Leo Suter Slams Sofia Barclay’s Lack of Loyalty in Fiery ‘Lynley’ Sneak Peek [Exclusive]

Things are not starting on the right foot for Leo Suter and Sofia Barclay. Tomorrow, September 4, BritBox and BBC One will premiere Lynley, their new spin on Elizabeth George‘s bestselling Inspector Lynley novels, which will cast the pair as the titular aristocratic crime solver Tommy Lynley and his maverick, working-class partner, Barbara Havers, respectively. Thanks to their vastly different backgrounds and lifestyles, they have almost nothing in common, save for a shared sense of justice that makes them an unstoppable duo. However, Collider can share an exclusive sneak peek showing that their collaboration won’t come without a bit of butting heads and working past their differences.

In the clip, Lynley is walking angrily into his shared office with Havers, furious at a report she’s given to DCI Nies (Daniel Mays) without ever consulting him. It’s clear that Lynley shares a history with the other officer, and he’s none too pleased about his partner giving case updates freely to him, even if she was just answering seemingly innocent questions. He knows that others on the force, including Nies, have it out for him because of his well-off background, so he sees it as a betrayal from Havers to give crucial details to one of his enemies. The argument gets heated when Lynley suggests he’s been loyal to Havers by “sticking by” an inspector the department detests, and she fires back about his lack of cooperation. Their bickering draws judgmental stares from their colleagues and a smirk from Nies, before everything ends with Lynley storming out and asserting that they should seek other partners.

This will be far from the only spat between the partners in Lynley, especially since they each have different philosophies of solving cases. Lynley prefers to do things by the book, while Havers is more keen to bend the rules to get her target. Yet, as the series progresses, they’ll find a sense of belonging with each other as brilliant outsiders in a department that doesn’t care for either of them. Joining them along the way is a strong supporting cast, including The Thursday Murder Club‘s Mays, alongside Niamh Walsh (The English Game), Michael Workeye (My Lady Jane), and Joshua Sher (Vera).

‘Lynley’ Revitalizes the Detective for a New Generation

Lynley is the second major small-screen adaptation of the Inspector Lynley novels, following in the footsteps of the widely beloved The Inspector Lynley Mysteries on BBC One. Running for six seasons starting in 2001, the series is a stone-cold classic mystery show that made actors Nathaniel Parker and Sharon Small synonymous with Lynley and Havers. With Prime Target creator Steve Thompson at the helm, BritBox’s new take looks to bring new on-screen life to a detective with 22 novels to his name by tackling compelling cases and serious topics through a modern lens. Collider’s Maggie Lovitt is on board for more of Suter and Barclay’s sleuths, giving the show an 8/10 in her review, calling it “a worthy successor to The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, and a perfect chaser to some of the other gritty crime series BritBox has debuted this year.”

Lynley premieres on September 4 on BritBox in the U.S. and Canada, while BBC One and BBC iPlayer will handle the release in the U.K. New episodes will follow weekly. Check out our exclusive sneak peek in the player above.