5 episodes in and all I can say is I can't wait to see more. The people who don't like it, clearly don't like this sort of thing. For those that do.... WATCH IT! If I have a minor gripe, it'd be I feel as it's a serialized TV programme, they have to sometimes squeeze too much in to a short space of time. I felt one or two episodes could have benefitted from being a little longer. But for this, I'd give it a 9 or 10

Hey. I've watched all 5 available episodes and some parts are just, hm i don't know, a bit much? But I enjoyed it. But before i did that, i did research on reviews and youtube comments and saw negative comments... And if you're doubting and just watch the first episode, don't stop ... Just watch a few episodes.

I wanted to give it a 8.5 but couldn't so that why the 9.

????

There was an opportunity to make an intriguing series out of this. Instead the producers decided to use it as a bludgeon for promoting their social justice agenda. 1) Every white male is incompetent, cynical and/or spiteful and hostile (chief pathologist, prison guards, white trash father). For example, the obnoxious and hateful chief pathologist with 20 years of experience is bewilderingly aggressive and seemingly proud of his lack of attention or care in carrying out his duties and is quickly replaced by his bright, steadfast and confident black assistant 2) Every person of colour is competent and virtuous, especially if they are women 3) All young people, even those in the juvenile detention centre are wise beyond their years, loving and caring. The protagonist's teenage son appears at the right moments to give his mother back rubs and say exactly the right things at the right time. The kids in the detention centre are all misunderstood youths, brimming with potential who rally around the opportunity to produce "Romeo and Juliet". It's a shame, because the cast is generally good, the production values are good, and the premise is good, but the show is virtually unwatchable because of the hamfisted social messages constantly thrown in the viewers face.

I've got to give it up to Canadian Television. More and more great shows are coming from our northern neighbors. This show, while I only have watched 3 episodes, leaves me wanting to see whats next. I like that the actor's are relatively unknown, at least to me, and they are all good. No overacting, seamless transitions form scene to scene, like the header says, so far, it's a good show. I always wait until I've seen at least 3 episodes before I write one of these. I wish others would do the same, I've seen reviews, both good and bad, sometimes posted before the air date. Please, if you have had a viewing of the first episode before the rest of us, please don't base your review on one episode. Just my humble opinion.

First episodes are never a good way to judge the success of a new series. I found some of the writing felt rushed to introduce characters but overall I enjoyed it. The acting was great so this show deserves some time to show if Coroner will be a hit or a miss. Nice to see a series filmed in Toronto and not pretending to be an American city.

For a CBC show (for which I have seen many) Coroner really excels. Looking forward to seeing the rest of the series - feel like it's picking up pace with every episode! Those who are rating it low after one ep are pretty shallow!

Coroner starts out with a weird couple of episodes, I'll have to say. They feel like there should be more to them, but it's all okay - the show is really setting up the characters, which are arguably the best part of it.

Starting out as a straight up procedural, in only six episodes the show has evolved into a damn fine crime drama, with personal plotlines for the characters and a great overarching plot that had me surprised.

LGBTQ and POC representation is also pretty present in this show and it's handled quite well.

The Canadian setting is really refreshing, the cast is great and, in my personal opinion, it has been one of the most pleasant surprises this TV season.

"Coroner" 5/10 ???????????????????? I dated a woman who passed away that could've been the doppelganger for Serinda Swan. So the first time I saw her on a episode of "Chicago Fire" I immediately became a fan. She's a very talented actress and I have no qualms about the cast for "Coroner" but just from judging the pilot I didn't watch anything that would give me the urge to wanna see more episodes. It came across very predictable and kinda boring. I also felt some scenes were kinda awkward like when her son is giving her a shoulder massage, or when she was crying and the detective just starts singing in her passenger seat instead of asking her if she's Ok. Maybe the next episode will pick up some steam but if she's a coroner it seems very odd to watch her also play detective talking to various people who knew or were related to the victim. So for that reason I give it a 5, It could of been worse but it also could've been a lot better.

This series is turning out to be quite gripping, and I'm already hoping that a second season is in prospect. The CBC can be a little timid about renewing its drama shows (the excellent "This Life" was cancelled after just two seasons), but this one deserves better. Contrary to an earlier opinion on this site (I strongly suspect that, when a reviewer starts off a negative comment about gay characters with the phrase "I'm not homophobic, but...", he very probably is just that), it's good to see that Jenny Cooper's son is not merely your everyday moody teenager. His being gay is another thing that she has had to accept in her life (quite successfully in this case, it would seem), and I don't see how showing him in a caring relationship can be objectionable. The number of television shows down the years in which non-heterosexual characters were simply non-existent far outweighs the number, at present, in which they are shown to be part of the world. All that said, it does seem up to this point that Jenny spends more time outside of her lab than any other coroner in memory...

As a big fan of British and Scandinavian crime dramas, I was keen to see this new series on CBC. Cardinal on CTV was pretty good.

I have not read any of Matthew Hall's books, so knew nothing about the story or characters. But I did read a bit about the author and the books today.

I really struggled to finish the first episode of this new series, and I only did finish it once I decided that I had to write a review.

The story and characters are unbelievable (as in unrealistic). Jenny Cooper, a mid 30s physician (played by 35 yr old Serinda Swan) becomes (is appointed) a coroner in Toronto after working in ER? Jenny has a son Ross, who seems to be at least 16 or 17 (played by 21 yr old Ehren Kassam of Degrassy), so she would have been around 20 or less when he was born. So, how she completed med school and became a physician with experience and qualifications to be appointed a coroner (apparently for the whole of the city of Toronto) boggles my mind. And I'm not saying that because she is woman, imho would be odd to have a man of that age in a similar position). However, it seems she's quite senior, as she is the boss of a long-time pathologist. Actually, in reality, the Chief Coroner of Ontario is in charge of appointing (and I assume dismissing) coroners in the province, and likewise, the Chief Forensic Pathologist, is the boss of forensic pathologists.

Apart from the character's name, her apparent anxiety issue, and the death of two young adults in custody, Jenny's character and the story bear no resemblance to Matthew Hall's books on which this new series is allegedly based - oh, sorry, 'inspired by'. Something that I could not see in the credits, but is mentioned by the CBC Media Centre.

Matthew's Jenny Cooper is a lawyer, and after a traumatic divorce, her son is living with her ex-husband. There is also the minor detail in the first episode that she was appointed to her new position after the from the recently deceased Harry Marshall contains neglected files hiding dark secrets and a trail of buried evidence.

Plot / procedural issues abound - the forensic pathologist, performing the autopsy, was a weird duck, which, could be true in real life. But I extremely doubt that his new boss can just suddenly fire him on the spot, in the autopsy lab, no matter how much he may have deserved it. Neither we nor Jenny know anything about him, and there is such a thing a due process in Canada.

There are several other things about this show that disturbed me, but I'm not going to invest my time detailing them here (such as it's so slow, boring and has a horrible script). I mentioned already that Matthew Hall wasn't even credited in the first episode, yet his website has information of this new series. What's that about CBC ? .I wonder if he has any idea what has been done to his books ?? I'm thinking "inspired by" (per CBC) and "based on" (per the author) have hugely different meanings, both practically and legally ?

All I know is I certainly won't be investing any more of time in watching future episodes. And if this review saves anyone (who loves British crime and Scandi Noir like I do) from the pain wasted time of watching it, that can only be a good thing :)

Absolutely hands down my new favourite series. This show has everything. As the series went on and you got to know the characters I really felt a sense of warmth and made me feel like I was on this journey with them. Some really touching and daring subject matters which really hit home. Acting was excellent and chemistry towards the end really touching.

I don't understand people who leave reviews after watching one episode, if you'd bother to watch until the end I can guarantee

I always thought coroners worked within the confines of a municipal building and were old and tired civic employees who could not wait for their eight (8) hour shift to end. In the case of this very young and attractive coroner named Dr. Jenny Cooper (played by Serinda Swan) she works both day and night and acts more like an investigator/counsellor than a bored coroner.

Dr. Jenny Cooper's own husband died under suspicious circumstances while she and her husband were attending their sons swim meet. Mr. Cooper did not die without hiding some secrets from Jenny which leaves her alone, broke, to raise their teenage son.

In this first episode of season one (1) Dr. Jenny Cooper establishes herself as both a good investigator, quick thinking administrator, and loving mom. She also gets head butted, slapped in the face, and also finds time to fornicate while on an impromptu first date so there is a lot packed into this pilot episode.

I would not say that this first episode was suspenseful, nor was it a really tough mystery to solve, but there was enough substance that I will want to watch a few more episodes to see how this crime/drama series unfolds.

I give this series a 7 out of 10 rating based on the pilot episode

Just saw the first episode and wow, I did not believe I could ever like anything again from CBC TV. I used the word like but I meant to say love. The premiere episode was filmed and produced very professionally with an amazing cast, both regular and supporting. It is both gritty and touching and will definitely be on my watch list for the future. Ranks up there with any of the great British crime dramas yet brings a distinctly Canadian element to things.

Watch UK "The Coroner" if you can. Fun series and enjoyable. This... Sorry.... Just a hopeful copy of a light UK original and fun series. I cut off after the first 15 minuets. It sucks, really.

Was 15 mins in and had to check my TV guide to see if this was actually CBC. Wow, they really pulled out the stops on this one. Superb character chemistry, dark humoured snappy connections and smart casting. Can't wait to see more!!!!!

Love the main character and her co-star....it kept me watching and I'm excited for the next episode. Looks like this show could be a good one.

Like all CBC Dramas, this series starts very slow but the characters need fleshing out. But we are given the sense that the lead characters are evolving and growing into their roles. Like all CBC shows, the plots and subplots intertwine. And of course, some subplots go nowhere. It's unique to CBC scriptwriters. They have gone to the same school of thought for the past 40 years. Yes, I have endured CBC Drama since Wojek (1960s CBC Series about a Toronto Coroner).

Love the dynamic between the police detective and the coroner. It seems very authentic. Also thought the final scene with her and her son were extremely compelling.

I loved Roger Cross in Dark Matter so when I heard he was in this I decided to check it out. The trailer implied this would be the quality of Silent Witness unfortunately it doesn't live up to this at all.

I agree with a previous review that the casting is good. All actors are talented and doing their best, unfortunately the writing is pretty unbelievable at times. The first few episodes it was small reactions that seemed wrong for the lead. It's almost like she has a split personality. Here is a woman intelligent enough to become a coroner and confident enough to fire someone her first week. She has the ability to read people and interact with them when the story requires it to move forward but is completely naive about people at other times, because that then moves the story along.

Still I decided not to take it too seriously and did kinda enjoy the 1st few episodes. However I may have just lost patience for this series. The end of the latest episode saw her find an unconscious girl. Despite all her medical training (pretty sure it was mentioned in an earlier episode she'd work ER before becoming a coroner) , she simply cries over her limp body, shouting for help and occasionally shaking her and stroking her face? Wth...

I'm glad I don't judge things by other people's opinions. Now IMDb is my Bible and most of user reviews are spot on...but the people giving below 5...come on..it's a solid 6.5. And that's after the first episode everyone said was so awful. If you haven't seen it...give it a chance.

But that is not the main story. This is a story about a failing ex doctor who cannot get her life together and only incidentally does it seems to be about her job. I gave up watching her disaster of a life and will not watch further episodes. Very disappointing show.

I was so astounded to see the number of poor reviews I had to put in my two cents. First of all I love the cast. I liked the chemistry from the very first episode which grew as the series progressed. I didn't find it slow, boring or a "wasted" opportunity as I read in the other reviews. I liked the character development which is important to any new series. Someone compared it to the UK coroner series and while I also liked that series I found this one more compelling. I actually couldn't wait for the next episode to air to see what was coming next. I felt it answered many questions and wrapped up nicely. I will be very disappointed if this very entertaining show isn't back for another go next year. For those that said they watched a little and gave up I would encourage you to revisit although if you have that little of patience I'm not sure you would enjoy any new show. Maybe I enjoyed it so much because I'm a huge fan of Silent Witness and like the forensic elements of the stories. Whatever the reason I'm a fan. Bravo!

I've only seen the first episode. I'm super fussy and get bored VERY easily, this kept me entertained throughout and left me wanting more. I hate so much of what is on TV and thus wasn't bad. Not cheesy, twists, surprises and kept my focus. Give it a go.

Keep watching, it gets better. I just finished ep.4 and the actors have found their tempo. This is not strictly a police procedural drama, it is more of a mystery drama. Serinda Swan gives a strong performance as Jenny Cooper, right out of the gate as the damaged widow, tough woman holding it together, single mom to a teen trying to put a mismanaged coroner's office back on track. Her character has many facets and depth. Roger Cross plays a very believable Detective McAvoy who sees Jenny a little clearer than she thinks he does. McAvoy grounds Jenny and is a good counterpoint to Swan's taut emotional portrayal at times. Ehren Kassam, as Jenny's teen son, came out of the gate a little slow, it was like the writers were not quite finished polishing his character, but after 4 episodes he seems to be hitting his marks. The rest of the cast is doing a good job fleshing out their supporting characters. The plot is multi-layered with mysterious threads woven through that give depth to the characters and keep the viewer guessing at the deeper sub-plots. It is nice that the show is not trying to be American, this is Toronto, Canada, and this is the way we do things, we have Crown Attorneys, clean streets, lots of trees and a multi-ethnic population. And it is also nice that Eric Bruneau's character is a War Veteran from Afghanistan with his own scars and mysteries...because we were there too - first!

If you're expecting this show to be exactly like every other police/crime procedural then turn back now. While there's nothing wrong with any of those, Coroner is unique and reading through the other reviews I feel that a lot of people miss that point after watching a handful of episodes. The characters are raw, vulnerable and realistic. One review highlights a moment when a character sings to relieve tension instead of asking questions that they know won't be answered. When you're feeling like hell and you're NOT OK, the last thing you want is someone asking if you're ok and it was refreshing to see that the show's writers KNEW this.

There's also a really ignorant review saying that this show is "just a copy of the UK show 'The Coroner'" - other than the women having the same profession and gender, or the show title featuring the same word that is where the similarities end. They are like chalk and cheese.