BBC One’s “Strike” Airs with High Viewing Figures

The first episode of BBC One’s adaptation of JK Rowling’s Cormoran Strike series aired its first episode this Sunday to millions of viewers.  It was up against the second season premiere of ITV’s Victoria, in what the Evening Express called “tone of the most hotly-contested [sic] TV battles of the year so far.” Strike had no reason to worry, however, since the episode beat out Victoria by two million viewers.

The debut of Strike, which is based on Rowling’s popular crime series (published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith), brought in an average of 5.5 million viewers, with a peak of 6.2 million!

Strike stars Tom Burke as the private detective Cormoran and Holliday Grainger as his fiery assistant, Robin Ellacott. The show is set for a three-part series based on the first Galbraith novel, The Cuckoo’s Calling. 

The series is a modern detective drama that is centered on the apparent suicide of a famous supermodel and Cormoran’s investigation of her death. It notably follows typical detective drama tropes, but critics say that the charismatic leads add fresh energy to the genre. If you’re looking for a new, exciting fall show, this one is definitely worth checking out.

The second episode will air on Monday evening at 9 p.m., and the third and final episode will air on Sunday at 9 p.m. on BBC One.