From BBC America, a six-part series that's part murder mystery, part comedy, part musical.
Blackpool is a British seaside resort town that's seen better days, but Ripley Holden is determined to revive its fortunes, singlehandedly if need be. He's just opened a family arcade -- video games and slot machines -- and dreams of expanding it to a full-fledged casino/hotel within a year or two.
Those plans may be derailed, though, when the body of a young man is found in the arcade the morning after its grand opening party. Detective Inspector Peter Carlisle settles on Ripley as the chief suspect; when he's not on the case, he's flirting with Ripley's wife, Natalie (who has no idea that Carlisle is a cop, much less that he's investigating her husband.
And Ripley's kids are causing him no end of grief; teenage son Danny seems to know more about the dead man than he's willing to admit, and daughter Shayanne's current beau, Steve, is Ripley's age (and is somehow connected to Ripley's past).
All of this is laid out with a great sense of humor, especially from David Morrissey and David Tennant as Ripley and Carlisle; their confrontation at the end of the first episode is a delight to watch, in no small part because it's set to Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made for Walking."
Yes, Viva Blackpool is a sort of musical, in the tradition of Pennies From Heaven or The Singing Detective; several scenes are told through popular recordings; the actors not only lip-sync, they actually sing along (some are notably better than others at carrying a tune).
It's all a bit strange and completely engrossing; the first episode will be repeated on Sunday evening, and subsequent episodes premiere on Monday nights.
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