2017– · Based on 6 seasons through December 24, 2024 ·
Cormoran Strike is a former army investigator who lost part of his leg in Afghanistan. He runs a small London detective office and works with Robin Ellacott, first as his assistant and later as his business partner. Each story sends them through old files, family secrets, and guarded witnesses to solve a murder or disappearance. The cases take them into fashion, publishing, politics, and online fandom as their slow romance grows alongside their work. The fifth story includes Anna and Kim, a married couple who hire the detectives to search for Anna's missing mother. Robin's marriage to Matthew breaks down partly because he objects to her detective work, and she keeps building her career after their divorce. The latest story follows cartoon creator Edie Ledwell, who asks for help after online harassment and is later murdered. Strike and Robin investigate a fan game, online accusations, misogynist abuse, and a far-right group while their partnership faces more personal tension.
Community feedback
Was our 48% Woke rating accurate?
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Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Strike.
Woke representation / casting
Anna Phipps appears with her partner, Kim Sullivan, in Troubled Blood. The two women hire Strike and Robin to look into Anna's mother's disappearance. Their relationship is shown as part of the clients' lives.
18%
Woke political dialogue
Not present. The dialogue stays on the cases and the detectives' private relationships.
0%
Identity-driven story themes
Edie Ledwell's online harassment drives all four episodes of the latest case. Robin and Strike follow abuse around a fan game and a far-right group tied to threats and killings. The story connects misogynist online attacks to real danger for women. A character also mocks the rush to label Edie a bigot and demand proof of being a good ally.
37%
Western institutional / cultural critique
Robin keeps building her detective career while Matthew objects to her work. The story ends their marriage and shows Robin gaining more control over her work and life. In Troubled Blood, screenwriter Tom Edge frames Margot's case around daily misogyny toward a woman doctor. The story connects Robin's working life with the earlier sexist treatment of Margot.
30%
Woke character or canon changes
Not present in this title.
0%
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Telegraph critic Anita Singh said the latest season's political focus on far-right, incel, and misogynist villains became tiring. One Rotten Tomatoes viewer called season five's lesbian couple and a male harasser “woke stickers.” The complaints appeared in a national newspaper review and an audience review.
60%
Creator track record context
Ben Richards has rejected preachy political drama and said he prefers balanced debate. The stored scores rate Richards at 16, Rowling at 38, and Edge at 46, while the other listed directors and producers range from 16 to 46. Ruth Kenley-Letts has supported showing London's diversity and hiring diverse casts and crews.
35%
Production
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