Rupert Penry-Jones, Phil Davis and Steve Pemberton in “Whitechapel”. (Photo: ITV)
Whitechapel
Do you like your murder mysteries with a more historic bent? Whitechapel is here for you. The drama follows a group of detectives in London’s Whitechapel district who deal with murders that replicate historical crimes. Each of the first two seasons follows a single case, while the third and fourth are split into three individual mysteries.
Season 1 is by far the most interesting installment, as the detectives track a copycat Jack the Ripper killer. Besides being a rather good mystery in and of itself, the season also educates viewers about real history of the Ripper story. Season 2 follows a similar pattern, but takes as its inspiration the story of London’s infamous Kray Twins. These two gangsters who were responsible for most organized crime in the city’s East End, as well as many murders.
Whitechapel’s subsequent seasons tackle several much-less well known cold cases, such as the Ratcliff Highway murders, the Thames torso murders, and London witch hunts of the 16th century. The show is possibly a overall better drama for this decision. The stories are much tighter. But it’s definitely not as much fun to watch.
The series stars Rupert Penry-Jones, Phil Davis and Steve Pemberton. The three leads have great chemistry together, and Penry-Jones is particularly good as the very tortured DI Joseph Chandler. But it’s Pemberton’s historian “Ripperologist” Edward Buchan who is probably the most entertaining of the group.
Number of Seasons: 4
Where to Watch: Hulu