The Invisibles

In the 70's and 80's a team of cat burglars had a very successful run in England, the police never captured them--never even identified them, as if they were invisible. Eventually, two of the team retired to the Spanish Mediterranean with their families. Now near 60, they've returned to England and moved into a senior living facility, to deal with aging, an empty nest, and boredom.

Of course, that just won't do--particularly when it turns out that the owner of the local pub is the son of their late partner, who's spent his lifetime idolizing them and dreaming of replacing his father on the team. It doesn't take long at all before the trio are back in action, committing the perfect crimes with a skill that this generation doesn't display.

It's a lighthearted drama, emphasizing character and personality over action and suspense. To be perfectly honest, the story moved slowly enough that in 2 or 3 of the six episodes in the first series' DVD set my attention waned (a lot), but perseverance paid off in the end. All around, a fun series with a lot of heart.

The cast, honestly, was what drew me to the series: Mina Anwar, who was so much fun on The Thin Blue Line; Dean Lennox Kelly, Doctor Who's rock-star Shakespeare and Puck from the BBC's Shakespeare ReTold (also starring Anwar, incidentally); and Anthony Head, Merlin's Uther Pendragon, Doctor Who's creepy alien posing as a headmaster, the RepoMan in the nightmare that was Repo! The Genetic Opera, and some US show about a teenage girl who killed vampires (the name escapes me). The Invisibles was a good, but not great, showcase for each.

The Invisibles was released here on DVD in May, two months after the BBC confirmed it wouldn't be getting a second series/season. So enjoy, but don't get attached :)