Bringing a new level of gritty realism to police procedurals, Above Suspicion, based on the novels of Lynda La Plante, is both a delight and a bore to watch. Exposed to so many procedurals here in the states, the idea of watching a new one from across the pond didn’t excite me much, but I was both surprised and underwhelmed by what I saw.

Often when someone talks about the realism of a crime drama, what they mean is just that they’ll use less non-sense jargon and more actual science in the evidence parts of the story. But ITV’s Above Suspicion takes a more practical approach. Yes, there is more real science, and the dead bodies look more like real dead bodies. But over on the other end of the spectrum we also get to see more paperwork and people being assigned tasks that go nowhere. We get to see detectives sit around speculating on possible theories and trying to figure what step would be next in proving if that theory is true. We get to see the contempt that coworkers hold toward each other as one gets all the plush travel assignments while others have to sift through mounds of potential evidence, most of which will have no impact on the case. And we get to see a lead detective constant ask his female subordinates to get him sandwiches in a room full of men who’ve been assigned less work than the women. It is both captivating and coma inducing. I couldn’t keep my eyes off the screen, and I also couldn’t keep them open.

This DVD set contains the first two series of the show. In 2009’s Above Suspicion, rookie DC Anna Travis is assigned to her first murder that is tied to a string of unsolved murders over the past eight years. This new victim threatens to blow a hole in the theory that the killer has a pattern as she doesn’t fit it, and Anna finds herself attracted to the prime suspect in the killings.

In 2010’s Above Suspicion: The Red Dahlia, a body is found in a near mirror to the an unsolved US crime of the 1940’s, "The Black Dahlia", and Anna Travis and her coworkers race to find the copycat killer.

Both series are that odd mix of intensely interesting while also almost belligerently slow. The pace of the shows is so plodding that you want to fast forward, but the reveals as the cases make progress provide payoffs that make the waits almost worth it.

The DVD set also includes behind the scenes featurettes, cast interviews, photo galleries and more. It is very nicely packaged and nearly worth the price, though perhaps, unless you feel a deep seated need to own it immediately, you could wait for a sale.