Grantchester - Season 4 - DVD

Content: Grantchester in 1955 - time for big changes: Young vicar Sidney Chambers' (James Norton) heart is broken and he falls into an ever-deepening crisis of purpose. Even his friend, the police inspector Geordie Keating (Robson Green), can't really help him. Only when Sidney meets the American civil rights activist Violet (Simona Brown), it snaps him out of his lethargy. Not only does he find a new calling through her, but his heart seems to open up to a woman again. However, this has drastic consequences for his life, as Sidney realizes that he can no longer stay in Grantchester. His position at the church is taken by the non-conformist Will Davenport (Tom Brittney), who is initially eyed with great scepticism by Geordie in particular. But when the new vicar proves to be as helpful a crony in fighting crime in Grantchester as Sidney was, the policeman also warmly welcomes the new clergyman.

The fourth-year crime series Grantchester faces a difficult hurdle: The departure of a much-loved main character. It's particularly difficult in this case, as much of the series thrives on the great chemistry between James Norton and Robson Green, and the friendship between the vicar and the policeman is central to the story. With the departure of James Norton, this changes abruptly, although an interesting replacement has been found in Tom Brittney. He fits in well with the ensemble - but whether his Will Davenport will become as layered and sympathetic a character in the long run as Sidney Chambers was remains to be seen. The debut is accomplished, but still obscured by the outsized shadow Sidney leaves behind.

Besides that, the series can once again score points in its fourth year with the ingredients that made the first seasons so successful. For one thing, there are the classic crime stories told with typical British flair. It's not particularly original, but never boring nonetheless. These storylines are completed by personal stories of the protagonists. For example, in this season Geordie has to get used to the fact that his wife also goes to work and brings money home, which was rather unusual for the time. However, she makes very unpleasant experiences when she does not respond to the advances of her boss - a topic that is unfortunately still very relevant today.

Anyway, the series always manages to tell stories from the 1950s that are still relevant in our society and definitely need to be discussed further - from sexual assault to racism to homosexuality in the church. Above all, however, is the very high entertainment value of the series, which is perfectly established by the charming characters and the entertainingly written scripts - and that even without the charismatic James Norton, who will be sorely missed by this series.

Image + Sound: The audiovisual realization of the series is on a similar level as in the previous seasons. The picture is also very clean in the new episodes, the overall sharpness is on a good level and real weaknesses are hard to spot even in darker scenes. In addition, the color scheme captures the atmosphere of the series very well. The audio is in a rather restrained Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, but it certainly scores with some good surround moments in places. Good!

Extras: On the second disc there is a bonus behind the scenes (about 12 min), consisting of making-of footage and interviews with creators and actors. Clearly, the farewell to James Norton is the focus here. A bit short, but worth watching!

Conclusion: The fourth season of Grantchester doesn't have it easy, having to cope with the departure of a much-loved main character. But the entertaining stories and a promising successor make these new episodes again absolutely worth watching. On the DVD, the six episodes are presented in good picture and sound quality and there is also a bit of bonus material. The bottom line is quite clearly one: Absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp