The critically acclaimed crime thriller The Fall, starring Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan, is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. The series, which first aired on BBC Two in 2013 and ran for three seasons until 2016, has been praised for its slow-burning tension and its departure from traditional whodunnit conventions.
Set and shot in Northern Ireland, the show follows Gillian Anderson's character, Metropolitan Police Superintendent Stella Gibson, who is deployed to Belfast to re-examine a stalled murder inquiry. Jamie Dornan plays Paul Spector, the serial killer she is assigned to track down. Unlike typical crime dramas, the killer's identity is revealed from the start, and the episodes focus on Stella's meticulous investigation and how Spector maintains a double life as an ordinary husband and father while preying on young professional women.
Critical Acclaim and Viewer Praise
The series holds a 95% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with viewers praising various aspects of the production. On IMDb, one fan described it as an immersive, "spine-tingling" watch, commending both leads—Anderson for a "characteristically outstanding performance" and Dornan for going "deep into the mental state of the character."
Others have highlighted the pervading sense of dread the series generates, with one describing it as "exceptionally well-written, directed, and acted. VERY dark and scary." Another viewer noted the unsettling normality of Spector's character, saying it was disturbing watching "someone who has such an ordinary life (wife, kids, job) being such an evil person on the inside," while another agreed: "They could be us, any one of us."
Style and Influence
Anderson's performance also drew considerable praise, with one fan saying she was "an excellent choice as lead detective." One reviewer wrote, "Real serial, real police people, real police building, with no unnecessary details, no unnecessary high tech gadgets or theatrics," describing it as "purely European (British-Irish) style" and noting the second season is faster-paced than the first.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the consensus described the series as "unapologetically sexy with pressure-building tension driven by plausible characters and motifs." The show's influence has extended beyond the UK, particularly inspiring a French remake titled Insoupçonnable. All three seasons of The Fall are now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
