Forsyth's skill for paring a narrative down to just the fun parts makes this irresistible. Steve Coogan is in his element as Don.

Legends is tightly wound from the get-go, a true-crime drama that sets itself apart through its top-tier cast and thrills rooted in the grimy greys of drug-ravaged Britain. 

Together with directors Brady Hood and Julian Holmes as well as a uniformly strong cast, led by a gravel-voiced Coogan and Tom Burke (“Furiosa”) as Don’s star pupil, Forsyth makes “Legends” a gripping tale of found potential and assumed identity.

Neil Forsyth (the writer of Guilt and The Gold) has turned this little-known episode in British history into a sure-footed six-part thriller. You will never stop marvelling throughout at the fact that it really happened.

While the first episode of Legends could have fleshed out some of the main characters a little better, it does just enough — with enough restraint — to keep us watching.

[Steve Coogan] creates a sober, wounded portrait of a man who has been damaged by his own experiences undercover and knows it. .... The initial gathering of wannabe detectives is fairly comical. .... Even if the team makes a few acrobatic leaps in its confidence and capabilities, the storytelling is so brisk that one really won’t care.

The energy spent keeping things serious prevents the series catching fire. But it remains a brilliant story, here well told.