*WARNING SPOILERS*
'Scott and Bailey' is back on ITV and in its fourth series it's stronger than ever and a firm favourite among fans. And before you groan "not another ITV crime detective drama!" this one is a cut above the rest. Mainly for the following reasons, it's funny, it's real and actually doesn't really focus much on the crime element of the show. From the miserable dramas that various channels have given us in the past year alone, 'Scott and Bailey' is a real breath of fresh air, giving us real, gritty, northern humour and banter, particularly through the title characters of Rachel Bailey (A brilliant Suranne Jones) and Janet Scott (Lesley Sharp). These two have had a rocky friendship in pasts series, especially in the last series (3), but this show works so much better when they are the best of friends again. Especially when the uber fans of the show have a nickname for the two characters' relationship, "Janchel", so I think everything works better for everyone when they are getting alone.
But all this might be thrown away in this coming series with possible trouble brewing between the pair. Basically, the two both went forward for the post of Sergeant, thanks to an available post now being free due to Danny Miller's return to Emmerdale, both are pitted against each other, but in a friendly way. And staying true to style we see that although Rachel claims that she's "not a liability" in her interview, as soon as she's out she is slaying the interviewer claiming his jokes "are as funny as sewage." However in a twist to the story that will clearly form the basis of the coming series, Janet is offered the Sergeant role first, but declines because she wants to stay at home more for her kids. So, by default, Rachel is given the job, but DCI Murray (played by the superb Amelia Bullmore who also writes this series) begs Janet not to tell Rachel that she was offered the job first. But you can bet in true ITV drama style, the truth will be revealed eventually.
To be honest, I can't really remember what the really plot of the opening episode was, and nor do I care. 'Scott and Bailey' doesn't really focus on the crime stories and who-killed-who, and maybe that's why it works so well. Seeing all these deaths on TV dramas can get boring and repetitive, so when the show instead focuses on the main characters in more detail , it can make a refreshing change. So, if you tune in to watch a gritty crime being solved in clever, whodunnit style, I don't think this is the show for you. Generally, 'Scott and Bailey' tends to be for the dedicated fan who have watched previous series and watching it for the first time can be quite difficult to get into.
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