2022 is already shaping up to be the year of crime dramas aplenty – with BBC One’s Responder, ITV’s DI Ray and Trigger Point all set to hit our screens this year, our appetite for thrilling shows is satiated, that’s for certain.

Returning to our screens last night – in a more subdued but nonetheless suspenseful manner – was ITV’s The Bay. The coastal crime drama featured a brand new lead character: DS Jenn Townsend, played by Marsha Thomason (Cobra, Lost).

Taking over from Lisa Armstrong (Morven Christie), Townsend struggles to balance her family’s new house move with the pressures of her new role. 

According to the synopsis, Townsend is “immediately thrown into the deep end when a body is found in the bay on her first day in the job. She must get under the skin of a grieving and complicated family if she has any chance of solving the premature death of an aspiring young boxer. While she’s eager to give the family answers, she also needs to prove herself as the team’s newest recruit.”

Well, it seems as though the new team member was not the only welcome addition to the ITV drama, as fans were quick to take to Twitter to talk about the new series’ positive representation.

With Nadeem Islam’s character, Jamal, the deaf actor was able to bring some much-needed representation to the new series:

It’s safe to say that Jamal’s character left an impression on many viewers, especially those from the deaf community:

The depiction of The Rahman family has also been praised for its characterisation of Asian (and specifically Pakistani) families:      

As well as the overall positive representation within the first episode, fans were impressed with how strong the start of the new series is:

Viewers still think the crime drama is underrated, though: 

But if that premiere episode is anything to go by, it’ll be one of the strongest dramas of the year:

Image: ITV