Karen Pirie creator Emer Kenny and star Lauren Lyle have explained how their series differs from other cop dramas.
The ITV series has been adapted from author Val McDermid's crime novels about a young officer trying to solve the cold case murder of a woman through examining her final days.
While the storyline may seem familiar, Karen Pirie distinguishes itself by giving its victim a true backstory and also tries to showcase the police investigation process more authentically.
Digital Spy spoke with Outlander star Lauren Lyle – who plays the title character in the series – about what some shows like Line of Duty or Luther may have got wrong in the past.
Related: What Karen Pirie gets right that so many police thrillers get wrong
"It was cool to affirm to me that there were women like me in the police force so that it wasn't an unrealistic thing to be looking at," Lyle explained.
What to Read Next
"These people, DSes at Karen's level, do exist and that's really the thing we haven't seen before on TV because it's always someone a lot older and more experienced. Maybe the actor's really famous and that's why."
Former EastEnders star Emer Kenny, who wrote and also has a supporting role in the show, explained that it was important to showcase the realities for young police trainees.
"When you see lots of [police] interviews on TV, and it'll be like the AC or the DCI or the DI doing an interview, that's completely unrealistic," she explained. "They're so high up they don't interview suspects anymore.
Related: Karen Pirie ending explained as Rosie Duff's killer finally exposed
"The people who do the interviews are the DSes or the DCs, they're often in their 20s because they are more entry-level. It's just that if you have an amazing 40-year-old star and you want them to be the central character, you've got to put them in the interview."
Karen Pirie is available to watch as a box set now on ITV Player.
Best Entertainment and Tech Deals
Coronation Street X Joanie - Gilroy Retro Newton And Ridley Sweatshirt
Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
Freelance film & TV writer, Digital Spy
Critic and writer Jo Berry has been writing about TV and movies since she began her career at Time Out aged 18. A regular on BBC Radio, Jo has written for titles including Empire, Maxim, Radio Times, OK!, The Guardian and Grazia, is the author of books including Chick Flicks and The Parents’ Guide to Kids’ Movies.
She is also the editor of website Movies4Kids. In her career, Jo has interviewed well-known names including Beyonce, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Kiefer Sutherland, Tom Cruise and all the Avengers, spent many an hour crushed in the press areas of award show red carpets. Jo is also a self-proclaimed expert on Outlander and Brassic, and completely agrees that Die Hard is a Christmas movie.
