Fans of Vera searching for their next binge-worthy detective series can now stream Scott & Bailey for free on ITVX. The ITV crime drama, which aired from 2011 to 2016, boasts a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score and attracted around seven million viewers per episode during its five-series run.
Written by Happy Valley creator Sally Wainwright, the show stars Suranne Jones and Lesley Sharp as DC Rachel Bailey and DC Janet Scott, detectives in the Syndicate Nine Major Incident Team of the fictional Manchester Metropolitan Police. The series follows their personal and professional lives, earning praise for its character depth and gripping storylines.
The cast also includes Amelia Bullmore, Nicholas Gleaves, Danny Miller, and Pippa Haywood. Scott & Bailey received BAFTA TV Award nominations for Best Drama Series in 2012 and 2013. Fans have taken to Reddit to express their admiration, with one calling it 'phenomenal' and another declaring it 'much better than other cop shows like Vera.'
In 2016, lead star Suranne Jones explained the decision to end the series, telling Radio Times: 'We said we weren’t going to do another one last series... the whole thing was a goodbye in a sense.' Despite its conclusion, the show remains a favourite, with viewers rewatching and discovering it anew on ITVX.
