Dirk Gently (TV series)

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Dirk Gently is a BBC TV series inspired by the Dirk Gently books written by Douglas Adams, adapted for television by Howard Overman. It stars Stephen Mangan as Dirk Gently, an eccentric detective who operates according to a holistic principle he calls 'the fundamental interconnectedness of all things' -- namely, that since everything is somehow linked together, then anything he does will bring him closer towards solving the mystery, meaning he can theoretically do anything and solve the case -- and get paid for it.

To most people, this just seems like confidence trickery designed to enable him to bugger around at the client's expense -- but he has a strange habit of being proven right...

The first book was adapted for a television pilot in 2010; a full series of three episodes (notable as BBC 4's first ever continuing drama series) aired in March 2012. In May 2012, it was announced that the series was not being recommissioned.

Tropes used in Dirk Gently include:

• Adaptational Attractiveness: Dirk, who is described most unflatteringly in the books... as is his appearance.
• The Alleged Car
• Arc Words / Catch Phrase: "Embrace the chaos", "Follow the web of interconnected events".
• Artistic License Geography: The island Dirk is showing having escaped to in the conclusion is actually Hispaniola. Barbados is about a thousand miles further East in the Lesser Antilles.
• British Brevity: The series to date comprises a pilot aired at the end of 2010 followed by three episodes in early 2012.
• Cassandra Truth: Oliver Reynolds in the first episode of the series, Dr Ransome in the second.
• Chekhov's Armoury
• Cow Tools: Dirk's office is full of them. It's just the way he is.
• Freeze-Frame Bonus / Mythology Gag: At one point on Dirk's whiteboard/wall there are numerous references to the first Dirk Gently novel.
• Genre Savvy: In the third episode, Dirk's figured out his cases are generally never solved without lots of seemingly-random plot-threads coming together. It leads him to keep looking for the murderer even when the obvious killer's been arrested (and he's right, too.)
• Let Off by the Detective: Max/Jane.
• Metaphorgotten: In the third episode, this dialogue:

Suspect: Are you sayin something's fishy, Mr. Gently? Dirk: Are you saying, there's nothing to catch? in this river? Suspect: I'm sayin, your waders have got an hole in 'em. Dirk: W..Well, I'm very adept with...a puncture repair kit. Suspect:...what?

• Mexico Called. They Want Texas Back.: Inverted at the end of the first episode of the series.
• Neural Implanting: Used by Max to Become a Real Girl.
• Overtook the Series: Considering the series is only two books and a fragment, this was inevitable.
• Pragmatic Adaptation: The pilot, adapting Dirk Gentlys Holistic Detective Agency, removes all of the Shada elements and tells a much simpler story without losing the spirit of the source material. With it being only one hour long, something was always going to have to go.
• Replacement Goldfish: Professor Jericho, following the death of his daughter Elaine, builds a child-like robot called Elaine. Subverted, because that's not what's going on at all. The real Elaine is still alive, just brain dead, and Jericho is so unattached to the copy he plans to sell it to China.
• Sherlock Scan: Dirk does this often while explaining his conclusions to Richard.
• Sibling Switch Squick: In the book, Gordon and Susan are siblings - in the TV adaptation, Gordon is Susan's ex.
• Sinister Surveillance: Oliver Reynolds is convinced he's being watched by the Pentagon. Even before the opening titles roll, we see that he's right.
• The Teaser: The opening titles don't appear until eight to nine minutes in. Particularly unusual considering that BBC shows tend not to use teasers at all.
• Throwaway Country: Mexico at the end of the first episode.