Hustle has returned to BBC1 for a third series, the ongoing story of a group of con artists who scam their way across London using their wits and somewhat dubious skills to keep them in the manner to which they are accustomed and of course one step ahead of the law.
It’s the kind of show that the US does well, or for that matter the kind of idea that in the right hands translates well to film. It is not the sort of thing I expected the BBC to be able to pull of but like I said, it’s the third series and I’m still watching.
For the uninitiated the show revolves around five characters, all of them con artists who work well alone but even better when they are part of a team. And of course each character has their own set of traits that they bring to the show along with their own particular skills.
Adrian Lester plays Mickey, the leader and resident mastermind of the bunch. A master of the long con (rather than the quick hustle which would be say for example, card sharking on the street). Marc Warren plays Danny Blue, the relative new boy and something of a prot?g? who could one day be a skilled operator if he could just keep his over zealous streak in check. Veteran actor Robert Vaughn plays Albert Stroller, who brings his years of experience and relative wisdom to the table while Jaime Murray plays Stacie Monroe the beauty with brains. Finally Robert Glenister as Ash is the “fixer” of the bunch, the man who sets up locations and equipment for the con jobs to actually work, usually with a bit of hi tech flair.
Hustle is of course not necessarily a new idea, essentially borrowing from an endless lineage of film and television crooks with moral codes and hearts of gold dating right back to Robin Hood. The people they take from are usually darker characters than themselves who deserve a little fleecing. The show does require some suspension of disbelief as the jobs the team undertake have become more and more audacious with every series. However the show does have a tongue in cheek element in its execution with occasions where the action freezes and the characters sometimes step out of the story in a bid to decide what they should do next. That gives the show a cheeky comic book feel that turns Hustle into something of a guilty pleasure.
There is also a strong guest star element to this show and if the first episode was anything to go by then this series should be potentially choc a block with famous faces. Mel Smith was nicely cast as the obnoxious villain in the first show, and Linford Christie and Sara Cox made amusing cameos as themselves (Cox getting scammed by the team after they got her pissed in a pub was a brief but funny moment).
In conclusion Hustle isn’t necessarily “drop everything and watch” viewing, but if you’re indoors on Friday at 9pm it’s the best offer your television is going to make you.
