--- title: "Kiri" year: 2018 kind: "series" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/kiri" fi1m_id: "kiri" imdb_id: "tt7157494" tmdb_id: 76277 wikidata_id: "Q48699802" fi1m_score: 78 critics_score: 83 critics_reviews: 5 published: "2026-10-07T18:30:32.311702+00:00" updated: "2026-10-07T18:30:32.453244+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Kiri (2018) Created by Jack Thorne · 45m · Drama, Crime ## Identity Kiri - **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/kiri - **Type:** Series - **Fi1m ID:** kiri - **IMDb ID:** tt7157494 - **TMDB ID:** 76277 - **Wikidata ID:** Q48699802 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7157494/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/76277, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q48699802 **Fi1m score: 78** · Critics 83 (early) from 5 reviews *In a sentence:* Sarah Lancashire could hold our attention through the paperwork; some of these people deserve another episode > Sarah Lancashire and Lucian Msamati give *Kiri* warmth and force, but four episodes leave some supporting stories short of attention. We recommend this humane crime drama for the acting, with reservations about how much it leaves unexplored. ## Synopsis Miriam Grayson (Sarah Lancashire) works in social care while managing difficulties of her own. She wants to help other people, but concern for them does not make her immune to mistakes. The story also follows Tobi Akindele (Lucian Msamati) and Nate Akindele (Paapa Essiedu), extending its attention beyond Miriam. Kiri Akindele (Felicia Mukasa), Alice Warner (Lia Williams) and DI Mercer (Wunmi Mosaku) are among the other characters in this four-part crime drama, which places Miriam’s professional responsibilities alongside the personal troubles she brings to the job. ## Review *Kiri* is a humane, well-acted crime drama that gives some of its people less time than they deserve. Created by Jack Thorne and directed by Euros Lyn, it has four episodes in which to establish a substantial cast. Sarah Lancashire’s Miriam Grayson, a social worker with troubles of her own, gives it a strong centre. The difficulty comes when attention spreads beyond her: the programme makes us curious about people it does not always examine closely enough. Miriam’s humour matters, and not merely as a brief escape from the painful material. It helps us understand how someone with considerable personal difficulties can still have something to offer other people. We warmed to her because Sarah Lancashire lets her be funny without making those difficulties disappear. We can like her without assuming she always knows best, and the performance leaves room for both affection and doubt. She remains interesting when she is being fallible, which is harder to achieve than making a professional seem impressively capable. Lucian Msamati, as Tobi Akindele, deserves comparable attention. There is an intensity to his performance that makes Tobi seem worth a longer examination, without making every moment feel like a demand for one. We wanted more of him. With Paapa Essiedu as Nate Akindele and Lia Williams as Alice Warner, the cast offers further reasons to stay interested even when the writing apportions its attention unevenly. Some supporting stories need more space before their characters can become as substantial as the performances suggest they might be. Jamie Pearson’s editing gives the four episodes a useful briskness, although the pace makes the thinner stories harder to ignore. We remember the performances more clearly than Matt Gray’s cinematography, Antonia Lowe’s production design or Chris Clark’s music. That is not itself a complaint: a drama this dependent on character does not need every department demanding notice. The direction is most persuasive when the actors have enough room to complicate our first impressions. The balance favours moving things along a little too often. Jack Thorne and fellow writer Rachel De-Lahay deserve credit for treating the work of caring for others seriously. Crime dramas often expect us to admire a difficult professional simply because that person is good at the job; here, humour and concern for other people count for something. The weakness is how unevenly the writing extends its patience across the cast. A supporting story can establish someone as complicated and then move on before those complications have been sufficiently explored. The omissions matter because the programme has encouraged us to take these people seriously. For viewers drawn to crime drama through its characters, there is enough here to justify the evening. Sarah Lancashire and Lucian Msamati make the painful material involving without reducing their performances to a succession of anguished expressions. The reservation is substantial but specific: the series gives some people the attention they need and leaves others frustratingly incomplete. Watch *Kiri* for the actors, and be prepared to wish that some of them had been given longer. *Fi1m score 78, published 7 October 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is Kiri worth watching?** *Kiri* is worth watching for its humane, character-led approach to crime drama, and we score it 78. Sarah Lancashire and Lucian Msamati make its troubled, fallible people involving, but four episodes leave several supporting stories frustratingly underexplored. We recommend it for the acting, with the reservation that some characters deserve more time. **How long is Kiri, and what is it rated?** *Kiri* has episodes of about 45m. It is a drama and crime series. **Where can I watch Kiri in the US?** *Kiri* is streaming on Tubi, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video and The Roku Channel in the US, and it is also available to buy from Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is Kiri, and is it suitable for children?** *Kiri* has a UK 15 certificate, making it unsuitable for children under 15. Its painful material concerns a social worker’s professional responsibilities and personal troubles; we recommend treating it as drama for older teenagers and adults, without taking its warmth and humour as assurances of gentle viewing. **How does Kiri compare to Secrets & Lies?** *Kiri* offers character-led crime drama, while [*Secrets & Lies*](https://film.one/film/secrets-and-lies) is the family drama we favour for an evening built around difficult conversations. Both find humour and pain in awkward, fallible people, but *Kiri* gives several supporting characters too little space. *Secrets & Lies* lets those conversations matter, though its writing sometimes spells out feelings the performances already convey. **What should I watch after Kiri?** After *Kiri*, try [*Secrets & Lies*](https://film.one/film/secrets-and-lies) (1996, Fi1m 88): Family tensions emerge through performances that give awkward, fallible people room to speak. Then [*A Separation*](https://film.one/film/a-separation) (2011, Fi1m 93): Family obligations and competing accounts turn a domestic crisis into a searching drama; and [*The Hunt*](https://film.one/film/the-hunt) (2012, Fi1m 82): A community’s certainty becomes frightening as suspicion closes around one man. ### Reviews we read (5) - **Radio Times**, Ellie Harrison (90/100, inferred): The review is strongly positive, presenting the drama as a showcase for Sarah Lancashire. It singles out her portrayal of a deeply troubled social worker as staggering. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/kiri-review-sarah-lancashire-gives-a-staggering-performance-in-jack-thornes-think-piece-on-race-adoption-and-the-press/) - **The Guardian**, Euan Ferguson (85/100, inferred): Ferguson finds Kiri utterly enthralling and anticipates a nuanced, gripping drama. He singles out Sarah Lancashire’s compelling portrayal of the caring, fallible social worker Miriam. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/jan/14/week-in-tv-kiri-next-of-kin-spiral-sarah-lancashire-review) - **The i Paper**, Bernadette McNulty (85/100, inferred): The critic finds the drama gripping, original and rich in character. She especially praises Sarah Lancashire’s funny, deeply caring portrayal of Miriam. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/kiri-channel-4-review-lancashire-shines-gripping-cliche-free-drama-depth-116444) - **Variety**, Maureen Ryan (75/100, inferred): Ryan praises the series as compassionate, brisk, and illuminating, while criticizing it for leaving some storylines underexplored. She singles out Lucian Msamati’s performance as especially intense and complex. [Read](https://variety.com/2018/tv/reviews/national-treasure-kiri-hulu-sarah-lancashire-jack-thorne-1202742900/) - **Den of Geek**, Louisa Mellor (80/100, inferred): Mellor finds the premiere compelling and humane, despite its painful subject matter. She especially praises the combination of Jack Thorne’s writing and Sarah Lancashire’s charismatic performance. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/kiri-episode-1-review/) ## Details - **Created by:** Jack Thorne - **Creator:** Jack Thorne - **Director:** Euros Lyn - **Writer:** Jack Thorne, Rachel De-Lahay - **Cinematography:** Matt Gray - **Editor:** Jamie Pearson - **Music:** Chris Clark - **Production design:** Antonia Lowe - **Costume design:** Ian Fulcher - **Producer:** Toby Bentley - **Cast:** Sarah Lancashire as Miriam Grayson; Lucian Msamati as Tobi Akindele; Paapa Essiedu as Nate Akindele; Steven Mackintosh as Jim Warner; Lia Williams as Alice Warner; Finn Bennett as Si Warner; Wunmi Mosaku as DI Mercer; Felicia Mukasa as Kiri Akindele - **Runtime:** 45m - **Release (the US):** 10 January 2018 - **Genres:** Drama, Crime - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Kt2QjogpEY ## Where to watch in the US - Tubi: free, hd - Apple TV: add-on, hd - Amazon Prime Video: add-on - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd - Apple TV: buy, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy, sd *Checked 2026-10-07.* Also available in: AU, CA, FR, GB, IE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Happy Valley* (2014): Sarah Lancashire gives another troubled professional humour, authority and an inconvenient private life. - *Secrets & Lies* (1996), Fi1m 88: Family tensions emerge through performances that give awkward, fallible people room to speak. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/secrets-and-lies.md) - *A Separation* (2011), Fi1m 93: Family obligations and competing accounts turn a domestic crisis into a searching drama. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-separation.md) - *The Hunt* (2012), Fi1m 82: A community’s certainty becomes frightening as suspicion closes around one man. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-hunt.md) - *Unbelievable* (2019): Patient attention to vulnerable people, with investigators whose methods make the difference. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/kiri