A cat-and-mouse drama, which focuses on the intense mental conflict between detectives and suspects. The stories take place within the confines of a police interview suite.
There's something crushingly repetitive about Criminal, primarily because of its contained setting which risks restraining the action to the point it feels claustrophobic.
It's an intense performance from [David] Tennant, who spends the first half of his episode resolutely repeating "no comment" with the camera zoomed in on his face to capture every facial tic.
The glory will go to [David] Tennant as the guest star, but Lee Ingleby deserves just as many plaudits for his equally restrained, unshowy and completely convincing performance as the officer in charge of the investigation.