Loch Ness

In truth, the mystery is somewhat overplotted and there are scattered moments when we wouldn’t fully believe certain character decisions, but we’re already too hooked on wanting to know who is responsible for the deaths of a music teacher, a socially awkward high school kid, and two of his classmates, not to mention a man anchored to the floor of the loch with a curling stone.

Loch Ness might not be pure noir, but it’s enjoyable noir light.

The peel-the-onion format here is familiar by now, but Stephen Brady’s script and a group of fine performances keep it intriguing, nonetheless. A fine diversion for summer evenings.

Be assured that answers will be forthcoming before Loch Ness comes to a halt. Still, there are several too many side trips and attendant altercations before the big reveals.

Loch Ness, fresh off its ITV premiere across the pond, hews strictly to the formula seen in “Broadchurch” and other knockoffs, but this six-episode series meets most of the requirements to keep a viewer hooked.

Better at atmospherics than plot specifics, Loch Ness is prone to red herrings and subplots tend to muddy the waters, delaying a melodramatic denouement that is only slightly more credible than the existence of a prehistoric sea beast. [26 Jun - 9 Jul 2017, p.13]