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New Tricks is back with its tenth series, and members of the Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad (UCOS) have more to deal with than cold case investigations, the results of which mean the team will never be the same again.

New Tricks
New Tricks © BBC

Viewers had a shock when Jack Halford (James Bolam, Grandpa in My Pocket, Born and Bred), a part of UCOS since its inception, quit at the beginning of Series 9 due to a terminal illness. So it was natural that his replacement, the retired DI Steve McAndrew (Denis Lawson, Criminal Justice, Bleak House) from Glasgow CID, took some getting used to.

Now that Steve is a familiar character, we have a couple more with whom to get acquainted.

When Series 10 opens, Brian Lane’s (Alun Armstrong, Garrow’s Law, Little Dorrit) obsession about a conspiracy being the reason for his having to leave the force leads to a compulsive act — one that ultimately forces Deputy Assistant Commissioner Robert Strickland (Anthony Calf, Upstairs Downstairs, Holby City) to fire him from UCOS.

Although no longer a member of the team, Brian’s last act for UCOS is recommending his replacement, Dan Griffin (Nicholas Lyndhurst, Only Fools and Horses, Goodnight Sweetheart), an ex-DCI formerly with the Murder Squad and the Diplomatic Protection Group. His ability to do the job isn’t in question, but Gerry Standing (Dennis Waterman, Minder, The Sweeney) is sure that Dan is a mole.

Soon thereafter, DS Sandra Pullman (Amanda Redman, At Home with the Braithwaites, Honest) is convinced that an unsolved murder case is linked to one of her first investigations. When the team connects various people and facts suggesting a possible serial killer, DAC Strickland insists that the now multiple cases be handed over to the murder squad.

With a career that seems to have come full circle, a decade working for UCOS, and a once-in-a-lifetime offer from the Frenchman Max Clement, Sandra has a decision to make, but is unsure of what to do. Re-enter Jack Halford, who returns to give her some advice, which she takes and thus bids adieu to UCOS.

Her replacement is the newly-promoted DCI Sasha Miller (Tamzin Outhwaite, Hotel Babylon, Eastenders) from the Kidnap Unit. She is married to a DAC at the Met, has two children at uni, and gets off to a rocky start with her new team.

New Tricks
New Tricks: Nicholas Lyndhurst, Tamzin Outhwaite, Denis Lawson, Dennis Waterman – © BBC

Viewers in the UK will be able to see more of UCOS when New Tricks returns for its eleventh series later this year. In the meantime, those in the US can watch the newly-arrived tenth series on the local PBS stations listed below. Check your local listings for air dates and times.

State City Station
ARIZONA Phoenix
CALIFORNIA San Jose
GEORGIA Atlanta
IDAHO Boise, Coeur d’Alene, Moscow, Pocatello, Twin Falls
MISSOURI Kansas City
NEW YORK Garden City/New York City
OHIO Youngstown/Akron
OKLAHOMA Tulsa
OREGON Bend, Corvallis, Eugene, La Grande, Portland
TEXAS Dallas / Fort Worth
UTAH Salt Lake City
WASHINGTON Spokane
WISCONSIN Milwaukee

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New Series of New Tricks on Local PBS Stations