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Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Handout / MCT

Detective Inspector Joe Chandler (Rupert Penry-Jones, left) wants a promotion, but "Ripperologist" Edward Buchan (Steve Pemberton) may slow the process down.

Whitechapel: Dramatic series. 10 p.m. today on BBC America.
It's impossible to count the number of films, books and TV shows inspired by England's notorious Victorian era serial killer, Jack the Ripper. You wouldn't think there'd be much left to repurpose at this point, but BBC America's new nail-biter "Whitechapel" may disabuse you of that notion.
The series, premiering tonight on the cable channel, begins with a three-episode arc introducing us to the main characters, who reluctantly team up to solve a string of apparent copy-cat Ripper killings in the Whitechapel area of East London. The three subsequent episodes of the first season will link another notorious part of the area's past - the 1960s organized-crime spree of twins Ronnie and Reggie Kray - to present-day crimes.

Rupert Penry-Jones stars as DI Joe Chandler, an ambitious young cop on the career path to a plush administrative position, once he puts in some time in an actual squad room. He doesn't make a winning impression on the rough-and-tumble cops when he makes his debut at the police station wearing black tie to lead the investigation into the death of a young woman found in Whitechapel. In addition to being a neat freak whose response to pressure is to rub Tiger Balm on his temples, Chandler initially shows nothing but disdain for the disheveled, under-motivated staff, especially Detective Sgt. Miles (Phil Davis), the grizzled veteran of the unit.

All Chandler wants is to put in his time and get his promotion. And as far as Miles is concerned, the sooner "his nibs" gets promoted out of the unit, the sooner the real cops can get back to doing what they know how to do. Yes, we know where this is going, but that doesn't detract from the fun of watching these two worthy adversaries slowly begin to allow themselves grudging respect for each other as further bodies are discovered.

And as far as earning the respect of his men is concerned, Chandler doesn't win any points by being the only one to take seriously a self-admitted "Ripperologist," Edward Buchan (Steve Pemberton), who believes the killings are meant to replicate the Ripper's murders 120 years ago.

Created and written by Ben Court and Caroline Ip, "Whitechapel" defies the odds against finding new material in the Ripper story through solid writing with careful attention to character nuance and realistic detail (notwithstanding a few moments when the writers fall back on a bit of convenient coincidence to maintain the link to the original killings). The series also benefits from taut direction by SJ Clarkson (David Evans directs the other three episodes this season) and great performances by the three leads as well as the supporting cast. Chandler, Miles and Buchan all undergo significant transformations during the often-frustrating process of trying to solve the new string of murders, and each actor is more than up to the challenge.

"Whitechapel" may not reinvent the police procedural, but it's great fun, and the third episode is a heart-stopping race against time. The only drawback is that, as with other BBC America series such as "The Hour" and "Bedlam," a "season" is just six episodes. It speaks to how addicting the channel's shows can be that we so often want some more, please.

E-mail David Wiegand at dwiegand@sfchronicle.com.