Unforgotten fans were left scratching their heads just minutes into the much-anticipated return of the series. The sixth season of ITV's gripping crime drama hit screens on Sunday night (February 9), with stars Sinead Keenan and Sanjeev Bhaskar reprising their roles as DCI Jess James and DI Sunny Khan. This brand-new season sees the dynamic duo diving into a chilling case as human bones are uncovered at Whitney Marsh. This discovery plunges the detectives into a challenging investigation to trace a suspect, armed only with the fragmented pieces of evidence they have.
But while viewers took to X, formerly Twitter, to express their eagerness for the latest slice of drama, there was a chorus of complaints over the complex web of storylines unfolding. One viewer joked: "Do we have to take an exam at the end of this episode to prove we can follow the plot," reports the Express. Another chimed in with their own critique, lamenting the abundance of narrative threads: "How many sub-plots and backstories are going on in the first episode of #Unforgotten? ".
This disgruntled fan went on to suggest that the show was trying too hard to emulate Line Of Duty by adding, "*Unnecessary* it's never going to be #LineOfDuty tbh. It would be OK/better without it.". A third person was left scratching their head, sharing: "There are too many characters in this #unforgotten too confusing.". However, another fan came to the show's defence, urging the confused watcher to "keep watching" promising that the characters will "have something/someone in common" as the plot thickens.
Another telly enthusiast shared a more upbeat take, praising the show, saying: "Good first episode, Will be interesting to see how the different plots will thread together. #Unforgotten.". While the murder mystery took centre stage in the opening episode, it also teased viewers with a variety of storylines touching on deep social issues. Meanwhile, some fans couldn't help but feel the void left by a much-loved character, with tweets like: "Watching the new series of #Unforgotten I really miss Nicola Walker but so far enjoying this series.".
This season sees Sinead Keenan continue her role as the lead detective, a baton passed on from Nicola Walker, who fans fondly remember as DCI Cassie Stuart. Cassie Stuart's journey ended dramatically in the fourth season following a heart-wrenching car crash. Despite the shock of her departure, Nicola Walker later disclosed that the show's creator Chris Lang had envisioned Cassie's exit right from the show's inception.
Chatting with Radio Times, the actress revealed: "From the very beginning, we talked about Cassie's story being finite; Chris was always putting her through a story arc that would damage her emotionally. The buzzword was that she was an empath, and the problem with being an empath is that eventually, you break. "I felt that to have her keep coming back would make her seem like a superhero. So it was very much a joint and long-planned decision.".
