BritBox's 6-Part Crime Drama Is One of Its Best Book Adaptations

Typical book-to-TV adaptations involve transforming a single novel into an entire season, stretching out events so fans can immerse themselves in their favorite stories for a longer period. However, in 2021, BritBox threw out this formula to deliver the utterly mesmerizing crime drama Grace, which lives at the intersection of TV and movies in the world of book adaptations. Each episode is a feature-length adaptation of a crime novel by bestselling author Peter James. It's an ambitious and fascinating approach to book adaptations, one that absolutely succeeds in bringing the investigations by detective Roy Grace (John Simm) to life, making it a must-watch for crime fans.

John Simm Plays a Nuanced and Compelling Detective in 'Grace'

Thus far, Grace has 20 episodes spread across six seasons, each detailing a case from James' body of work. Detective Roy Grace is the thread connecting all these somewhat contained stories, and he is a fascinating character study that hooks us in. At the beginning of the first episode, he has hit rock bottom as he takes a major hit in his career. We see flashbacks of Grace on trial, as he is questioned about a major scandal from his previous case, where he consulted a psychic medium to locate a body and treated it as a legitimate source — whatever gets the job done. Already, there is a layer of unpredictability and eccentricity in this character, who is also fairly calm and reasonable on the surface, making for interesting and clever twists in the investigative process during the episodes.

However, Grace's superior naturally has conflicting opinions about the optics of the trial and demotes him to the cold cases department, which is its own kind of ironic torture; six years ago, Grace's wife went missing and was never found. Subsequently, Grace has the typical detective trait of pouring his own personal tragedies into his job with a single-minded fervor that borders on obsessive, but he's not necessarily a jaded, hard-boiled genius about it. Instead, his empathy kicks in as he understands what it is like to be deprived of closure, softening the character's edges with an understanding and knowing ache. It's a refreshing combination that makes Grace easy to root for, even when his methods become increasingly unorthodox.

Cementing the series' appeal is Simm, an acting veteran who relays an everyday man quality that feels credible and compelling. Simm's performance is grounded and enduring across the series' 20 episodes, and the reason why we don't immediately dismiss Roy after finding out he consulted a psychic during his previous case. He frames it as dogged determination rather than misguided desperation, where letting every lead play out, including the strange ones, is preferred over allowing prejudice to cloud his judgment. So, when Roy's colleague invites him to consult on an active case, we're invested in how Roy approaches the case and which leads he pursues, and Simm's performance ties it all together.

Every Episode of 'Grace' Tells a Complete Story

Although the series' runtimes may seem intimidating, there is a satisfaction in watching each case begin and reach a resolution within a single episode. Of course, most cop procedurals follow this structure, but Grace is meticulous and detailed in its storytelling, set out almost exactly like the complex novels it adapts. It is the screen version of a crime thriller you consume in one sitting during a long flight, one that completely absorbs your attention with its gritty atmosphere, twisty cases, and deliberately paced character arcs. It doesn't necessarily try to do anything new with the genre itself, but it hits all the narrative beats fans love with a precision that makes time fly by.

Grace isn't a show to be binged; it's one to be savored, one you can look forward to after a long day's work. It's also a refreshing take on book adaptations, showcasing another way to approach authors like James (such as Michael Connelly or John Grisham), who have an extensive catalog of crime novels, most of them begging not to be left behind. With Simm capably tying the collection together through a compelling performance, Grace deserves to be on every crime drama fan's watchlist, bringing favorite story beats to life in a thoughtful, lasting format.