Proving your innocence is tough … if you’re guilty

Hollywood loves to see an innocent man scramble to clear his name.
But here’s a flip side: There’s more drama in seeing a guilty man try to do the same.
That’s what happens in the compelling second season of “Bloodlands” (shown here). Its six episodes – two-per-Monday – begin streaming on Feb. 6 at www.acorn.tv.
In the first season, we suspected that Tom Brannick (James Nesbitt, shown here) had done something illegal during “The Troubles,” when the Irish Republican Army was in revolt. That was 30 years ago; now he was a cop, solving new crimes while hoping his old ones wouldn’t surface; his boss had the same desire.
They succeeded that time, but now we start again. In the first minutes, a flashback shows us Brannick’s original misdeed. After that, he’s working frantically to cover it up, three decades later.
We root for him because … well, he’s the protagonist. But we also realize this is a steep task: It’s hard enough for an innocent man to get away; it’s even harder for a guilty one.
Alongside Brannik are some great side characters. Lola Petticrew (as his daughter Izzy) sand Chris Walley (as a younger cop) are a delight, especially in scenes together.
“Bloodlands” also delivers the common prototypes for women in dramas – hard and strong (Olivia Foyle, a prime suspect, played by Victoria Smurfit) … soft and sweet (Izzy) … and both simultaneously (Brannick’s colleague Niamh, played by Charlene McKenna.)
This is a solid story that also has some flaws:
— The worst “safe house” in human history. It even has an easy-to-enter side door, right next to where the “protected” person was staying. And it was guarded by a single cop who promptly fell asleep.
— And an unlikely family link. Pettigrew and Nesbitt are both terrific, but for her to be his daughter … well, his wife must have been a leprechaun.
Those are small gripes, though. “Bloodlands” is smartly written and beautifully played; it’s also a good example of what Acorn does.
This is a small streaming service, mainly with shows from England and its former colonies.
Many have been light and fun, peaking with “Doc Martin”; a current example is “Under the Vines,” which ends its own three-week, six-hour run on Feb. 6. And some are dead-serious, peaking with the desperation of “Bloodlands.”