Unforgotten Season 6 Review: Crime Drama Falters with Flat Humor and Forced Politics
'Unforgotten Season 6' has premiered in the United States. However, it appears that this season has forgotten to bring its prior energy.
Unforgotten has been an engrossing British drama for five seasons. For a long period, it provided audiences with a unique combination of horrific cold-case crime and emotional warmth. However, it appears that, although adhering to its predictable format and delivering on time, the show failed to provide its spark. Despite its often macabre imagery, body discoveries, and forensic dissections, the show has always provided strange comfort and enjoyment, thanks to superb performances, calm pacing, and a sense that justice will eventually be served. So, what went wrong in season six? Let's find out.
Unforgotten has been an engrossing British drama for five seasons. For a long period, it provided audiences with a unique combination of horrific cold-case crime and emotional warmth. However, it appears that, although adhering to its predictable format and delivering on time, the show failed to provide its spark. Despite its often macabre imagery, body discoveries, and forensic dissections, the show has always provided strange comfort and enjoyment, thanks to superb performances, calm pacing, and a sense that justice will eventually be served. So, what went wrong in season six? Let's find out.
Season 6 of Unforgotten returns to the usual pattern, but something is missing
Unforgotten Season 6 has decided to keep with the established framework of remains being discovered and cops attempting to solve the case. This time, DCI 'Jessica James' and DI 'Sunny Khan' are handling the case. Several seemingly unrelated suspects are established early on, with the detectives' turbulent personal lives serving as a parallel plot in the series. 'Jess' fights with an unfaithful husband, whereas 'Sunny' mourns his lost loved ones over awkward single dinners. However, the dynamics between the two leads have lessened throughout the season.
Unforgotten Season 6 struggled to carry the weight of its plot
Unforgotten Season 6 opens with a slew of ambitious topics, including immigration, far-right media, cancel culture in colleges, internet radicalization, and more. While Unforgotten has never shied away from social commentary, this season runs the risk of becoming overly aggressive. Season 5 of Unforgotten brought the idea of austerity to those who were unfamiliar with it. Nonetheless, in this season, the variety of concepts threatens to eclipse the series' plot, which has always been its essence.
Unforgotten Season 6 transforms a cultural conflict into a crime drama
The variety of plots throughout the season has been problematic from the start. Subplots span from County Cork to Kent, and characters reference real-world tensions such as the 'Shamima Begum' case. While it could have been an attempt to make the show more realistic, the creators tried too many things at once. As the series delves deeper into political conversation from its polished, middle-class background, it may lose sight of its best qualities. This reduces the sense of authenticity.
More information on Unforgotten Season 6
The sixth season of Unforgotten premiered in the United States on August 24, 2025. The show will be available on PBS apps from August 24 to September 28, 2025, with new episodes added every Sunday. After the season ends, the show will be available for 14 days of streaming in the United States. Sanjeev Bhaskar will return as 'DI Sunny Khan', with Sinead Keenan as 'DCI Jess James' and Georgia Mackenzie as 'pathologist Dr. Leanne Balcombe'.
Jordan Long will appear as 'DS Murray Boulting', Carolina Main as 'DC Fran Lingley', and Pippa Nixon as 'DC Kaz Willets'. This season's new cast includes Jan Francis, Damien Moloney, Michele Dotrice, Victoria Hamilton, and MyAnna Buring, as well as emerging stars Maximilian Fairley and Elham Ehsas.