After watching the first few episodes of BAPTISTE, I was no doubt enjoying the opportunity to spend more time with the best French missing persons Detective in television history, Julien Baptiste, (even if he has since retired formally from his highly celebrated career AND is starting to accept the reality of entering the latter years of his life AND is nearly died not more than a year or two ago from a brain tumor that was, luckily, successfully removed in an operation). However, I wasn’t quite certain what the show’s creators, (Jack & Harry Williams – who also wrote/created “THE MISSING”), were aiming to explore thematically in this spin-off series. I didn’t care though, because like I said, it was good enough just to see our relentless missing persons investigator be consulted by local authorities about a case in Amsterdam while visiting his daughter’s family.  

Now that I’ve seen 5 of the 6 episodes in this first season of BAPTISTE, several interesting themes have surfaced & looking back at the previous episodes, it’s difficult not to appreciate how cleverly the show’s writers were able to direct most of our attention at certain parts of the story in order to let the sneaky twists & turns – the kind that made both seasons of THE MISSING so addictive – hit quite hard when things do eventually unravel.

BAPTISTE‘s first season marks show-creators/writers, Jack & Harry Williams third successful production out of three tries, (both seasons of THE MISSING and this season of BAPTISTE). With a bit of luck for us viewers at home, BBC ONE will do right by such a wonderful cast & crew by ordering/renewing another season of BAPTISTE. There is too much talent behind and in front of the camera here; it’d be a shame not to keep this production going as long as everyone involved is willing to return.