Vexed

Vexed, Series 2, BBC Two

Second outing for clueless cop comedy on the schedulers' naughty step.

The first series of Howard 'Misfits' Overman's cop comedy split the jury. The small-screen policier is a genre ripe for parody, but this new run of Vexed needs a strong start. DI Jack Armstrong's first case is a murder in a car dealership. But let's just say that this is no Fargo. Jack (Toby Stephens) is a lazy, amateurish, slightly dim detective. Tonight, he meets his new partner, Miranda Raison's George who, despite being a woman, is resourceful, intuitive and brave; in short, everything the casually chauvinistic Jack is not. But, amid seething sexual tension on the garage forecourt, can George overcome the handicap of partnering Jack? Vexed falls between two stools. The comedy feels laboured, but there's not enough riding on the case for it to work as a pure procedural. Disappointing.

The biggest mystery to be solved in this police procedural is how it got recommissioned after a widely panned debut two years ago. The format borrows heavily from Moonlighting, purporting to be a comedy drama about a dishevelled detective (Toby Stephens) tackling crimes and sparking off a sassy female sidekick - Spooks' Miranda Raison has stepped in after Lucy Punch jumped ship. Upon examination of the evidence, there's little comedy and hardly any drama to recommend in tonight's opener about a car dealer's murder.

A new series and a new partner for DI Jack Armstrong as this comedy-drama cop show returns. He's not looking forward to meeting George, expecting a strict, rule-adhering man. What he gets is a strict, rule-adhering woman called Georgina. What are the odds, eh? Still, it's a setup that takes mere seconds to get up and running, leaving more time to devote to this week's case involving the murder of a flashy car salesman. The leads, Toby Stephens and newcomer to the show Miranda Raison, have breezy chemistry - more important here than the convoluted plotting.

Vexed: Series 2 Episode 1 review

There doesn't seem to have been much fanfare from the channel about the show's return which is hugely disappointing. BBC Two have got something incredible on their hands, again, and they should have faith in the viewers to enjoy a programme so full of character, life and humour. A rarity these days.

Miranda Raison: I'm completely different to Lucy Punch

Vexed newcomer Miranda Raison has insisted that she will be a "completely different" influence on the show to her predecessor Lucy Punch.

Quite a few people weren't sure what to make of the BBC's detective-mystery-comedy-thing Vexed during its brief period on air in 2010, but we've been assured by the cast that this second series is a lot stronger - and who are we to doubt them?

Toby Stephens is back as the cocky, incompetent DI Jack Armstrong and this time he's joined by Spooks actress Miranda Raison as DI Georgina Dixon, who is replacing original lead actress Lucy Punch. Only time will tell if the new duo are dynamic or dull - but if Raison can boast banter like that in the clip from series one, then perhaps this could be Vexed's moment to shine.

A quick chat with Vexed star Miranda Raison

After making her name as the ill-fated spy Jo Portman in Spooks, Miranda Raison is chasing bad guys again this week in a new series of the offbeat BBC2 crime comedy drama Vexed.

Toby Stephens interview

Comedy series Vexed returns with Toby Stephens as disorganised detective Jack Armstrong...

Vexed is back in production

How about a bit of good news for the middle of the week? Yes? OK then - detective comedy Vexed has begun shooting the next series with stars Toby Stephens (Jane Eyre, Robin Hood, Cambridge Spies) playing D.I. Jack Armstrong, and Miranda Raison (Spooks, Merlin, Married Single Other) playing new character D.I. Georgina Dixon.