"Cracker" (1993) TV series 1993-1996

User Rating:

9.1/10   

Directors:

Simon Cellan Jones
Julian Jarrold

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

27 September 1993 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

An abrasively eccentric forensic psychologist aids in the solving of difficult police cases.

Plot Keywords:

Psychological Drama

Awards:

16 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Robbie Coltrane	...	Dr. Eddie 'Fitz' Fitzgerald (10 episodes, 1993-1996)
Geraldine Somerville	...	DS Jane 'Panhandle' Penhaligon (9 episodes, 1993-1995)
Barbara Flynn	...	Judith Fitzgerald (9 episodes, 1993-1995)
Kieran O'Brien	...	Mark Fitzgerald (9 episodes, 1993-1995)
Tess Thomson	...	Katie Fitzgerald (8 episodes, 1993-1995)
Lorcan Cranitch	...	DS Jimmy Beck (7 episodes, 1993-1995)
Ricky Tomlinson	...	DCI Charlie Wise / ... (7 episodes, 1994-1996)
Edward Peel	...	Chief Super / ... (6 episodes, 1993-1995)
Wil Johnson	...	D.C. Skelton (5 episodes, 1994-1995)

Runtime:

Germany:90 min (9 episodes) | UK:60 min (22 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:MA (DVD rating) | UK:18 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Manchester, Greater Manchester, England, UK

Company:

A&E Television Networks

Quotes:

[after Penhaligon pours a jug of water over him]
Fitz: Anglo-Saxon Foreplay. Go up to my bedroom my dear. If I'm not up in half an hour, get along without me.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 100 Greatest Scary Moments (2003) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Summertime

Robbie Coltrane is brilliant

In my opinion, the little I've seen of the American version of Cracker was actually a noble effort, but the crucial difference between the two was the presence of Robbie Coltrane.

Coltrane is one of the world's best actors. He fills the character of Fitz so well that this unlikely character, who drinks hard, gambles, and is full of rage but is also compassionate and incredibly intelligent, is completely believable. He is one of the few unattractive leading men who can convincingly flirt with attractive women, so that when they are suddenly interested in him, you believe it.

Cracker is harsh stuff sometimes. Every killer on the show, it seems, has a psychological angle that is positively disturbing (hence, I suppose, the need for a police psychologist). The series also has humor, though. The scene in which Fitz, seeking revenge on a fellow therapist who's fooling around with his wife, turns a "gamblers anonymous" group into a card game is the sort of harsh but banned-in-America dark humor that Jimmy McGovern (author of the film Priest) excels at.