The show tries to be too gritty, e.g. Everyone's bed head hair, schlocky insults, and nitpicking, diminutive insults of family and friends. While some of them may be realistic, it becomes a mundane distraction that can serve to undermine the appreciable quality of the show. Also, other elements are overused, such as the chief being involved in every suspect interview, Mare taking unnecessary and almost idiotic risks, and red herrings that are cheap and unfair - but I'll spare them as they'll spoil the show.