BELFAST-based TV drama The Fall has received a mixed reception from critics for the opening episode of its third series.
Starring Jamie Dornan and Gillian Anderson, the show premiered on RTÉ One on Sunday night and will begin its run on BBC Two on Thursday.
While some critics praised the series opener for its tense scenes, others said the crime thriller's much-maligned slow pace has moved from 'snail' to 'glacier'.
"A great opening, not for the faint-hearted, but hopefully setting the scene for a riveting endgame," said The Irish Times' reviewer.
Entertainment website The List said the second series felt "overlong and baggy" in places, but that writer Allan Cubitt "has found more to explore".
"Perhaps six episodes is stretching it too far, but Anderson's magnificent, controlled performance is worth tuning in for again and again," it said.
The Irish Independent's review said it probably would have been better if the show had ended after the "mostly gripping" first season.
It said the pace of the drama has been adjusted "by turning the speed knob from 'snail' to 'glacier'".
"Between the spurts of sparse dialogue, dragged-out shots of dimly-lit rooms and corridors (a regrettable legacy of Scandi noir), and long periods of staring into space, there was enough padding here to insulate an attic," it said.
Meanwhile, the BBC has responded to questions over its trailers for The Fall advertising the show as being "only on BBC Two", despite episodes airing several days earlier on RTÉ.
BBC adverts including those broadcast in Northern Ireland have a voiceover that says, "The Fall returns, only on BBC Two."
RTÉ's airing of the show is mostly only available to viewers in the Republic, with broadcasts 'geoblocked' north of the border.
However, many northern viewers reported being able to watch Sunday night's premier on RTÉ through Saorview and other services.
The Fall is a BBC Northern Ireland drama production in association with RTÉ.
A BBC spokeswoman said: "The trail is intended for UK territories. There is unavoidable spill over into other areas outside of the UK.
She added: "The Fall is a BBC Two drama commission but it was agreed that RTÉ broadcast the programme ahead of the BBC on the condition that RTÉ geoblock in Northern Ireland, as with the last series."
