Jekyll

Our Review

James Nesbitt plays Tom Jackman, the modern descendant of Dr. Jekyll, and the poor guy is losing time. Blackouts. Waking up in strange places. Someone else is living half his life, and that someone is a lot of fun until he hurts somebody. This is Steven Moffat before Doctor Who ate his schedule, writing six hours of pure teeth.

Nesbitt plays both men and he is terrifying as Hyde, not because of the makeup but because Hyde is charming. He grins, he jokes, he likes people, and that is so much worse than a monster who growls. The show runs on one question: what do you do when the worst part of you is also the part that never gets tired?

Michelle Ryan plays the psychiatric nurse who becomes Jackman’s handler and their arrangement is the real love story here, strange as that sounds. Gina Bellman lands late and flips the whole table. The finale goes big and a little silly but the ride there is worth it. Six episodes, one season, a complete story. It ends properly, which is more than most shows manage.

If you liked Sherlock’s puzzle-box energy or you just want to see Moffat with no brakes, this is the one. It flew under the radar in 2007 and it still does.