Acorn Media, 10 episodes on 3 discs, 582 minutes, $39.99
The premise behind the British series New Tricks is simple: Experience rules.
Forget the expression, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks.” The older cops in this squad prove case after case that not only can they learn new tricks, but their experience, insight and shared history are invaluable to investigating unsolved cases.
New Tricks follows the work of London’s Metropolitan Police Services’ Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad. In other words, cold cases.
The squad was begun by Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman (Amanda Redman), a one-time rising star in the police force until a hostage rescue went wrong. Sandra was put in charge of unsolved crimes, but was given little money and no staff. She recruited three former police detectives who had not exactly taken to their retirement.
Each member of her new squad welcomes this chance to prove show their investigative skills are still sharp.
The various personalities mesh well, and New Tricks allows their differences to shine. They work well as a team with the occasional friction adding to the plots.
Sandra was known for her unbridled ambition and sacrificed a personal life for her career. 
Ex-Detective Sergeant Gerry Standing (Dennis Waterman) used to be quite the ladies’ man, having been married three times. Former Detective Chief Superintendent Jack Halford (James Bolam) quit the force to care for his wife before she died. Ex-Detective Inspector Brian Lane (Alun Armstrong) is obsessive-compulsive and lacks social skills.
New Tricks is billed as a comedy-drama and it perfectly balances the humor with the solid stories. Each detective has a sharp mind and well remembers the cases that went unsolved. The resolutions are not predictable and the plots have plausible twists.
The humor often comes when the old-school detectives show they can update their knowledge for the 21st Century. Tweeting is a new trial as they try to master those 140 characters. Rap lyrics get a unique interpretation from men used to Frank Sinatra. An investigation at a chocolate factory finally yields its clues only because the detectives can’t resist the all you can eat candy that’s available.
New Tricks is now in its ninth season on BBC and will be picked up for its 10th season in 2013. The first eight seasons are now available on DVD and Blu-Ray by Acorn Media.
New Tricks is a fresh approach to the tried and true police procedural.
Photo: Alun Armstrong, James Bolam, Amanda Redman, and Dennis Waterman. Photo courtesy Acorn Media.
Oline Cogdill
