Iain Glen is mostly known as the fiercely loyal Jorah Mormont, but before he was protecting the Mother of Dragons, he was wandering the rain-slicked streets of Galway in a battered blue overcoat.
Honestly, the Jack Taylor TV series shouldn't have worked as well as it did. On paper, it’s a pile of clichés. You’ve got the ex-cop with a drinking problem. The "maverick" who can't follow rules. The dark past. But there is something about the way Glen wears that character—like a suit that’s two sizes too small and smells of stale Jameson—that makes it feel more authentic than almost any other detective drama on your watchlist.
The show isn't just about solving murders. It’s a love letter to a version of Ireland that isn't on the postcards.
The Galway Noir That Defies the Genre
Most people think of Ireland and see rolling green hills. Jack Taylor gives you the back alleys of Galway, the grey Atlantic spray, and the inside of a pub called The Crane. This isn't a "whodunnit" where a brilliant mind solves a puzzle in a clean room. Jack is a "finder." He's an ex-Guard who got kicked off the force for punching a government minister.
That’s the hook.
He isn't a genius. Often, he’s barely holding it together. The show is based on the novels by Ken Bruen, and while the TV version softens Jack's edges—Bruen’s books are legendary for being incredibly bleak—it keeps the soul of the character. He is a man who reads voraciously but drinks even harder. He's smart, yet he makes the same self-destructive mistakes every single episode.
You find yourself rooting for him not because he's a hero, but because he's a human disaster with a functioning moral compass.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Cast
There is a massive divide among fans about the later episodes. In the beginning, the chemistry was perfect. You had Jack, his young "sidekick" Cody Farraher (played by a pre-fame Killian Scott), and Garda Kate Noonan (Nora-Jane Noone).
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This trio was the heart of the show.
Then, things changed. In the third series, the show underwent a bit of a "soft reboot." Cody was gone. Nora-Jane Noone was replaced by Siobhán O'Kelly. For a lot of purists, this was the moment the show lost its way.
- The Original Kate: Nora-Jane Noone brought a specific tension to the role.
- The Cody Factor: Killian Scott's Cody provided the light to Jack's darkness.
- The Transition: The shift in Series 3 felt jarring to long-time viewers because the emotional stakes had to be rebuilt from scratch.
It’s a classic TV production trap. Sometimes when you change the ingredients, the stew just tastes different. If you're starting the series now, be prepared for that shift around the seventh film, Cross.
Why the "Blue Coat" Matters
It sounds silly to talk about a piece of clothing, but Jack's overcoat is practically a character itself. It’s an old Garda greatcoat. He’s an ex-cop who still wears the uniform of the organization that fired him.
That’s basically the whole show in a nutshell.
He can't let go of the identity of being a "Guard," even though he hates the bureaucracy of it. He’s an outsider who desperately wants to belong, yet he pushes away everyone who tries to help him. The coat symbolizes that weight. It’s heavy, it’s outdated, and it’s distinct.
Real-Life Galway vs. The Screen
If you visit Galway today, you can actually walk the path Jack takes. The show used iconic spots like:
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- The Spanish Arch: Often the backdrop for Jack’s brooding walks.
- Eyre Square: The central hub where many of the street scenes were filmed.
- The Crane Bar: Jack’s "office."
Funny enough, Ken Bruen once said in an interview that you can wander all over Galway in perfect safety, despite his books making it look like the murder capital of the world. The show paints the city in shadows, but it’s actually a vibrant, musical place. The contrast between the real-world beauty of the West of Ireland and the "Celtic Noir" grit of the show is part of the magic.
Differences Between the Books and the Show
If you’ve read the Ken Bruen novels, the TV series might feel a bit... polite. In the books, Jack Taylor is a much darker soul. He does drugs. He is significantly more violent.
The TV production, which was a collaboration between Irish, German, and British studios, had to make him "likable" enough for a broad audience. They kept the literacy—the fact that Jack is always quoting poetry or referencing obscure hardboiled novels—but they dialed back the nihilism.
Is it a betrayal of the source material? Not really. It’s just a different medium. Iain Glen’s performance bridges the gap. He brings a weariness that makes you believe in the character's pain, even if the script is a bit more "televisual" than the prose.
Where to Find Jack Taylor Now
In 2026, the series remains a cult favorite. It pops up on streaming services like Acorn TV or Amazon Prime periodically. Because the show consists of 90-minute TV movies rather than traditional 42-minute episodes, it feels more like a collection of films.
There are nine movies in total:
- The Guards (2010)
- The Pikemen (2011)
- The Magdalen Martyrs (2011)
- The Dramatist (2013)
- Priest (2013)
- Shot Down (2013)
- Cross (2016)
- Headstone (2016)
- Purgatory (2016)
The gap between 2013 and 2016 was long, and that’s when the cast changes happened. Some fans stop after Shot Down, but Headstone is actually one of Glen's best performances in the entire run.
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Actionable Insights for Your Watchlist
If you're jumping into this world, don't binge it. These aren't episodes; they're heavy, atmospheric films.
Start with The Guards. It’s the perfect introduction. If you aren't hooked by the time Jack explains why he's no longer a cop, the series isn't for you.
Pay attention to the books. If you find yourself loving the character, go read Ken Bruen. It will give you a much deeper understanding of why Jack is so broken.
Watch for the cameos. Ken Bruen himself makes a few appearances.
Ultimately, Jack Taylor works because it doesn't try to be CSI or Law & Order. It’s a character study masquerading as a detective show. It’s about a man who lost his job, his family, and his sobriety, but never lost his sense of justice.
To get the most out of the experience, watch the first three films—The Guards, The Pikemen, and The Magdalen Martyrs—as a trilogy. This covers the "Cody era" and represents the peak of the show's emotional arc. If you enjoy the atmosphere, move into the later films, but treat the Series 3 reboot as a separate chapter with a different energy.