A few months from now, publications will start listing the best TV shows of the year. You don’t have to be a psychic to know that Sherwood is going to be around the very top of those lists. In an age in which prestige TV is rapidly giving way to simplified second-screen storytelling and mercenary intellectual property extensions, James Graham’s BBC crime drama stood out as a work of incredibly high quality.
It was urgent and timely, marrying a bigger state of the nation address to gut-wrenching character work. The cast was peerless, the score by 14th Street Music was atmospheric and doomy. Half of the new episodes were directed by Clio Barnard, for crying out loud. That’s about as good as television gets. There were moments during these last six episodes when you couldn’t help but watch through the cracks in your fingers, such was the gnawing sense of dread. Truly, you will see few shows as good this year.
