SS-GB is a 5 part BBC television production of the alt-history novel of the same name by prolific author Len Deighton. The premise, It is late summer 1941 and the conflict takes a hard right turn from what we know from history. The RAF loses the Battle of Britain, making a invasion of the UK a possibility, with southern England occupied by Germany. The attack on Russia has been postponed and the US is weighing its options, but not keen on entering a seemingly lost fight. As was common in occupied Western Europe the local government is coopted to help keep order and we are introduced to Detective Superintendent Archer of the Yard who is called out to investigate the seeming murder of a black marketer in a squalled part of London. As the clues unfold conspiracies emerge between the SS and German army, resistance fighters and other interested parties involving the remnants of the Royal Family and Atomic secrets. Not as epic as Man in a High Castle, it is very high in atmosphere depicting a occupied England with uncompromising zealots, conflicted hero's, turncoats and hissable villain's. Generally well acted by a Anglo=German cast with decent production values and very limited CGI. Some might find it somewhat slow moving, but it is presented in the style of a English murder mystery which takes it time to lay multiple motives and red herrings for all the players. Those who hang in there I think will be rewarded by the effort. The ending diverges from the book and sets up a possible follow on series, but as there is no source material to work from so a new season of SS-GB is very much up in the air.
I liked the book. I recall hearing about this show and thought "no thanks." As we all know, the book is always better.
It has been a great number of years since I read the original, but also enjoyed it at the time. If they had tried to condense it into a two hour film I am sure it would have failed, but at 5 hours total the story does have time to breath. Not perfect, but about as good a adaptation we are likely to get.
