Zen is a British police procedural television series produced by Left Bank Pictures for the BBC, co-produced with WGBH Boston for its Masterpiece anthology series, Mediaset and ZDF and is based on the Aurelio Zen detective novels by Michael Dibdin about an honest cop who brings justice to modern-day Italy.
The series aired in the UK on BBC One from 2-16 January, 2011. There are three 90-minute episodes in one season.
Zen premiered in South Africa on DStv's BBC Entertainment channel on Monday 19 December 2011, at 20h00. New episodes broadcast weekly.
Synopsis
What does an honest cop do when his bosses are on the side of the lawbreakers?
Outwitting prosecutors, politicians, mobsters and run-of-the-mill kidnappers and killers, Detective Aurelio Zen brings justice to modern-day Italy, whether the authorities want it or not, on Zen, a trio of spellbinding cases based on the bestselling novels of by British crime writer Michael Dibdin.
Rufus Sewell stars as Zen, a Roman police detective hailing from Venice, where "Zen" is a local shortening of the name Zeno. Separated from his wife and living with his mother, he is too frazzled by his job to think about romance.
That is, until he meets Tania Moretti (Caterina Murino), his chief's new secretary.
Three episodes - Vendetta, Cabal and Ratking - showcase an international cast including Ed Stoppard, Ben Miles, Stanley Townsend and Greg Wise.