ITV announced the arrival of Trigger Point with dramatic trailers and much fanfare – and we wish we could give it a better review.
We so wanted to love it.
It has the right ingredients for what could have been a thrilling, nail-biting drama.
But, quite frankly, it’s a waste of a Sunday night primetime slot.
Find out what went wrong in our Trigger Point review.
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Trigger Point review – reasons why it SHOULD have worked
Trigger Point has several high-profile names attached to it, which is why we tuned in to the series in the first place.
Names we trust (or at least, we did).
Vicky McClure has been consistently good in her previous roles, including Line of Duty, This is England and The Replacement.
But even she can’t save Trigger Point from the dire script.
The dialogue is as wooden as a park bench.
And Vicky’s character Lana is expressionless, and unlikeable.
Adrian Lester was another draw…
But he bowed out early (maybe because he’d read the script for the later episodes).
Meanwhile, Jed Mercurio’s name is linked to the series, although he did not write it.
In fact, relative newcomer Daniel Brierley penned the ITV series.
Daniel has actually only written a few shorts up until now, and is being mentored by Jed as a result of the ScreenSkills scheme to develop new writers.
Jed executive produced the show, but it’s no Line of Duty or Bodyguard.
What went wrong with ITV drama?
We’re not comparing Trigger Point to Line of Duty – that would be unfair.
Few dramas could ever live up to the long-running series.
But the winning formula was partly down to an amazing cast – with Britain’s best actors as guests – and sharp dialogue.
We could listen to Hastings’ one-liners all day and all night.
Trigger Point’s script is leaden, with absolutely no humour in it.
Dark matters CAN have a comic edge, just see the fantastic The Responder, and This Is Going to Hurt for proof.
The conversations in Trigger Point seem awkward, and not like any chats we’ve ever heard in the ‘real world’.
And the patchy script just can’t be saved by a few bombs thrown in here and there.
We’re intelligent; we need more than that.
The drama takes itself too seriously by far, but doesn’t take the viewers seriously enough.
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Trigger Point review: Is anybody still watching?
If you are still watching Trigger Point, then you’ve got more endurance skills than we have.
We switched over to watch Chloe on BBC One which is far better.
Yes, Chloe is still pretty preposterous.
But it’s engaging, and every episode moves the story on with a compelling script.
Not so with Trigger Point.
For a drama about bombs, it’s – dare we say it – dull!
How can anything about bombs be so boring?
Those of you still persevering are no doubt tuning in out of loyalty for Vicky.
We hope the pay-off will be worth the six hours of commitment!
The drama is simply preposterous!
The ITV series Trigger Point touches on dramatic and ever-relevant issues of race, religion, politics, and hate crimes.
But it’s just SO unbelievable.
We’d laugh if we had the energy to care enough.
Lana appears to be the only bomb disposal expert in London.
After what feels like half an hour of dramatic music, and Lana shouting for everyone to calm down, she just snips a cord and the bomb is diffused.
It’s billed as a thriller, but we know that Lana will be able to easily “neutralise the devise” every week.
The shocking death of Joel ‘Nut’ Nutkins in episode one left us open-mouthed and desperate to tune in to episode one.
But, since then, the tension has disappeared.
The series just hasn’t lived up to its hype.
We feel like we’re being strung along every week.
And does anyone actually care about any of the characters?
It’s a nope from us, sorry!
Trigger Point continues on Sunday nights at 9pm on ITV1 and the ITV Hub.
What do you think of Trigger Point? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.