New Tricks: Season 9

The game is afoot in Season Nine of 'New Tricks.'And so is change.The long-running English crime series featuring three retired detectives and their boss - played by Amanda Redman - went eight seasons with virtually the same cast but in Season Nine that's no longer the case. One of the detectives announces his retirement with virtually no warning just as the team is - under orders from a much-higher authority - about to tackle the ultimate cold case crime; a murder that took place in the 1850s. The reason for his sudden retirement leads to some very poignant scenes to go along with the normal give-and-take between the detectives and Redman.Down a man, the team takes on new cases and is soon joined temporarily by a fast-talking Scotman, another retired detective who - despite the fact he is no longer on active duty - is searching for a lost girl. She was presumed dead but he - and the girl's father - never gave up hope that one day she would be found.Denis Lawson plays the "new guy" and he doesn't at first fit in well with the team, especially with former detective Brian 'Memory' Lane, played expertly by veteran actor Alun Armstrong, or Sandra Pullman, Redman's character.Lawson's character does get on well with Dennis Waterman's roguish portrayal of Gerry Standing, however. Standing was a proper thief taker in his days as a copper, though he was known to break the odd rule or two. Lawson's character is, if anything, even more likely to break the rules in his pursuit of lawbreakers. Together they drive Pullman and Lane to distraction.I was worried that with a major cast change the quality of this excellent whodunnit would suffer but, thankfully, it did not. To be sure, the Unsolved Crimes and Open Case Squad will never be the same with the addition of Lawson's character but that doesn't mean it will be worse. In fact, it is just as good - and fresher - than it was in the past.

I have watched this series since it first came out and I love the premise: Previously retired detectives, initially considered "past it" simply by virtue of age, take on extremely difficult, unsolved cases in a newly created special unit. Their skill in solving these crimes prove intellect, ingeniousness, and grit, heightened by experience are treasures which need not diminish with years. Given that the cast represents mature people, it should have been expected that there would be changes-just as there would be in real life among older individuals. The cases are just as absorbing and the new characters/cast members, just as intriguing as those who came before.Special mention must be made of the fact that now that the cast is changing, the writers are making more of the previously underestimated Anthony Calf as DAC Strickland, and a truly terrific actor named Tim McInnerny as Stephen Fisher, villainous high level intelligence operative. He is such a talented villain that I was amazed to find he had starred in the comedy, Blackadder. I hope these two actors are being given increasingly large parts as the series progresses. They are greatly helping to sustain interest as the production goes through its current permutations.Its natural that viewers would be attached to the players and the group dynamics to which they have become accustomed. However, I found the infusion of fresh blood into the series as a positive event that is giving new life and interest to this wonderful and inventive series.

" New Tricks" is One of the best British mysteries on the market. I have enjoyed all nine seasons and hope there will bemore to come. The stories center around a police unit that deals with cold cases and unsolved crimes. It is staffed by threeretired , but very experienced detectives and headed by a younger, but mature woman who keeps everyone on their toes.It is a very clever, witty and zany series and there is very often a surprise conclusion, adding extra suspense. The characters all have strong personalities and all have their particular brand of problems which adds to the various scenarios. The cast are seasoned actors and bring their many talents to the series. I can highly recommend "New Tricks" to anyone who like mystery and drama. The series also comes with closed captioning which is helpful as some of the British accents are hard to understand and thus catch the many subtleties presented in the dialogue.

We have watched several seasons of this show and enjoy it. We were sorry when Jack left. It took a while to introduce the new member of the team.

I didn't think I'd miss Jack as much as I do. I like the new guy but want more of his background and want some of that to be quirky and funny like Brian's and Jerry's. Heck in real life people often are neurotic in at least some way. I don't mind a focus on the crimes, but I'd like a balance with the personal lives of the investigators just like in the early episodes. What is Amanda's brother up to? What is her mother doing nowadays? Her love life was just the usual so I could do without that. Where is the comedy? Life is often not just serious but plenty plenty to laugh about, especially later when the drama is over. That is what made this a hit - a balance of comedy and drama, and we got to know the main characters not just as investigators but as real people with real lives outside of work. Maybe Jack should come back, too.

Jack's last appearance is in the episode "A Death in the Family," and, while the new guy is okay--Denis Lawson playing Steve McAndrew--he's just not Jack. However, the actors who play Sandra, Brian, and Gerry are still there, so the series is still good. When they replaced Amanda Redman and Alun Armstrong, though, it just wasn't the same. I would suggest watching definitely up through Season 9 and the first couple of episodes of Season 10. Then, forget it.

Ich liebe die Akteure dieser Serie, allerdings nur in Englisch. In Deutsch kommen die Pointen nicht zur Geltung.Es zeigt die Vielfalt innerhalb der Kollegen.

This season has deeper/ more intense story lines than the previous seasons 1 - 8 (they had some intense shows, but they brought some great humor into it which made you laugh as well). Prior seasons they focused a little on the personal lives (not too much as to take away from the detail of the crime) which brought out the character and made you feel as if you got to know the character, where they came from.Overall, this show is excellent. Script - Acting - Directing are all top notch. It has grabbed my attention from the first episode with their wit and with some heart wrenching story lines. Alun Armstrong has become my new favorite actor due to playing this eccentric part so well. I can't imagine the show without him (sigh).North America should take example of the top quality television programming. The British know how to make excellent television without selling sex or over- glorified actors in order to keep the audience and without bad "reality" scripted drama - we all know there is enough of that in every day living (and the news) without being bombarded with it in television..And they appreciate older actors and don't put them out of commission because of their age!

It is a great series with good stories written with a lot of humour.A series I will watch again and again.

All seem to agree that the last series lacked "something" and with James Bolam bolting the show who knew what to expect. Bolam thought the series had become mundane & boring when in truth his acting had become artificial and helped to drag the overall quality of the show down along with scripts that were lacking.OK so I didn't think Series 8 was their best effort but it was still worth watching and would have rated it at least 4 Stars but Series 9 is a whole new beginning and gets the show back on track. The first show with Jack leaving was very well done, the guy is great and I think his interaction with the old cast develops nicely, Series 9 is a solid 5 Stars.The problem with some of those doing the rating is that the quite fairly compare New Tricks to other Brit TV Police Drama shows where I compare it to those in the US which are overdone, over-rated, over-acted, and mostly trash! When you add the mind blowing amount of commercials you simply can't watch our shows without getting disgusted unless your IQ is the same as your age.We Love New Tricks, Morse, Lewis, Case Histories, Doc Martin, DCI Banks, and many others that thankfully keep me from watching the trash from our network TV.

The British have always prided themselves on the production of first rate police drama series and "New Tricks" is among the best of the best. Their plots are imaginative and provide the characters the room to develop their own unique qualities and foibles as team members. Despite the fact that James Bollum recently quit the series there has been no denouement or loss of quality and his replacement by a former Scottish detective augers well for the future. The episodes cover the range of all possible topics from 19th century unsolved cases to modern ones for which there are precious little evidence to even support a theory to explain the crime or murder. Although each character is capable of standing alone, the real genius of the writers is to allow them to function as an integrated team. This series is a joy to watch and to watch again and again to pick up the subtle clues and offhanded comments that were missed during the initial viewings. This is one to collect for all the fans of a good crime/police dramas. It is most certainly highly recommended to view and to purchase for your collection.