Inspector Ellis, on Acorn TV

If DCI Ellis shows up at your police station, you probably work in a zoo—and maybe you should call your solicitor. After taking personal time for yet to be disclosed reasons, DCI Ellis reluctantly agrees to serve as her boss’s troubleshooter, taking over high-profile cases from provincial constabularies that are too corrupt and too incompetent to handle them. Naturally, nobody is happy to see her, but she gets results in creator-writers Paul Logue & Sian Ejwunmi-Le Barre’s Inspector Ellis, which premieres today on Acorn TV.

In “Hanmore,” the first of three feature-length installments, the late Rowan Edwards’ mother is a former member of parliament with a reputation for criticizing the police, so ACC Leighton needs someone competent running the investigation. At least Louise Edwards recognizes Ellis is a considerable trade-up from lazy local DCI Jim Belmont. However, Ellis is more concerned about the second victim, Maggie Bradley, the victim’s working-class girlfriend, who disappeared on the night of his murder.

Of course, Belmont latched onto Bradley’s step-father as the easiest suspect. He therefore resents it when Ellis uses logic and forensic science to poke holes in his flimsy narrative. Poor DS Chet Harper is stuck in the middle, tasked with supporting Ellis, while Belmont still demands his loyalty.

“Hanmore” is a decent case, but “Callorwell” turns into a nasty can of worms. Ellis and Harper (who is now assigned to the trouble-shooting Inspector, which should give you an idea how things went with Belmont) are dispatched to investigate the disappearance of DC Jenny Rawler, a junior detective who just filed a harassment complaint against the local DCI, Hain. Soon, Ellis and Harper discover she had received a series of death threats that “magically” disappeared from evidence.

Frankly, this is a notably strong episode, because it reveals plot twists American television would not have the guts to touch. In an American procedural, Rawler would be the victim—period, end of discussion. In Ellis, it gets messy—really, really messy. This episode also features a terrific supporting cast, starting with Sam Marks as the conspicuously slimy local DI Jamie Morrison. Tim Dutton is even sleazier as Hain, while William Travis nicely humanizes honest but intimidated Sgt. Frank Landry.

Throughout both episodes, Sharon D. Clarke is terrific as the titular Ellis. It is a refreshingly low-key performance. Reserved and cerebral, she still clearly conveys the great weight Ellis metaphorically carries. Andrew Gower’s Harper is clearly conceived as a naïve sidekick, but he develops a bit of seasoning during the “Callorwell” case.

Neither of the first two (out of three) mysteries have the complexity of Dame Christie, but Logue and Ejwunmi-Le Barre cleverly muddy the waters with politics and dysfunctional inter-departmental dynamics. The writing is sharp and the lead character wears well over the course of the first three hours plus. Recommended as decent British detective procedurals, Inspector Ellis starts streaming today (11/4) on Acorn TV.