Why do Brits make the best detective dramas? 'Bloodlands' shows why

When it comes to detective shows, no one commits to murder quite like the British.

While American whodunits bend over backward to justify gunplay and visits to strip clubs, our friends across the pond focus on mood and anguish, a deadly combination when done right.

"Bloodlands" does it right.

The four-part thriller, premiering Monday on Acorn TV, tells the story of Tom Brannick, a veteran detective in Northern Ireland investigating the kidnapping of an ex-IRA leader. The culprit appears to be the same assassin who killed Brannick's wife and others trying to put an end to "The Troubles" more than 20 years ago.

Brannick is about as far from Sonny Crockett as you could get. He favors drab sweaters. The bags under his eyes could pocket bullets. Late at night, he cries.

His persona matches the scenery. While the countryside looks like a proper setting for a picnic, it's far from glamorous. Director Pete Travis opts for dimly lit rooms and conditions so windy that you wonder how the actors manage to stay standing. The fact that the country was torn apart so recently is never far from the viewer's mind.

"For those not familiar with Northern Ireland, I want them to hopefully come away with a sense of a place that finds itself thriving and really booming to move forward, but also carrying the profoundly tragic memories of a violent past," said creator Chris Brandon, whom Deadline named one of the Top 10 British rising writers last year. "Trying to deal with those two things at the same time is a conflict I wanted to centralize in the lead character. I like that idea of neglected frontiers, I suppose that fed into telling a story that really used the landscape of Northern Ireland to underline the drama that the lead character was going through."

The approach has the potential of packing as much punch as lukewarm tea. But Brandon and executive producer Jed Mercurio, best known for shepherding "Line of Duty" and "Bodyguard," know how to keep the viewers stimulated.

It starts with casting James Nesbitt as Brannick. You may recognize the actor from his dual roles in the 2007 BBC production of "Jekyll," in which he played the title doctor and his alter ego, Mr. Hyde.

"In some ways this role didn't seem like as much fun," Nesbitt said during a virtual news conference with the "Bloodlands" production team. "I don't mean that as disrespect. Jekyll was such a show-offy role. You could do whatever the hell you wanted with that. But with this, you just had to have the confidence. The writing is so, so good. You could never have acted before in your life, and you could make some of Chris' writing sing."

All modesty aside, Nesbitt's performance is essential to selling a twist at the end of the second episode that will have you reeling. But the revelation doesn't work unless you're fully invested in the characters.

"Without believability, we have nothing," Nesbitt said. "I think the audience nowadays are saying, 'Why have they made that decision? Do I go along with it? Can I understand it?' That's what I love about the notion of a thriller. You can be shocked, but then you try and understand why."

The twist is almost sure to shock you. The fact that the Brits have created another addictive detective series? That's no surprise at all.