Hamish Macbeth

Trainspotting’s Robert Carlyle was the headliner for this short-lived UK ‘quirky cop’ series. Based on the novels by M.C. Beaton, the series focused on a Scottish constable, his periodic investigations, and ‘kooky’ characters by the truckload. (The tone seems clearly inspired by the surprise U.S. hit Northern Exposure.) Carlyle was destined for bigger things (including a turn as a Bond baddie), and the show never really caught hold of an audience, so it was bye-bye Hamish after twenty episodes.