The Invisibles, Season One

It’s hard to overstate how good this show is (well, except for the music, which is very BBC House Band), and it should be an immediate grab for fans of Anthony Head at his very best, caper films or even stories like Lonesome Dove, focusing on aging heroes.

The basics of the show are strong on their own: Nationally famous burglars who have never been caught and who retired to Spain, return to England to be closer to family and friends in their 60s. It’s not long, however, before they’re back on the job. Like the best police shows, though, the capers are really just the backdrop for the meat of the show: The Invisibles relationships with their families. The show may feature burglars, but it’s about growing older, dealing with adult children, dealing with old loves, dealing with being the person you want your children to know their parents as, and so on.

This is really Head’s show. He may be beloved by Buffy fans, but he didn’t get to do much other than be very English, and when they tried to give him more to do, his post-high school bachelorhood was awkward and somewhat directionless. Here, though, he gets free range with a character and story made to showcase his talents.

Head’s Maurice (pronounced “Morris,” in an English attempt to baffle American audiences) was the greatest burglar in England, the smartest man in pretty much every room and a man among men. Now he’s grappling with the notion that his best days are behind him, his daughter doesn’t know who he really is (he’s lied to her for decades about what he does for a living), his beautiful wife is focused on creating a life for herself outside of the world of crime, his best friend is not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer and while he still looks (very) good for his age, getting older scares the hell out of him.

It’s baffling that this wasn’t picked up for a second season by the BBC, but by no means should that dissuade anyone from picking this up. This is easily one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, and an absolute tour de force for Anthony Head.

Endorsed without reservation for fans of caper movies or Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

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