BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Trying to describe "Viva Blackpool" and not make it sound sort of, well, ridiculous, is difficult. It's an engrossing murder mystery full of fascinating characters who, several times in each episode, break into song. And even perform in production numbers.
And, defying logic, it works fantastically well. Really.
"It was quite a gamble," said David Tennant, one of the stars of "Blackpool," which premieres Monday at 8 p.m. and midnight on BBC-America. "It might have been rubbish. It's such a weird collection of genres and ideas."
The six-part series revolves around Donald Trump-wannabe Ripley Holden (David Morrissey), who dreams of turning the faded resort town of Blackpool into a British Las Vegas. Or at least Atlantic City. But his plans run into an unexpected roadblock when a dead man is discovered in his newly opened casino.
And when Detective Inspector Peter Carlisle (Tennant, who's also the new "Dr. Who") starts investigating, he quickly comes to the conclusion that Holden is the murderer. But proving it proves to be a problem.
Carlisle also falls for Holden's neglected wife, Natalie (Sarah Parish), further complicating things. The Holdens' teenage son, Danny (Thomas Morrison), is hiding something. And their 19-year-old daughter, Shayanne (Georgia Taylor), has fallen for a man Ripley went to school with.
All of which makes for an involving narrative. And that's before they break into song.
Actually, they're singing along with songs like "Viva Las Vegas," "These Boots Were Made for Walking," "The Gambler" and "Cupid" — a decision made after it was decided that simple lip-syncing "seemed very alienating," Parish said. "When our voices weren't there, it became more like a pop video, if you like."
It's a rather ingenious way to make a musical without having to write original songs.
"I would love to write the original music but I'm not a musician," said Peter Bowker, who originated the idea for "Blackpool" and wrote the teleplay. "And it's one way of me going through my old record collection and calling it work."
And it's not like the action suddenly stops when the music begins. "I think all the songs are relevant to the piece and they move the story along in a very interesting way that dialogue possibly couldn't have," Parish said.
"They're part of the action rather than a comment on the action," Tennant added.
Yes, it's strange. You've pretty much got to see it to believe it.
But "Viva Blackpool" is definitely worth seeing.
E-mail: pierce@desnews.com