Best TV Tonight: Peter Capaldi and Laurence Olivier in Apple TV’s brilliant new thriller, Criminal record

Starting tonight, the crime thriller “Criminal Record” is available for streaming on Apple TV+. The eight-episode series features Academy Award and BAFTA winner Peter Capaldi (“Doctor Who,” “The Thick of It”) and Laurence Olivier Award nominee Cush Jumbo (“The Good Wife,” “The Good Fight,” “The Beast Must Die”) as detectives engaged in a gripping battle over a high-profile murder case. The global debut of “Criminal Record” kicks off with the first two episodes on Friday, January 12, 2024, followed by subsequent episodes released every Friday until February 23.

Created by BAFTA Award nominee Paul Rutman (“Vera,” “Indian Summers”), “Criminal Record” unfolds as a compelling character-driven drama set in contemporary London. Triggered by an anonymous phone call, two brilliant detectives find themselves in a confrontation over an old murder case. One is a young woman in the early stages of her career, while the other is a well-connected man determined to safeguard his legacy. The series delves into themes of race, institutional failure, and the pursuit of common ground in a polarized Britain.

Starring Peter Capaldi as Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Hegarty and Cush Jumbo as Detective Sergeant June Lenker, the cast also includes Charlie Creed-Miles (“King Arthur,” “Wild Bill”), Dionne Brown (“Queenie”), Shaun Dooley (“Official Secret,” “The Woman in Black,” “The Awakening”), Stephen Campbell Moore (“The Bank Job,” “Masters of the Air”), Zoë Wanamaker (“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” “My Week with Marilyn”), Rasaq Kukoyi (“Andor,” “His House”), Maisie Ayres, Aysha Kala (“The Undeclared War”), BAFTA TV Award winner Cathy Tyson (“Help”), and Tom Moutchi (“Famalam,” “The Hustle”).

Produced for Apple TV+ by Tod Productions and STV Studios, “Criminal Record” is executive produced by BAFTA Scotland Award winner Elaine Collins (“Shetland,” “Vera”), Rutman, Capaldi, and Jumbo. The series is directed by BAFTA Award winner Jim Loach (“Save Me Too,” “Oranges and Sunshine”) and Shaun James Grant (“The Devil’s Hour”).