Case Histories is a British crime drama television series based on the Jackson Brodie novel series by Kate Atkinson. It stars Jason Isaacs, who has also narrated the abridged audiobook adaptation, as protagonist Jackson Brodie.[1] The series is set and filmed in Edinburgh.[2] Initially, each episode was aired in two 60-minute sections. The first series premiered on June 5, 2011, on BBC1 in the United Kingdom,[3] and in October 2011 on PBS in the United States.[4][5] A second series aired in 2013.[6] Initially commissioned as two feature-length episodes,[7] in September 2012, the BBC reported that the format of series two would be different, encompassing three self-contained stories, at a running time of ninety minutes per episode. The first episode was revealed to be an adaptation of Atkinson's 2010 novel, Started Early, Took My Dog. Filming for the second series commenced in October 2012.[6] The second and third episodes of the series are original stories, written exclusively for television.[8]
Private investigator Jackson Brodie (Jason Isaacs), a former soldier and policeman, hides a deeply empathetic heart under his tough-guy exterior. He is unable to resist coming to the rescue and is a magnet for the bereaved, the lost and the dysfunctional. Intriguing, moving, and funny, the character-driven stories conjure up a richly imagined world in which Brodie attempts to bring resolution to the victims of unexplained mysteries and comfort to the survivors of personal tragedies. He is the ultimate survivor himself—a bruised optimist, compelled to help others. Assisted by his faithful colleague Louise Munroe (Amanda Abbington), Jackson attempts to provide answers to those without hope of ever finding them any other way.[9]
In the United States, series 2 was broadcast on 12, 19, and 26 October 2013.