Finney (TV series) explained

Genre:Crime drama
Director:David Hayman
Language:English
Country:United Kingdom
Composer:John Lunn
Num Series:1
Num Episodes:6
List Episodes:
  1. Episodes
Producer:Nigel Stafford-Clark
Cinematography:Kevin Rowley
Editor:Martin Sharpe
Location:Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England, UK
Runtime:50 minutes
Network:ITV

Finney is a six-part British television crime drama series, written and created by David Kane and directed by David Hayman, that first broadcast on ITV on 17 November 1994. A television spin-off from the 1988 film Stormy Monday, Finney stars David Morrissey in the title role, taking over from Sting. The series was produced by Zenith Entertainment in association with Tyne Tees Television. The series was produced by Nigel Stafford-Clark, who also acted as producer on Stormy Monday.[1]

Finney co-starred Christopher Fairbank, Lynn Farleigh, Melanie Hill, Pooky Quesnel, Clive Russell, Andy Serkis and John Woodvine in supporting roles, and follows the struggle for power between two rival crime families - the Finneys and the Simpsons.[2] The series received critical acclaim, including The Times, who commented "It's the real thing. The acting is terrific." and the Daily Star, who called the series "addictive viewing" and commented that it was "nail-bitingly good."[3] The complete series was released on Region 1 DVD in the United States on 28 August 2007;[4] but remains unreleased on Region 2.

Reception

Allison Pearson of The Independent reviewed the first episode of the series, writing, "Finney... is an everyday story of disorganised crime in which the Corleone family has quit Long Island for Whitley Bay, changed its name to Tucker and been issued with Geordie accents that deliver lines of untold menace... With its designer violence, Finney is just what the network director ordered. Its main problem is perennial and insoluble: British villains are just not up to speed."[5]

Cast

Episodes

EpisodeTitleWritten byDirected byOriginal airdate

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Finney (ITV 1994, David Morrissey, Andy Serkis). 13 October 2017.
  2. Web site: Finney (1994) . 7 January 2009 .
  3. Web site: Finney DVD with David Morrissey, Melanie Hill, Andy Serkis (Unrated).
  4. Web site: Finney. Amazon.
  5. Web site: What a Sight - Not an Insight. The Independent. 27 November 1994. 20 September 2018.