Passenger viewers praise new ITV show despite confusing detail
Viewers were excited by the unusual mixture of gritty Northern detective series with sci fi, but baffled by the time zone.
What did you miss?
Viewers were full of praise for new ITV drama Passenger, but left scratching their head as to what decade it is set in.
The show had already been billed as 'the Stranger Things of the North' and viewers definitely agreed, loving the blend of humour, gritty Northern drama and science fiction.
But as well as being blown away by the unusual show, some confessed they were somewhat baffled by the setting as they tried to work out what year the events were taking place.
What, how and why?
Loki star Wunmi Mosaku, Shameless actor David Threlfall as Jim Bracknell, The Bay's Daniel Ryan and former Hollyoaks villain Barry Sloane all star in the six part Sunday night detective series written by Broadchurch actor Andrew Buchan in his screenwriting debut.
Passenger's first episode saw series of strange events take place in a fictional Northern town, including a local teenager going missing, with her disappearance linked to a missing Swedish tourist who was visiting the area to see the mystical Tree of Good Hope.
Viewers shared their praise and enthusiasm for the show, likening it to Bafta award-winning Lancashire police drama Happy Valley and soap Coronation Street, but also Stranger Things, classic sci fi series The X Files and US series Fargo.
One wrote on social media platform X: "Enjoyed episode 1 of #Passenger bit strange kinda Happy Valley meets Stranger things with a hint of Fargo? slightly distracted by the usual trying to spot locations all looks a bit this way (ish) maybe"
Another exclaimed: "This is like Corrie on acid in the snow #Passenger"
And another said: "Loving #Passenger @itv Bending all the genres and sprinkling with a s*** ton of Northern grit. Top stuff."
One even likened it to dark comedy The League of Gentlemen, set in the fictional Yorkshire town or Royston Vasey: "Two episodes in and this feels like Fargo comes to Royston Vasey. What's not to like (unless you live there). #Passenger"
And another commented: "One episode in and I’m hooked. Happy Valley meets American Werewolf in London. #Passenger"
What else happened in Passenger?
Viewers were also on the look out for clues about what year the show was set, as the vintage 80s cars jarred with the modern smartphones.
One asked: "#Passenger was really good. Giving stranger things vibes. I’m confused about the time period tho, when’s it set? Why is the police car an old Metro?"
Another observed: "#Passenger Its Brilliant. I'm so intrigued why the iron and cars and stuff on set and the game I actually played are all 80s yet modern mobiles etc. Its bonkers I know there's going be a reason Loving it"
And another posted: "#passenger #ITV what's With all the OLD cars, like mini metro police car? What year is this set? Can't be 90s as they have mobiles? #odd"
But one shared: "It's set in 2023. When they said the guy was getting out of prison, his parole sheet said "date of arrest 2018" and he'd done 5 years. I had to pause on the sheet to read it."
Passenger continues on ITV1 at 9pm on Monday 25 March with all episodes available to stream on ITVX.
Read more: Passenger
Who's who in ITV Passenger? (Evening Standard, 9 min read)
Andrew Buchan: 'Passenger is the start of a very big journey!' (What To Watch, 3 min read)
Where was Passenger filmed? (Bolton News, 2 min read)
