A tough-talking detective in postwar London who also sings the hits? The unbelievable screen presence of Michael Gambon? The bushiest eyebrows in all of England (that would be Philip's dear old Dad; dude looks like he's got paintbrushes sticking out of his forehead)? A sinister Scottish psychiatrist? Heavy commentary on the nature of art and writing disguised as pulp thriller? Six hours' worth of interlocking narratives that seem like they have nothing to do with each other but suddenly, shockingly, all merge for an immensely satisfying payoff? What's not to like?

The first episode is a little tough to watch, as it's not clear where the different narrative threads are going (and because Gambon spends most of the episode in "horrible affliction" makeup). But the rewards for sticking with it are huge. It's a little dispiriting to think that this was a BBC production of the 80s; I can't think of an American TV series of similar depth and ambition until maybe The Sopranos, 15 years later.

Get thee to Netflix and queue this baby up. Just make sure you get the TV version. There's a film version featuring Mr. Melvin Gibson, and (shockingly), I gather it's not quite up to par with the original.