Watching: Yellowthread Street

Overview

Yellowthread Street is a 1990 ITV police procedural developed by Ranald Graham. Adapted from the novels by William Leonard Marshall, the thirteen episode series revolves around the Triad-busting cases of a group of Royal Hong Kong Police Force detectives, based in the colony’s Yellowthread precinct. Despite being a critical and ratings hit, Yellowthread Street never caught on, perhaps the result of the exotic setting and expensive production (it was shot on 35mm). It also seemed caught between two eras: conceived in the 1980s and produced at the turn of that decade, its philosophy and look seemed a little dated compared to other modern shows of the genre (i.e. The Bill).