Taggart

1983

Seasons & Episodes

  • 27
  • 26
  • 25
  • 24
  • 23
  • 22
  • 21
  • 20
  • 19
  • 18
  • 17
  • 16
  • 15
  • 14
  • 13
  • 12
  • 11
  • 10
  • 9
  • 8
  • 7
  • 6
  • 5
  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
7.4| TV-14| en| More Info
Released: 06 September 1983 Ended
Producted By: Scottish Television (STV)
Country: United Kingdom
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

Taggart is a Scottish detective television programme.The series revolves around a group of detectives initially in the Maryhill CID of Strathclyde Police, though various storylines have happened in other parts of the Greater Glasgow area, and as of the most recent series the team have operated out of the fictional John Street police station across the street from the City Chambers.

Genre

Drama, Crime

Watch Online

Taggart (1983) is now streaming with subscription on Britbox

Director

Production Companies

Scottish Television (STV)

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Taggart Audience Reviews

Colibel Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.
Greenes Please don't spend money on this.
Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
Josephina Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.
ladybug2535 H*L* is only offering seasons 18-27, so I can only speak to the show in that season range. So far I've watched seasons 18-20, I will update my review if necessary as I watch: While dated, it held up well enough as a police procedural. Dialogue and production values are decent enough considering it was filmed in the early 2000s. I generally like British television. The cases and the characters tend to be more "real" than the Hollywood versions, and for the most part this is true of Taggart as well---HOWEVER: My biggest gripe with the series is that the tension is artificially generated by the impulsive and often aggressive actions of apparently unstable major characters. This is just lazy writing as the cases, suspects and police sleuthing should be--and ARE interesting enough to carry the show without this added nonsense. Basically I'm just tired of this all too common characterization of any police force--American or British. It's ridiculous and frankly insulting to the viewer. Neither cops or detectives should be shown as being justified in breaking the law to "solve" a case--or abusing suspects. The one thing THIS show did right was to make it clear that these officers do actually make mistakes when they are "sure" they know who is guilty--AND they do (mostly) suffer the consequences of their actions. That raised my score considerably. The characters also repeatedly make the point that they have procedures for good reason, and it raises sometimes dire questions (and consequences) when those procedures aren't followed. But--I absolutely HATE how often the major character YELLS at his subordinates. He's rude and a bully. How would a person like that ever be in a sustained leadership position? He also likes to break the rules--in a "Do as I say, not as I do" fashion--which is completely unfair and ridiculous. Again, how could someone like this keep his job???? I do like that they sometimes show the team as disliking this aspect of their boss, but all too often they wind up defending indefensible behavior. It's so unnecessary! I really, really hope that this particular character doesn't stick around--or that his character arc has him "growing" out of it.Overall the stories are interesting and the dialogue and the acting are decent. If they cut out the neurotic and abusive nonsense by the main characters this would be a terrific show.
lancemjefferson I have watched Taggart from the first show. Although we have never received Taggart in the Vancouver area I am in the middle of "Running Out of Time". Is it me? I liked the character of Sgt. Jackie Reid in the earlier shows but now it's as if the show should be retitled, "Jackie's Dreams". Must she always be the conscience? Must she always - I was sure that she was going to find the injured DCI Burke in his canoe about 2 minutes after the programme started. Well, I must go back and see how she solves this one. But, I think that I've reached my limit.Lance M. Jefferson
sisalmon Taggart is now officially the longest running cop show on British T.V. and indeed has been on for 3/4 of my lifetime. There are several reasons for its longevity but surely the main one is the underlying grim humour that enhances every episode. While it was undoubtedly at it's peak in the Mark "there's been a muurder" McManus years, it has recently returned to peak form with the introduction Alec Norton as the "heid man." Norton combines McManus's tough demeanor with an acting ability that outweighs his predecessor. But then McManus didn't need to be an Al Pacino, he WAS the character, dour and caustic. The other characters always provided a little colour along with occasionally convoluted personal lives. However the real star in Taggart was always Glasgow. while Glasgow has changed greatly since the '80's the city's character and natural humour always shines through. The title song puts it that "this is no mean town, this is no mean city", well it's obviously a mean enough city to sustain a 22 year murder series without ever really seeming unbelievable like the village of "Midsomer Murder" which has a body count higher than New York's! All in all a good cop show and one that as long as it can keep Alec Norton, should continue for a few more years yet.
Helene Laude Probably the best detective-show in the world, it is even better than "Rejseholdet". The very best thing about Taggart is probably that you never know who the criminal is until 5 minutes before the credits, so it is intensely thrilling to the very last minute. Another remarkable feature is the constant focus on the personality of the men and women of the Maryhill police, they never end up as boring detective-robots, the show even allows their personal troubles to play a part in the plot. Another thing I like about Taggart is the way that twice (in the parts, I've watched) they borrow the outlines of another story - ex. Treasure Island by R.L. Stevenson. It adds a unique taste to the plot and makes you wonder, whether the Taggart-plot will end similar to the plot in the other story, but it never does. Finally I just have to emphasize the unique dialect spoken in the show. It is FANTASTIC!!