Des - ITV's Pearl in a Sea of True Crime Swill | Review

Des is a three-part miniseries about British serial killer Dennis 'Des' Nilsen, who murdered largely vulnerable young people in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The series is based in part on the 1985 book "Killing for Company" by Brian Masters. At first I thought David Tennant was a bad choice; Fair enough like Nielsen, he's Scottish. Before I saw Des, I saw him in "Doctor Who" gesticulating as if he had taken a bag full of Dutch e's at a Tiesto concert and it gave me serious doubts about whether he would take on a serious role. To be fair, Christopher Eccleston was even worse in the rubber showdown, giving Jim Carrey a run for his money.

By the way, I'm not a fan of "Doctor Who", but my roommates were. Des is more of a police and courtroom drama than a gritty, sensational

crime

drama like "Dahmer." I completely understand that people didn't find Des   exciting. He caught me. He throws curveballs as if the police can't find victims when Des refuses to name names. At just under three hours, the series also moves along at a good pace. With Nilsen's arrest 15 minutes into episode 1. As good as Tennant is and rightfully so he won an international Emmy; Special mention goes to Daniel Mays as DCI Peter Jay, who is just as good, and also to Jason Watkins as biographer Brian Masters.

Despite significant praise and wide availability, the series has fallen somewhat off the radar in favor of ridiculous, histrionic shows like "Killing Eve." We don't need big-budget scenes or scripts loaded with shoehorned subtext to get people to write poorly written dissertations on media studies. It shows that all we need are great, believable performances that can send chills much more effectively than pantomime pyrotechnics and a clever script that doesn't require you to consult WebMD and Psychology Today for script ideas. Des is a

pearl

in the True Crime trough. "Make sure you bring an extra pack of cigarettes next time. "Um, please call me Des."