Cracker (British TV series)

Cracker is the title of a television series in the United Kingdom written by Jimmy McGovern. It ran from 1993-1996 and was about a criminal psychologist, "Fitz", played by Robbie Coltrane as "Fitz". Later ported to the US.

Fitz is a classic antihero, unfaithful to his wife, alcoholic, addicted to gambling, manic, foulmouthed and sarcastic. And yet cerebral and excellent at his specialty; getting into the head of violent criminals.

As is usual with British television drama, Cracker was flawlessly casted. As well as Coltrane, the show starred Christopher Eccleston as his 'boss', Bilborough, Geraldine Somerville as love interest Jane 'Panhandle' Penhaligon, Lorchan Cranitch as loose canon Jimmy Beck, Barbara Flynn as Fitz's long suffering wife and Kieren OBrien as his teenage son. When Eccleston's character was killed off by disturbed soccer fan Albie (memorably played by guest star Robert Carlyle), Ricky Tomlinson took over as the police boss.

Since each case spanned several episodes, cliff-hangers were quite often utilized.

Some of the plotlines seemed to take as their starting point real events such as the Hillsboro disaster, but to keep the stories about discovery this generally did not lead where one might have thought.

A hugely copious number of psychotic types were explored during the run of the show. But towards the end it may have taken the actors full abilities to keep the increasingly convoluted psychological motivations believable.

Another problem that stressed the later period of the series was the continually developing overaching storyline between the regular characters. It did not give additional support to the viewers willing suspension of disbelief. First Fitz has an affair with Penhaligon. Then Penhaligon is raped, and this strand of the plot may have drawn overmuch attention from the cases as such. Someone may claim that this stress between the regular characters work environment and the work itself provided drama. But sometimes too much really is too much.

Also some might argue that toward the end, Fitx's ebullient charisma may have crossed the line into grandstanding.

See also other meanings of cracker.