is never intended that you should believe that the four central characters would, in the real world, be ranking police officers. This is an alternative universe where forensic pathologists hang about in a police caravan (which appears, as if by magic, at the scene of the crime) with detectives and comes up with a detailed analysis without ever entering a lab, and the West Midlands contains a street full of old school friends who speak with thick Lancastrian accents! What this 'unreal' setting does, as is the case in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, for example, is to free the writers to use the characters to gently mock those traits which so painfully reflect our own idiosyncrasies (repressed emotion, ebay addiction, our inability to escape those social conventions which we know to be ridiculous, all come in for laser accurate mockery that is nevertheless affectionate and always acknowledges that when a finger is pointed at anyone, there are three more pointing back at us.The central characters are lovingly crafted by writers and actors, the 'jokes' are subtle and knowing, and the series greatly rewards those prepared to look beyond the focus and read between the lines. It's a work of pure television heaven that sadly may be cast into the outer darkness because it does not appeal to the lazy viewer who, despite its public service credentials, the BBC seems so desperate to attract.

bob the moo The latest ratings stinker from the BBC, Mayo attracted me to watch it just because of the sheer critical mauling it was getting from all the critics and reviewers. It seemed that this series was not only a dog, but the type of dog that everyone was queuing up to gleefully kick. The basic concept seems to be about a, wait for it, collection of unorthodox detectives led by the unusual Inspector Mayo. So each week we get a different case that the team take on with a light sense of humour, lots of goofing around and a sharp sense of deduction.I watched a couple of episodes to see if it was worthy of my attention or worthy of the kicking and very quickly could see all the things that the others must be hammering it for (although it probably isn't as bad as everyone says). The problem with it is just how very derivative, unimaginative and lazy it all it. It seems to be trying to repeat the many successful "quirky" detective shows but do it in a sort of ironic sort of way. However it isn't any good just by doing this and indeed if this approach does anything then it only succeeds in undercutting the value of the material, leaving me wondering why I was supposed to be interested in or amused by these characters. The cases lack any tension or excitement and the focus is very much the "humour" of each episode.Sadly I didn't find it funny so much as, well, inane and grating. The script is clunky and lacking energy so even reasonable gags just fall flat. The cast don't help this at all. McGowan is a fine impressionist but as an actor he is all at sea here. You can see why he was cast – his style does suit the material, but this isn't of any value because the material doesn't work. Outside of this he has no ability to get to grips with his character and bring anything of interest out. His team are just as weak as he is – Bealsy, Rhys and Oyelowo are too basic and just seem to be hanging in there until the next lame line comes their way. The occasional guest stars don't do anything to help either, mainly because the tone and material is all over the place.Overall then, a silly, poorly structured and pointless entry in the "quirky TV detective" genre. It isn't interesting, the cases are dull and the attempts at jokey humour mostly fall flat and, at worst, are embarrassing. With so many good cop shows on television there are many that are much better than this; for the love of God, Monk is on various channels all the time – even repeats of that series are of greater value than this.