User reviews

I watched the Bron (Swedish version) almost a year ago. Although I was disappointed because the story line for the first season is really the same. I still like this English/France version. Season 2 is different so it's a plus. If you haven't watched the other version, and you like crime tv series, you will like this,

This is quality television as one would expect if you respect production companies. It is true the first series has dangerous similarities to The Bridge, in my case, the American version was the one I had seen, though I did try to watch the other. Regardless, that first series of The Tunnel was far from anything bad, the lead girl was engaging, the male lead was easy going, and both used authority with class.

The Tunnel - Sabotage, the second series, strikes a far more confident stride and would have got a 10 out of 10 from me if it was stand alone. It certainly can easily be watched as that, stand alone, and this is what I recommend. You don't need to watch the first series for Sabotage. It has a thoroughly interesting, plausible yet riveting plot, is full of perfect performances from perfectly cast characters.

Funnily enough I also recommend The Bridge (The American version) series one, but less so series two, the first getting my 10.

Reviewers should see the positive side of exploring a similar theme by several companies. If we were talking about series about zombies no-one would raise an eyebrow.

If you like British or European crime then The Tunnel - Sabotage is your perfect viewing.

Totally absorbing, one of those rare moments when you think I just can't put this down Not what I'd call a special series, that said I watched ALL the episodes continuously with rare breaks. It all revolves round an middle aged English detective and a youngish french one. When crimes are occurring on both sides of the channel tunnel, and one right in the middle, these two and their teams must collaborate to save lives. With twists and turns and a red herring or three it evolves to a strange end, no spoilers, if you like intrigue, carefully thought out plots with small amounts of sex and violence you will love it :) If you liked 'Dexter' and the ice road trucker, you will love this!

Granted we have not watched the Scandi version of this series- But my Husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this series right through to the suspenseful end in season 3. The acting is phenomenal! The 2 lead actors are amazing. Very real performances. Once we watched one episode we could not wait to the watch the next. If you have not watched the Scandi version- you will thoroughly enjoy this series. Stephen Dillane and Clemence Posey are perfect in their roles.The support cast are also brilliant. The first season was particularly awesome.People who have seen the Scandi version, may not like this and see it just as a copy of the original , however, they should not let their biased viewpoints stop others from watching and forming their own opinions. I would thoroughly reccommend you watch this and form your own opinions. We feel at loss now as the show has ended. A fab UK/France collaboration!!!

The first season is a remake of the Danish -Swedish thriller The Bridge. It was remade in the US, also called the Bridge and was between the US and Mexico. The Tunnel riffs off of British and Franco mutual distrust and grudging respect. Stephan Dillane as DCI Karl Roebuck is terrific, brilliant and flawed, selfish and driven to justice. Clemence Posey is equally wonderful as a French detective with what may be Asperger's but at the very least some social interaction issues. The rest of cast is terrific, each in their own element. And the stories are complex and convoluted, in a good way. I liked the second season more than the first and I'm working my way through the third. Definitely worth watching.

Well, if you haven't noticed by now in this French/UK connection there seems to be an eerie, other worldly (both fig & lit) resemblance to "The Bridge" with it's Swedish/Danish connection. The connection extends further in that both series have a pair of detectives one of which is female (Elise/Saga). Furthering this resemblance pairing both have some Aspergers type behaviors. Both are accompanied by a slightly polar opposite male detective. Both series take advantage of recent events in solving the current vogue of criminal activities as well as old standards. As an aside I think Saga, "The Bridge" seems to more authentically maintain her Aspergers behaviors through out a series, but just a picky point.

Both series do an excellent job of making the viewer feel as if present and a part of the investigative process.

If you have never watch the original, Bron/Broen then OK, The Tunnel can be rather gripping. But if you have then you'll know that this is a poor copy. Sofia Helin who played the lead female detective Saga Noren in The original was brilliant. Can't say the same for Clemence Poesy though, the latter was just too wooden. Stephen Dilliane is good in his English role but Kim Bodnia OWNED the role. Well, like they say, you cannot compare an apple to an orange. French detective shows and English detective shows have always been good on their own. They needn't have tried to copy and end up making a poor copy.

Have just watched the finale as they say it will not return. Have enjoyed the ride for the most part, the interaction with the two investigators and their colleagues either side of the Channel has been intriguing at times. However, I felt that the plot in series 3 was not up to the standard set before. In fact it was unbelievable at times and as the credits rolled that last time I was heard to exclaim "so that's it?!" Not going to say why because it gives too much away suffice to say the actions of the villains were IMHO too complicated for them to carry off while all the cops were on to them. It felt like Dr Who's scriptwriters had sneaked in at times...

I prefer the Bridge Swedish original. The actors were better, In true British fashion the Tunnel UK cop character has attended university and is politically aroused. They just cant allow their cops to be just cops.They have to attend Oxford or Cambridge or ETon. This is supposed to add interest to the character but it looks false to someone from the USA that they just cant doff their class bias. Even your police have to be of the better sort to be appropriate or interesting or competent. Inspector Lewis and Gently being the exceptions .Female Tunnel lead is kind of shallow. I have discovered that British TV is mining the Scandinavian mother lode

to come up with ideas, Both the Bridge and WAllander Swedish style were superior. The UK Wallander was so slow paced ....and drawn out. Branaghs mugging needed faster music or caffeine to speed up the story. You could build a bridge during the plot points. In summary the Tunnel is OK. Its a copy and the original is better.

I really like this, there is a special mystique when it comes to the feel of the series, almost like season one of True Detective, but not quite as good.

The two main actors are great and they feed of each other with their own set of problems. The story is slow and deliberate and the characters/actors enhance the feeling of the series and you really feel for them.

The story in itself is well written and told but the real attraction are the main characters, in a way they are the story. I really like the slow pace and deliberate suggestive story telling. The casting couldn't ask for anything more.

Great acting. Little chance but hope another production picks the show up for more seasons.

Loved this British drama, suspenseful and well acted until the end. Speaking of the end, when I got to the last episode in the third season, I was very pleasantly surprised that the writers had actually taken the trouble to tie up all the loose ends. Thank you. Rarely seen, most writers opt to leave it to us to imagine what happened to everyone we had invested hours of viewing, in. Take note all writers out there! French subtitles were a bit annoying throughout.

Whether you've seen the original Danish/US versions or not this is worth seeing. Great direction, acting & scripting with it's own flavour due to the particular differences in culture between France & Britain and how that differs from the the cultural differences relevant to the Danish & US versions.

I dipped my toe into the original Danish version but found the cultural references too obscure & the whole feel of the show too unfamiliar/foreign to really relate. Plus it's always difficult with subtitled shows, you really have to grab my attention for me to stay & it just didn't. I quit after a few eps. The US one I barely lasted 2 episodes, just didn't like the way they interpreted the dynamic between the two leads & the cultural tension aspect. I started watching the Tunnel without realising it was also based on the Danish original and it grabbed me from the start. I liked the characters better, there was a lighter feeling to it than the US one so it gave relief from some of the grimmer aspects of the show & generally felt it was more accessible to an English speaking viewer with some knowledge of British & French cultures.

Whether or not you've seen The Bridge (Danish or American) this is worth viewing. I am well into the first season and loving it so far. So happy to have found a version of the story that I can watch & sink my teeth into.

Although a copy of The Bridge, this was a great Drama series. It was put together superbly and in my personal opinion was better than The Bridge, due to the modern twist in which it had.

It was gripping, intense and kept me wanting more and more. However, after watching the last episode, I was deeply disappointed. It ended to quickly and the manner in which the Truth Terrorist was caught was ridiculously short winded. I expected some twist to that of The Bridge, but this was not to be.

All in all a great re-make of The Bridge, but I must reiterate the ending was bitterly disappointing.

I'm a big fan of thriller detective series like this. It held my interest fairly well, but there were frequently moments when choices made by the detectives or police were downright inept, irrational, or short-sighted. I'm far from a law enforcement professional or even a good armchair sleuth, so seeing things the characters (and thus the writers) overlooked leaves me feeling underwhelmed. Dillane has many good moments, and the rest of the cast is adequate.

I have recently become enamored with gritty foreign police series who's core is the relationship between two main characters, and this is one of the best. As a licensed therapist, I thought Clemence Poesy's portrayal of an autistic detective- sometimes annoying, sometimes funny, sometimes ingenious, sometimes clueless- was brilliant; and Dillane's play off of her equally impressive. The plot, while taking a backseat to the characters, was well written and did a fantastic job of creating situations where the two characters could bounce off each . The 2nd season was a star or two below the first, but still binge-worthy and I did not watch the third due to the (1) poor reviews (2) new writers and (3) my experience that this genre seems to abruptly go south after two seasons max.

I had previously watched two seasons of the original story, "The Bridge", and found it to be excellent, if slightly depressing, viewing. In particular, I was impressed with the consistently good writing, especially for Saga (Sofia Helin) and her portrayal of a high-functioning detective with Asperger's Syndrome. I watched the first season of "The Tunnel" and found that, as mentioned in other reviews, it was a near scene-for-scene re-make of "The Bridge". As a result, it was saddled with the burden of being compared to the original by those who had seen the original. There were deviations from the original story and many were poor choices. The choice to make the British male detective (Stephen Dillane) a much stronger character and to move the French female detective (Clémence Poésy) a little into the background was not a good decision. It made her role less important and weakened the story in so doing. They also chose to modify scenes at the end and to introduce a somewhat overwrought, out-of-character finale. Even with the changes made to the story, it could have been better. However, the writing for tClémence Poésy was uneven and quite often clearly out of character. They made her far more sensitive than Saga had ever been (Saga wasn't uncaring, she just didn't notice most of the time.). This inconsistency weakened her impact and Clémence Poésy's performance could not make up for the poor writing choices. I would have liked to like it better. There were some fine actors and it is a good story. But the shortcomings in the screenplay and dialogue prevented me from doing so.

I really loved the original series Bron|Broen and I was curious to see what an intelligent transplantation might look like, particularly with regard to the history of French-English relations. This remake was disappointing. Heavy handed direction, a leaden plot, and wooden performances meant when the finale rolled around I just didn't care. There's a subtlety and a light touch to the original in setting up the backstory that is replaced in this one by hackneyed police procedural clichés. The two leads give performances that are okay for a procedural but don't come anywhere near close to matching the expressiveness and commitment of the leads in the original. I would recommend giving this a miss and watching Bron|Broen instead.