There are a couple of reasons to watch the British series Rebus, based on Sir Ian Rankin’s Scottish police detective series. The first, for Outlander fans, is that it stars Richard Rankin (not related to the author). The second is that it’s damn good if you like dark police shows, like Bosch, The Lincoln Lawyer, or Reacher.

Rebus has already been seen in Great Britain, but will make its US debut this week. Rankin stars as John Rebus, an alcoholic, chain-smoking police sergeant in Edinburgh, Scotland – former paramilitary, prone to violence. In the opening scenes, he attempts to kill a local gangster who just seriously injured his friend and partner in a deliberate car crash. The 6-episode season (and hopefully the first of many) debuts on Thursday, Nov. 7, on the Viaplay network.

Richard Rankin as John Rebus. Eleventh Hour Films, Mark Mainz

Rebus carries a bunch of baggage – his brother Michael, also former military, is having trouble finding his way after his business venture goes under, and is struggling to support his wife and two sons. John’s ex-wife is remarried to a very wealthy man (banker or money manager of some kind), who has some questionable dealings. His young daughter Sammy is growing up too fast, and John is desperate to regain the family he lost. He is also sleeping with the wife of that injured former partner, now disabled. And he’s been partnered with an ambitious young woman with a boyfriend in police internal affairs.

There’s no mystery to this series – you aren’t trying to solve a whodunnit. We already know who done who, who done what. There’s little lightness or comedy. There are some surprises along the way, but in general, we’re watching a basically good man try to navigate his way through a bad situation, made worse by his personal connections. Rankin does a terrific job portraying the sullen, difficult Rebus. While – here is my unpopular opinion – I haven’t really liked him as Roger in Outlander, mostly because he doesn’t suit my personal idea of the book character, one of my favorites, I think he’s fantastic in this role. He convincingly portrays a man whose emotions bubble just below his skin, just as ready to punch someone as to shake their hand. Richard’s accent is much broader here than in Outlander – closed captioning is a good idea even if you haven’t head any trouble handling the dialects in made-for-the-US programs, as this show is definitely made for a UK audience (took me a while, and at least two episodes, to figure out what “grass” meant in this context).

Brian Ferguson, as John’s brother Michael, is excellent, in a nuanced role – conflicted, lost in a system that chews up former military men and doesn’t give them a direction after their service, but at the same time doing his hardest to be a loving husband and father. The brothers fight against one another, dealing poorly with their shared roots and diverging paths. The rest of the cast is also talented, from the hard men to the women who surround them.

Rebus,FIRST LOOK,Michael Rebus (BRIAN FERGUSON), John Rebus (RICHARD RANKIN),Eleventh Hour Films,Mark Mainz

If you’ve read the long-running book series – 24 novels and counting – this is described as “a younger Detective Sergeant, drawn into a violent criminal conflict that turns personal when his brother Michael, a former soldier, crosses the line into criminality.” I just started reading the first book in the series, Knots and Crosses, to see what the differences are, and there are several, but it’s recognizably the same character. Book Rebus starts a little older, a bit further down the alcoholic path. Characters have been changed – brother Michael in the book is a shady but charismatic entertainer; Rebus’ police supervisor Gill in the books is in a completely different position with the force. But if you’re a fan of the books, you’ll likely enjoy the series. 

Detective Constable Siobhan Clarke (Lucie Shorthouse) and John Rebus (Richard Rankin) in Rebus. Eleventh Hour Films,Mark Mainz

Screenwriter and executive producer Gregory Burke adapted the novels for this series (there have been other adaptations, and you can find trailers for those on Youtube, but I don’t know anything about them or where you can find them). In a provided interview with author Sir Ian Rankin and EP Burke, they talked about this adaptation.

Q: How does the new series differ from your novels?
A: (Ian Rankin) In the new incarnation, there’s a fascinating focus on Rebus and his brother. There have been characters and situations in the books where I felt that in retrospect I didn’t do enough with them. Rebus’ brother was a really interesting character in the books, and eventually I just let him go, and he  never returned. During our various conversations very early on, Greg Burke joined in on that almost blood brothers thing or that Jekyll & Hyde thing where you can have two brothers who are close to each other, who love one another, but potentially can destroy each other. I thought that was a really interesting route that Greg chose for the series to follow. He takes us into the Jekyll & Hyde nature of Edinburgh.

Q: Are you pleased with Gregory’s adaptation?
A: (Rankin) Very. I think long-term fans will get a shock because they’re seeing young Rebus. Richard Rankin is not in his 70s or his 60s or his 50s, so they’re getting quite the macho Rebus from the early books, but set in contemporary times. We get the strength of Rebus as quite a gung-ho cop, but set against contemporary issues, contemporary politics and contemporary problems that people have. At its best, a crime novel is a political novel as it deals with the reasons crime happens. A lot of times it has to do with people being stuck in a rut. They see no way out that is legal, and their life crumbles around them. So they turn to drugs and drink and that leads them to some very dark places. I think Gregory was interested in tackling some of those issues, and it works out very well.

Q: What do you think Richard adds to the title role?
A: (Rankin) Oh, he’s terrific. I mean, you can’t take your eyes off him. He’s incredibly charismatic on screen. You’re absolutely gripped by him. He’s a lovely guy when you meet him but he absolutely inhabits the character. Rebus is attractive to women and he’s attractive to men – you get all of that with Richard. Men are going to love watching him and women are going to love watching him. He just throws himself into it.
A: (Burke) I’ve known Richard since Black Watch, which would be about 2008. He was in it for three years. He’s a terrific actor. First, he brings an audience because Outlander is a massively popular show. Secondly, his performance is absolutely fantastic. There’s a specific tone to my writing. There’s quite a lot of humour to it, and Richard really gets that.

Michael Rebus (Brian Ferguson) and John Rebus (Richard Rankin) in Rebus. Eleventh Hour Films, Mark Mainz.

The show’s official description, from Viaplay:

Set in present-day Edinburgh, a demoted John Rebus is at a psychological crossroads. As he struggles to navigate a world increasingly driven by technology, Rebus finds himself embroiled in a toxic affair with the wife of his disabled former police partner and replaced in his daughter’s life by his ex-wife’s wealthy husband. Rebus begins to wonder if he still has a role to play as a father and contemporary police officer. In a world of divisive politics and national deprivation, does the law still have meaning or is everyone reverting to an older set of rules? And if so, why shouldn’t Rebus?

A brazen daylight attack draws Rebus and his new partner into a gang war which escalates when Rebus’s ex-soldier brother steals from drug dealers to provide for his family. Rebus finds himself torn between protecting his brother and enforcing the law to bring him to justice. 

A fresh and thrilling offering in the high-end crime genre, with a globally recognizable character at the heart of the story, the series explores family, morality and class through an emotionally-charged story, set against the Scottish landmarks that Rankin’s readers know so well.

The Viaplay add-on streaming service can be found as an add-on to Amazon Prime (a free 7-day trial is offered). Viaplay features thousands of hours of premium Nordic and European series and films. Viaplay’s US content offering focuses on the Nordic region’s high-quality and psychologically penetrating titles: from atmospheric and suspenseful crime dramas and provocative and stylish young adult series to award-winning dramas and riveting documentaries. Current and upcoming titles available in Viaplay include The Box– A gripping, English-language psychological thriller starring Anna Friel (Marcella) and Peter Stormare (John Wick 2, Fargo), available now; and RONJA, the Robber’s Daughter –  One of the most ambitious Nordic series ever, this fantasy adventure series aired outside the US on Netflix and was a Top 10 series in 15 countries and was adapted by the creator of the iconic Nordic series The Bridge (available Nov. 21).