Shetland Fans Are Discovering a BBC Crime Drama Called One of the Best of the Decade

If you’re missing the bleak landscapes and troubled detectives of Shetland, there’s another BBC crime drama that may be worth adding to your watchlist.

Hinterland combines a deeply troubled detective, unsettling cases and the haunting beauty of the Welsh coast. The atmospheric noir series has earned an 83% score on Rotten Tomatoes, while viewers have continued to praise it as “excellent,” “haunting” and a “must-watch.”

Originally broadcast in Welsh on S4C in October 2013, the series later arrived in English on the BBC in 2014. Its final episode aired in 2016, bringing the story to a close after three seasons.

All three seasons are currently available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

What is Hinterland about?

The drama centres on DCI Tom Mathias, played by Richard Harrington, a London detective who leaves the Metropolitan Police behind in search of a fresh start in Aberystwyth, Wales.

That new beginning does not last long.

Tom is soon called to an isolated chalet in the sand dunes, where a brutal attack has taken place. The apparent victim is 64-year-old Helen Jenkins, a religious woman who has disappeared.

The investigation takes Tom to the remote village of Devil’s Bridge, where Helen’s body is eventually discovered at the bottom of a deep ravine.

The case becomes even more disturbing when investigators learn that Helen once ran a children’s home near the scene. The facility closed 15 years earlier and has since been converted into a hotel, but its untouched attic contains traces of a painful past.

For Tom to identify the killer, he must uncover what happened inside the former children’s home and confront the secrets that have remained buried there.

A troubled detective at the centre

Richard Harrington leads the cast as DCI Tom Mathias, a character whose personal struggles are closely woven into the darker cases he investigates.

He is joined by Mali Harries as Detective Inspector Mared Rhys, Alex Harries as Detective Constable Lloyd Elis, Hannah Daniel as Detective Sergeant Siân Owens and Aneirin Hughes as Chief Superintendent Brian Prosser.

Together, they form the investigative team at the heart of the series, as each case takes them deeper into the darker side of the Welsh community.

The setting is equally important. Rather than using the landscape simply as a backdrop, Hinterland places its characters against the striking but often bleak coastline and countryside of west Wales.

That combination of beautiful scenery and unsettling crime gives the drama much of its distinctive atmosphere.

Why are viewers still recommending it?

Years after the series concluded, Hinterland continues to attract strong reactions from crime drama fans.

Viewers have praised its writing, performances and ability to maintain tension without losing its atmospheric quality.

One fan called it a “must watch Welsh series” after binge-watching the show over three days, praising its writing and performances and giving it a 9.5/10 rating.

Another described the drama as “haunting, beautiful and bleak.”

A third viewer went even further, calling Hinterland “one of the best crime shows of the last decade.”

Those reactions help explain why the series continues to be recommended to audiences looking for something darker and more atmospheric than a conventional police procedural.

A Welsh alternative for Shetland fans

Much like Shetland, Hinterland builds its identity around a compelling detective, difficult investigations and an isolated landscape that becomes part of the storytelling.

The difference is the setting: instead of Scotland’s northern islands, the drama takes viewers to the rugged Welsh coast around Aberystwyth.

With three completed seasons available on BBC iPlayer, Hinterland offers a finished crime story for viewers looking for a moody, character-driven mystery with plenty of atmosphere.