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Rex in Rome

Editorial Review

Editorial Review

This new season of Inspector Rex, Rex in Rome, follows the exploits of a German shepherd with an uncanny knack for catching villains for various police forces around Europe.

Since the death of his former Austrian partner, Inspector Richard Moser (Tobias Moretti), Rex has been cooped up in a Viennese police kennel, occasionally outwitting his guard and escaping using some rather impressive tactics (considering he's a dog). However, in this episode Rex gets the chance to woo his next partner, Italian Chief Inspector Lorenzo Fabbri (Kaspar Capparoni), who ends up taking Rex back to Rome with him. Cue a ludicrous chase scene involving a gun-wielding murderer on a motorbike, and a water sprinkler, as Rex once again saves the day.

You'd be easily forgiven for thinking Rex in Rome was a children's show as opposed to a prime-time drama - to enjoy it, you mustn't take the show too seriously. Along with the idea that Rex can outperform the majority of trained police officers throughout continental Europe, there are many comical views of the various countries Rex visits. In this season, Fabbri plays the fashionable Italian, with his partly unbuttoned shirt, making Erika Hedl (Denise Zich) almost drop to the floor when she sees him.

If you haven't experienced this surreal program before, it may well be worthwhile finding a video of its theme song on the internet. The English vocals give a true feel for the show, and make you wonder whether its creators actually meant for it to be the light-hearted comedy it has translated to over here.

Rex in Rome premieres on SBS on Thursday, December 4, at 7:35pm.

Richard Burns, November 2008

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