New Tricks is one of those rare TV shows that is a true gestalt, in which the whole is greater than the sum of its (very good) parts. How so, you ask? Well, as great as the individual performances were through almost 10 full seasons, the ensemble was what made the show really really good. Their individual unique personalities all played off of one another and enhanced the overall effect.
That came to a screeching halt starting with S10E09, when Amanda Redman left the show. She was clearly the glue that held everything together. The show was somewhat able to survive the loss of Alun Armstrong (barely, because he brought so much to the table) and James Bolam, but not Redman. From that point on Dennis Waterman became a whining annoying P.I.T.A., and the show morphed into a veritable train wreck. (When Waterman was kept in check by Redman, Bolam, and Armstrong, he was good for some comic relief. But when asked to carry more of the weight, he sunk like a stone. It was painful to watch. I had to fast forward through most of his adolescent tirades. He became like a one person GRUMPY OLD MAN show, and it was as tiresome as it was tedious to endure.)
But in fairness, the show's failure towards the end of season 10 was the result of more than just the loss of Redman. Denis Lawson (who replaced Bolam) and Nicholas Lyndhurst (who replaced Armstrong) were mere shadows of their predecessors. They were bland, uninteresting, and brought little if anything to the table the way that Armstrong and Bolam had. The final nail in the coffin, however, was Tamzin Outhwaite, who replaced Redman. She was essentially eye candy, with none of the strength, complexity, charm and charisma exhibited by Redman. No wonder the show died an unceremonious death less than 2 years after the cast was gutted.
Up until that time the quirkiness, humanness (i.e. flaws), charm, and exceptional savant skills of the UCOS squad resulted in one of the most entertaining shows on TV. After S10E08, it was preachy at best, and pure torture at worst. It lost its sense of humor, took itself WAY too seriously, and beat the viewers over the head with its incessant, droning PC messages. Worse than that, the great, diverse, interesting, flawed characters turned into one-dimensional clownish caricatures. They had no warmth, or charm, or intelligence. They were mean spirited and nasty.
And the interesting, well written dramatic plots turned into nothing more than nonsensical two-bit melodrama and a weekly (over)dose of histrionics. Sadly, the show became formulaic (i.e. a formula for failure). Do yourselves a favor...watch every episode right up until S10E09, then start watching something else. If you do, you'll be rewarded with one of the best TV shows ever. If you keep on watching after that, you'll regret it. You've been warned.
That came to a screeching halt starting with S10E09, when Amanda Redman left the show. She was clearly the glue that held everything together. The show was somewhat able to survive the loss of Alun Armstrong (barely, because he brought so much to the table) and James Bolam, but not Redman. From that point on Dennis Waterman became a whining annoying P.I.T.A., and the show morphed into a veritable train wreck. (When Waterman was kept in check by Redman, Bolam, and Armstrong, he was good for some comic relief. But when asked to carry more of the weight, he sunk like a stone. It was painful to watch. I had to fast forward through most of his adolescent tirades. He became like a one person GRUMPY OLD MAN show, and it was as tiresome as it was tedious to endure.)
But in fairness, the show's failure towards the end of season 10 was the result of more than just the loss of Redman. Denis Lawson (who replaced Bolam) and Nicholas Lyndhurst (who replaced Armstrong) were mere shadows of their predecessors. They were bland, uninteresting, and brought little if anything to the table the way that Armstrong and Bolam had. The final nail in the coffin, however, was Tamzin Outhwaite, who replaced Redman. She was essentially eye candy, with none of the strength, complexity, charm and charisma exhibited by Redman. No wonder the show died an unceremonious death less than 2 years after the cast was gutted.
Up until that time the quirkiness, humanness (i.e. flaws), charm, and exceptional savant skills of the UCOS squad resulted in one of the most entertaining shows on TV. After S10E08, it was preachy at best, and pure torture at worst. It lost its sense of humor, took itself WAY too seriously, and beat the viewers over the head with its incessant, droning PC messages. Worse than that, the great, diverse, interesting, flawed characters turned into one-dimensional clownish caricatures. They had no warmth, or charm, or intelligence. They were mean spirited and nasty.
And the interesting, well written dramatic plots turned into nothing more than nonsensical two-bit melodrama and a weekly (over)dose of histrionics. Sadly, the show became formulaic (i.e. a formula for failure). Do yourselves a favor...watch every episode right up until S10E09, then start watching something else. If you do, you'll be rewarded with one of the best TV shows ever. If you keep on watching after that, you'll regret it. You've been warned.