There are many television series that are adapted from novels and books of similar titles. Shetland is one such example. The British crime-drama series is based upon a novel authored by Ann Cleeves with a similar name. The premiere of Shetland came on BBC One, around eight years ago on March 10.
Ever since this crime drama series began from the first season to last fifth season, David Kane has been its creator and writer. The production of the show is done by ITV Studios. Like every television series has its one mainstream character, Shetland has Jimmy Perez, a detective inspector played by actor Douglas Henshall.
This role proved a breakthrough in his career, making him the recipient of the BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Actor in 2016. The filming of the crime drama series has been done partly in Shetland and remaining in the Scottish mainland including North Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, Fair Isle, and Barrhead. The story of Shetland shows detective Jimmy and his team involved in the investigation of criminal activities taking place in Shetland.
For your information, Shetland is an island in Scotland, located in the Northern Atlantic lying between Norway and two island destinations Great Britain and the Faroes. It is known to be the wider northernmost and wider part of Scotland and the U.K. Five of the seasons of Shetland have taken place in the island sharing a similar name. The premiere of the latest one took place in 2019 on 12th February and ended in the same year on 19th March.
The broadcasting of the crime-drama series Shetland took place on the PBS network in the U.S. It started airing on Netflix in 2016. Two years ago on December 2, came an announcement from BBC One network regarding the renewal of Shetland’s upcoming two series for the years 2020 and 2021 (present). It also hinted at the return of two leading cast members of the comedy-drama series, Douglas and Alison.
But unfortunately, the wave of COVID-19 became a spoilsport resulting in the postponement of the production. But finally, the sixth installment was broadcast in 2021 on October 20. And now there are expectations from the viewers about the upcoming season 7 of the Shetland series. Let us find out whether it is going to stream sooner or do we have to wait for more time.
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Show Details
| TV Series: | Shetland |
| Genre: | Crime-drama |
| Created by: | Ann Cleeves |
| Star cast: | Douglas Henshall, Alison O’Donnell, Steven Robertson, Lewis Howden, & others |
| Place Of Origin: | Scotland |
| Composer: | John Lunn |
| Original language: | English – Scots |
| Number of seasons: | 6 |
| Number of episodes: | 29 |
Story plot
The concept of the Shetland crime drama series has been adapted from the novel by Ann Cleeves. All the seasons are based on his series of books including Red Bones, Blue Lightning, Dead Water, and Raven Black. From its third season, there is a change in the format showcasing the story of a missing young man from a ferry crossing. It also shows a little boy in the ICU. Both these incidents are co-related with each other, and that is all revealed in the season concluding part.
Next comes season 4 of Shetland. Here it follows the story of a convicted murderer Thomas Malone. His release paves to the opening of a 2-decade old case once again. In the latest season of the crime-drama series, it shows a young man from Nigeria getting murdered. Initially, it was thought to be a crime related to drugs, but it is more to it what it seems. When a complex investigation takes a further move, then the case is linked to sex trafficking.
Shetland is a beautifully crafted crime-drama story that unfolds a series of traumatic events. The series showcases the remains of bodies exposed from the sea and unfolds many secrets like a classic thriller style. Shetland follows the pace of its previous seasons and concludes in much the same bombastic style. The final episode of the Shetland left with traumatized Duncan after he is found on the beach.
What made Shetland a success?
The success of a television show depends on some of the factors that become the reason for its success. Talking about Shetland, the main lead star cast of this crime-drama series, Douglas Henshell, has credited the engaging story plot, amazing filming locations, and of course, and the portrayal of characters to be the main reason behind the success of Shetland.
Besides all these, the actor has also credited the producers and writers behind the success of the series. Plus, the novels authored by Ann Cleeves on which the series is adapted also worked wonders for the series popularity. Another person that deserves the lion’s share in the success of Shetland is David Kane, the main writer in bringing the novel series to the screen.
Brief about the leading actor of Shetland
Other than a beautifully crafted script, fabulous locations for the filming of scenes, if there is any other main element that defines the success of Shetland, then it is the star cast of the series, who played their characters very well. Let us have a brief overview of the main cast of the Shetland series:
Douglas Henshall
Douglas Henshall plays the main lead character of detective inspector Jimmy Perez in Shetland. He has been essaying this role since the beginning of the crime-drama series. Well, apart from this role, Douglas has also gained an appreciation for the character of Professor Nick Cutter in Primeval.
It was a science fiction series that aired from 2007 to 2011. Born in 1965 on November 19, the Scottish actor has appeared in many other TV series from 1989 including The Bill, Jute City, Underbelly, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Ghosts, Orphans, Silent Cry, Collison, In Plain Sight, etc.
When to expect season 7 of Shetland?
Viewers who are inquisitive to expect the 7th installment of the Shetland series have reason to cheer. It was earlier decided by the makers of the show about the release of both seasons 6 and 7. But it could not happen due to the global pandemic COVID-19. Now since season 6 has already taken place, the 7th season will also take place by 2022. The new season is under construction as of now.