ITV's crime drama Grace has returned for its fifth season, and while the main crew were quickly immersed in brand-new, explosive cases, one member was notably missing from action.
We're of course not talking about DS Roy Grace (John Simm), whose personal life has been upended with the tragic loss of his and partner Cleo's (Zoë Tapper) pregnancy and the arrival of his estranged son.
Aside from that intensely intimate storyline, what we noted was the absence of Craig Parkinson's Norman Potting. It was already public knowledge that Parkinson would not be returning for season five – the actor broke the news of his departure ahead of the season-four debut back in August 2024 via Instagram, where he posted:
"After a very happy few years I've made the decision to hand in Norman Potting's detective badge. The new season of #Grace begins on @itv on September 1st but it will also be my last."
Related: John Simm's Brighton-set ITV crime drama confirms return
Early into season five it became very clear that the creators had decided not to pull the ol' recast switcheroo as they'd done previously with Sam Hoare's Cassian Pewe, who was originally played by James D'Arcy.
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The question surrounding the character's absence became ever more looming when Grace did not jump to address Norman's disappearance in episode one, especially after his dramatic arc in the previous season.
Fans will remember the heartbreaking blow Norman was dealt when he was diagnosed with locally advanced prostate cancer. This narrative was not wrapped up, leaving his storyline feeling unresolved.
Grace finally turned its attention to Norman's absence in the current season during a conversation between Roy and Norman's partner Bella Moy (Laura Elphinstone). Or should we say former partner? When pressed she disclosed that she hadn't heard from Norman.
While their relationship was fairly new we would have expected some meaningful communication between the two, at least as a way of explaining Norman's departure. However, when Roy said: " I'd like to say [his silence is] him trying to protect you from it all," Bella's curt response was, "Yeah, well we both know that's bollocks." Which rather put an end to any hope of that.
From here on out Grace leaves fans to fill in the blanks. While it can be assumed that Norman has left Brighton and Bella to come to terms with his cancer diagnosis, it feels like a disappointing way to end his Grace journey.
In a show with only four episodes per season it's understandable that every moment must be accounted for, given that there is very little time to explore storylines as it is, but we'd argue rounding off Norman's character arc was worth that time.
It's likely that Parkinson's exit came after Norman's tragic set of circumstances had already played out on screen, making it an unnatural way to cap his story, but fans and the character deserve more than to be left in limbo.
Perhaps this is something that will be better addressed in season six, which has already been commissioned but for now Norman's goodbye feels heavier than it should.
All episodes of Grace are available to stream now on ITVX.
TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
