Les Professionnels

A likeable central duo, witty dialogues and mostly plots that have pizzazz and don’t get boring. Yeah, there are weak episodes, but compared to the stuff being made today, The Professionals is brilliant. And I'll shed a tear of nostalgia, too. (23/03/2003)

Before the Revolution, The Professionals stood out like a sore thumb. They demonstrated incredible quality, a pleasant central trio, interesting cases and skillfully alternated episodes more centered on action with episodes with more detective work. But it seems that not all that shines is gold. Back then, we got just a small selection of a few episodes that were basically the best this British series had to offer. When the whole series came on TV after the Revolution, it turned out that not all episodes achieved the same qualities. But even so, despite a large portion of mediocre episodes, this is still a quality crime series. (04/07/2007)

The scripts of the individual episodes copy a few unchanging patterns, so they often repeat, the plots are naive and shallow, the investigations are rushed, and many situations are simply resolved by the action of both protagonists entering the scene. The antagonists of the professionals are nobodies and overall it is an average consumer product of its time. On the other hand, I have no reason to give it less than three stars, because there are still the very likable characters of the two tough detectives and their paternal boss. Even after all these years, it is decent genre entertainment, which may not be as good as one would expect from a nostalgic-influenced review on FilmBooster, but it is decent enough to occasionally return to an episode. Initially, I also gave it a higher rating, but the current series MI5, which I am watching, made me reconsider the quality of both series and the newer one is much more sophisticated, more believable, and offers a comprehensive view of the work of secret services. Overall impression: 60%. (05/07/2012)

I always wanted to be Bodie, but then when I found out that while Doyle gets everything roughed-up, taken down, investigated, and shot, Bodie picks up a hospital nurse or some other hot young thing and throws in a joke at the end, I wanted to be him even more. (06/04/2011)