Helen Mirren’s Final Act as Jane Tennison
A Modern Television Classic Comes to a Fitting End with Prime Suspect: The Final Act
Helen Mirren has been my absolute favorite actress for ages, every since I first experienced her mesmerizing performance as the perennially brilliant yet troubled Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison in the sporadic British crime series Prime Suspect. The first installment debuted in the United Kingdom in 1991, introducing audiences to a stubborn, hard-working, and highly insightful “copper” determined to do her job well, in spite of the common pitfalls that women have to endure in male-dominated fields.
Tennison was by no means perfect herself, however, and it was the frequent glimpses of her very human shortcomings and disappointments that endeared viewers, both female and male, to a character that was essentially a rather cold and inflexible workaholic much of the time. Aside from the fact that the show’s writing and acting were consistently outstanding, I love and admire Tennison because no matter how many personal and professional barriers she encountered or how many times she misstepped or misspoke, she refused to neglect her duties or take the easy way out of difficulties. Of course it’s a cliché, but remaining true to herself allowed her to rise above her flaws.
Over the years, Mirren has delivered numerous acclaimed performances, including in last year’s HBO mini-series Elizabeth I, for which she received an Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Emmy, and the recently released The Queen, which many feel should garner her a third Academy Award nomination, this time in the Best Actress category. Yet Prime Suspect remains the basic production that longstanding fans identify her with the most, as demonstrated by the diverse nominations and awards she has acquired in the lead role, including four Emmy nominations and one 1996 win in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special category for 1995′s Prime Suspect 4: Scent of Darkness.
Tonight, PBS’ Masterpiece Theatre will feature Mirren in her last performance as Jane Tennison in the two-part Prime Suspect: The Final Act. The four-hour swan song concludes next Sunday. If you’ve never had the good fortune to see Mirren at work, now is the time to sample her considerable talent in one of television’s most definitive and satisfying series ever in any genre.
For more on Mirren and Prime Suspect: The Final Act, read Tim Goodman’s excellent homage, Farewell, Detective Tennison.
For more on the Prime Suspect series, refer to the PBS Web site.
Since PBS broadcast channels and schedules differ by region, check your local listings for the correct station and the exact air times of Prime Suspect: The Final Act.
Prime Suspect: The Final Act photo courtesy of Granada Television and WGBH Boston.
