There’s a new sheriff in the PBS Masterpiece town. Actually, depending on who you talk to, there’s either a maverick ex-cop or a private investigator in town. In either case, he goes by the name of Jackson Brodie and is played brilliantly by Jason Isaacs. Isaacs, who’s most recent gig was as Lucius Malfoy in the final two Harry Potter films, has his own way of doing things.

Case Histories, a 3-part series which premieres tonight as part of PBS’ Masterpiece series, is set in Edinburgh and features a mix of cold case crimes and fresh bloodshed, all needing the unique detective talents of one, Jackson Brodie.

Case Histories was adapted for the BBC by Ashley Pharoah. You may or may not be familiar with the name, but you certainly should know Pharoah’s work. She was co-creator/co-writer of the greatness of Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes. Unfortunately, Sam Tyler and Gene Hunt are long gone from the picture but, thankfully, Pharoah found the likes of Jackson Brodie and the novels of Kate Atkinson. As you can imagine adapting an existing product for television is not an easy task. Ashley shares her process of how Case Histories went from script to screen.

Case Histories, premiering tonight at 9p ET/8p CT on PBS’ Masterpiece.

In: Actors/Actresses,Drama,Mystery