Strike (TV series)

Strike is a British crime drama television programme based on the Cormoran Strike detective novels written by J. K. Rowling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.[2] The programme was first broadcast on BBC One on 27 August 2017, after receiving an advance premiere at the British Film Institute on 10 August 2017.[3]

Strike
Also known asC. B. Strike
GenreCrime drama
Detective fiction
Based onCormoran Strike
by Robert Galbraith
Written by
Directed by
Starring
Opening theme"I Walk Beside You" by Beth Rowley
ComposerAdrian Johnston
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series4
No. of episodes11 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Ben Richards
  • Neil Blair
  • Ruth Kenley-Letts
  • J. K. Rowling
  • Elizabeth Kilgarriff
  • Tom Edge
  • Tommy Bulfin
ProducerJackie Larkin
Production locationsLondon, England
Running time57–59 minutes
Production companyBrontë Film and Television
DistributorBBC
Release
Original networkBBC One (UK)
Cinemax (US, Series 1-3)[1]
HBO Max (US, Series 4-)
Picture format16:9 (1080i)
Audio formatStereo
Original release27 August 2017 (2017-08-27) –
present (present)
External links
Website

The programme follows Cormoran Strike (Tom Burke), a war veteran turned private detective operating out of a tiny office in London's Denmark Street, who uses his unique insight and his background as a Special Investigation Branch investigator to solve complex cases that have eluded the police along with his assistant, subsequently business partner, Robin Ellacott (Holliday Grainger).[4]

Four adaptations have been broadcast to date, adapting the first four Strike novels: The Cuckoo's Calling (2013), The Silkworm (2014), Career of Evil (2015) and Lethal White (2018).

The programme premiered on 1 June 2018 in the United States on Cinemax and in Canada on HBO Canada under the title C. B. Strike.[1] C.B. Strike: Lethal White premieres January 20, 2021 on HBO Max.[5]

Production

Development

On 10 December 2014, it was announced that the Cormoran Strike novel series, written by J. K. Rowling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, would be adapted for television by the BBC, for broadcast on BBC One, beginning with The Cuckoo's Calling. Two years later, it was confirmed that the series would total seven episodes of sixty minutes, with shooting to begin in London in the autumn of 2016.[6] Tom Burke was announced in the role of Cormoran Strike in September 2016,[7] while Holliday Grainger was announced in the role of Robin Ellacott in November 2016.[8]

Ben Richards adapted The Cuckoo's Calling, and Tom Edge adapted The Silkworm, Career of Evil and Lethal White. Richards stated that the series is "very different tonally and visually from other crime dramas". He compared Strike to the British detective television show Morse. Similarly, Edge commented that "people use old-fashioned as a pejorative word, but to me that's part of why these books, and, I hope, the TV series, works so well."[9]

Cast and characters

Main cast

Recurring cast
  • Kerr Logan as Matthew Cunliffe
  • Ben Crompton as "Shanker"
  • Natasha O'Keeffe as Charlotte Campbell
  • Killian Scott as D.I. Eric Wardle
  • Ann Akin as Vanessa Ekwensi
  • Sargon Yelda as D.I. Richard Anstis
  • Caitlin Innes Edwards as Ilsa Herbert
  • Ian Attard as Nick Herbert

Guest cast

Episodes
SeriesEpisodesOriginally airedAverage UK viewers
(millions)
First airedLast aired
1327 August 2017 (2017-08-27)3 September 2017 (2017-09-03)8.45
2210 September 2017 (2017-09-10)17 September 2017 (2017-09-17)8.35
3225 February 2018 (2018-02-25)4 March 2018 (2018-03-04)8.08
4430 August 2020 (2020-08-30)13 September 2020 (2020-09-13)7.82

Series 1: The Cuckoo's Calling (2017)

The Cuckoo's Calling was released on DVD on 27 November 2017.[10]

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions) [11]
1"Episode 1"Michael KeillorBen Richards27 August 2017 (2017-08-27)8.89
2"Episode 2"Michael KeillorBen Richards28 August 2017 (2017-08-28)8.28
3"Episode 3"Michael KeillorBen Richards3 September 2017 (2017-09-03)8.18

Series 2: The Silkworm (2017)

The Silkworm was released on DVD on 19 February 2018.[12]

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions) [11]
4"Episode 1"Kieron HawkesTom Edge10 September 2017 (2017-09-10)8.67
5"Episode 2"Kieron HawkesTom Edge17 September 2017 (2017-09-17)8.02

Series 3: Career of Evil (2018)

Career of Evil was released on DVD on 16 April 2018.[13]

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions) [11]
6"Episode 1"Charles SturridgeTom Edge25 February 2018 (2018-02-25)8.43
7"Episode 2"Charles SturridgeTom Edge4 March 2018 (2018-03-04)7.72

Series 4: Lethal White (2020)
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions) [14]
8"Episode 1"Sue TullyTom Edge30 August 2020 (2020-08-30)8.61
9"Episode 2"Sue TullyTom Edge31 August 2020 (2020-08-31)7.58
10"Episode 3"Sue TullyTom Edge6 September 2020 (2020-09-06)7.85
11"Episode 4"Sue TullyTom Edge13 September 2020 (2020-09-13)7.22

Reception

The Cuckoo's Calling received generally positive reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gave it an approval rating of 82%, based on 17 reviews, and an average score of 6.6/10. The website's critics consensus reads "The TV adaptation of C. B. Strike delivers an entertaining detective series that faithfully and effectively adheres to genre tropes."[15] Morgan Jeffery of Digital Spy, who reviewed the first episode, praised both Burke and Grainger's performances, calling Burke's performance a "revelation".[16]

Similarly, the adaptation of The Silkworm was met with positive reviews, with critics again praising Burke and Grainger's performances.[17][18] However, the first episode was criticised for showing a suicide scene on World Suicide Prevention Day, making some viewers claim that this scene was insensitive.[19]

Career of Evil holds an 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 8 reviews, and an average score of 7/10.[20]

Lethal White holds a 73% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 11 reviews, and an average score of 5.6/10.[21]

References
  1. Anop, Nirat (9 October 2017). "Cinemax 2018 Programming Lineup". SpoilerTV.com. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  2. Sommers, Kat (November 2016). "First Look: Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger in 'Cormoran Strike'". BBC America. Archived from the original on 10 January 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  3. "Buy cinema tickets for TV Preview: Strike: The Cuckoo's Calling + discussion | BFI Southbank". whatson.bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  4. Furness, Hannah (7 September 2016). "Confirmed: Tom Burke to play Cormoran Strike in BBC's JK Rowling dramas". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  5. "C.B. Strike at Cinemax".
  6. "JK Rowling series filmed". Darlington & Stockton Times. 20 January 2017. p. 7. ISSN 2040-3933.
  7. "Tom Burke to play JK Rowling's Cormoran Strike on BBC One". BBC News. 7 September 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  8. "Holliday Grainger joins Tom Burke for major BBC One drama". BBC Media Centre. 2 November 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  9. Hughes, Sarah (13 August 2017). "Witty, not gritty: JK Rowling's gentle TV detective is a return to the era of Morse". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  10. "Strike: The Cuckoos Calling". Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2018 – via Amazon.
  11. "Top 30 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Archived from the original on 13 February 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2017. (User must select "BBC1" in the Channel field and then select the appropriate year, month and week to retrieve the figure for each episode)
  12. "Strike: The Silkworm". 19 February 2018. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2018 – via Amazon.
  13. "Strike: Career Of Evil". 16 April 2018. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2018 – via Amazon.
  14. Weekly top programmes on four screens (from Sept 2018) Archived 2 February 2019 at the Wayback Machine at barb.co.uk
  15. "C.B. Strike: The Cuckoo's Calling". Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2019 – via Rotten Tomatoes.
  16. Jeffery, Morgan (27 August 2017). "Strike - 'The Cuckoo's Calling' episode 1 review: This could be the next great detective drama". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  17. Power, Ed (11 September 2017). "Strike – The Silkworm, part one, review – an entertaining and disturbing peek into the darker side of JK Rowling's imagination". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  18. Wollaston, Sam (11 September 2017). "Strike: The Silkworm review – necrophilia, cannibalism and literary London". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  19. Fleming, Molly (11 September 2017). "Strike the Silkworm shows intense suicide scene on World Suicide Prevention Day". Metro. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  20. "C.B. Strike: Career of Evil". Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2019 – via Rotten Tomatoes.
  21. "C.B. Strike: Lethal White". Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020 – via Rotten Tomatoes.


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