The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco

Not a bad show with some interesting characters and good use of San Francisco. My problem is that we are told that the show is set in 1952. There is talk of someone being shipped off to Vietnam, possible but America did not start shipping troops there until the mid 60's. In one scene people are listening to music that sounds like it comes from the late 60's in an era before rock and roll. They also talk about converting a mono record player to a stereo player six years before stereo records were on general release. Then a character mentions the British invasion, if he is talking about music, he is over a decade ahead of his time. These anomalies take me out of the story. It is somewhat lazy writing, research is easy, it is basically what the show is about.

I say, 'give it time to develop'. I thought the sense of period was excellent, with only a couple of 21st century clichés creeping in, but to be honest, the script writers are probably far too young to realise that 'their language' is not what was used over half a century ago. We have to suspend disbelief a little when we watch any TV fiction and this isn't that far off in its portrayal of the 1950's.

I thought the standard of acting was extraordinarily high and feel that this has the potential to develop as well as, say, Endeavour as a series as the cast gradually beds in . . . and who's to say that old cast members won't reappear as the episodes unfold? Sometimes, slow burners turn into the fiercest blazes.

I must be honest, I was gutted when the original series was cancelled, ITV seem to have a nack at cancelling shows when they're at their peak, or simply showing signs of developing into something good, The Halcyon and Home Fires to name a few. It was therefore hugely welcome news to learn that Omnifilm had decided to bring the show back from extinction, the challenge was always going to be whether or not they could capture the quality and feel of the original. For the most part the answer is yes, Julie Graham and Rachel Stirling survive from the original run, and provide enough presence to make it feel like Bletchley. It's well produced, the stories are good (maybe not Madhouse so much,) and it deals with some very serious issues, notably sexism and racism.

It's a good series, I think it's fair to say it doesn't quite have the quality of the original runs, but I'm glad to see it back, and I enjoyed it. I look forward to the next four episodes. 7/10

This certainly has a different feel than the original series. It's a decent crime drama, and it continues to showcase the women's personalities and skills. However, it tries to pack too many social issues into each episode. Of course, the issues are important, as they drive peoples' actions, but it often feels forced, as if they approached each episode as the last and had to make every possible statement they could. Overall, it's enjoyable.

Additional points I make address other reviews. Those who ranted about this being a horrible American series should know it is not American, but rather it is Canadian. It is produced by a UK company and filmed in Canada. Also, I cannot speak for every inconsistency regarding misused vernacular of the time period, but those who commented on the US not being in Vietnam in the 1950s are incorrect. The MAAG went to Vietnam to advise in the 50s.

If I'm going to write a review I have to include a warning that if you're wanting to watch The Bletchley Circle Series 3, this isn't it.Tonally it's just different, which to me seems appropriate given the change of setting. It's also functionally different given the skills this new group of ladies brings to the table. The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco is a spin-off series that brings us a quite different post-war perspective. I thought the first couple episodes were middling. They were very conscious of the history but I'm not sure how successful they were in communicating it. It's not that it's inaccurate, it's just that they're trying to shove a lot of background/world-building into a very small space due to time constraints. That meant there were conversations/interactions that came off more stilted than the (apparent) intent. The series might have remained an okay 2.5 star watch, but about halfway through they started to really hit their stride. It's like the writers finally relaxed into it a little. The dynamics between the American and British women started to gel as well. I try to give every series I start at least four episodes to convince me, and in this instance I'm glad I do because otherwise I might have stopped watching after the first. I read that there are more episodes set to air next year. Fingers crossed they maintain their momentum. If they do it's going to be fun.