The Brits Do Texas

Texas actor Ryan Rutledge sent word out that he had a lot of fun filming the upcoming season premiere of the BBC's Wire in the Blood. And he didn't have to cross the pond to do it. The gig was right here in central Texas. Rutledge plays Det. Amare Phelps in the two-hour show, Wire in the Blood: Prayer to the Bone, which premieres Sunday night on BBC America.

The Brits were in Austin last August filming the first four episodes of Wire's fifth season, putting a lot of local film folk to work. The series stars Robson Green as criminal psychologist Dr. Tony Hill – a more sullen, less obsessive compulsive version of Adrian Monk. Hill's ticks and neuroses are more internal, his oddities occasionally revealed in non sequiturs and pop culture references. Dr. Hill comes to the Lone Star State to testify as an expert witness at the trial of an Iraq War veteran who brutally killed his wife and children (he first met the soldier in the UK). Was it a case of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or pure, cold-blooded murder?

Besides the fun of recognizing familiar Austin and Central Texas landmarks, it's amusing to see Texas through the eyes of this BBC series: It's hot. Desperately hot (what fool persuaded them to film in August?). Texas is a place where straggly-haired men drink whiskey straight from the bottle (and raise rattlesnakes). Dust and sweat and old trucks are everywhere. And everything is large, thanks to elongated shots and wonky perspectives. A shot of the State Capitol looks like it's been pulled like a piece of taffy. I know things are supposed to be big in Texas, but come on now.

While in our lovely state, Hill helps "hunt down a missing girl, ritualistic killers, a serial rapist, and a serial rapist and a killer – or killers – with a mother fixation." All at the service of those "damn good yarns" Green says are at the root of each episode.

Wire in the Blood has a small but loyal audience in the U.S., according to BBC America Press materials. They are hoping to expand that audience, and shooting in Texas is part of that plan.

"We've won awards and critical acclaim, [Wire in the Blood] is shown in 33 countries, and now we've gone to Texas!" Green exclaims in press materials. Yup. There's no place like Texas.

The fifth season of Wire in the Blood premieres Sunday, April 6 on BBC America. Check local listings for air times.