John Rebus is a mess. If you've spent any time with Ian Rankin’s legendary Edinburgh detective, you already know that. He’s a man out of time, a dinosaur clutching a pint of heavy while the world turns digital and polite around him. But when people start looking for Rebus TV series episodes, they often hit a wall of confusion. Which Rebus? The craggy, weathered version played by John Hannah? The definitive, gravel-voiced Ken Stott? Or the brand new, younger, punchier Richard Rankin iteration that just dropped on Viaplay and the BBC?
It’s a lot to keep track of. Honestly, the history of Rebus on screen is almost as fractured as the detective’s own psyche.
For years, the "official" count of episodes lived in that mid-2000s sweet spot of British procedural drama. You had the four John Hannah episodes from 2000, which, if we’re being real, felt a bit like the show was trying too hard to be Taggart with a higher budget. Then came Ken Stott in 2006. Stott was Rebus. He had the physical weariness, the booze-soaked cynicism, and that specific Scottish "thrawnness" that makes the character work. Across four seasons, Stott gave us 10 episodes—though "episodes" is a loose term when some were feature-length films and others were chopped into hour-long slots.
But 2024 changed the math.
The Rebus TV Series Episodes We Just Got (and Why They’re Different)
The latest 2024 reboot, starring Richard Rankin (no relation to the author, weirdly enough), isn't just a continuation. It’s a total ground-up rebuild. Forget the retired, old-man Rebus from the recent novels. This version puts us back in a gritty, contemporary Edinburgh where John is a Sergeant, not an Inspector.
This first season consists of six episodes. They aren't standalone "case of the week" stories like the old Ken Stott era. Instead, it’s one long, sprawling narrative arc. It’s dense. It’s dark. It deals with John's brother, Michael, a veteran struggling to provide for his family, who pivots into some very dark territory. It makes for a much more serialized experience than the older Rebus TV series episodes many fans grew up watching on ITV.
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What’s fascinating is how the episodes handle the geography of Edinburgh. In the older series, you saw the postcard version—the Royal Mile, the Castle, the sweeping views from Arthur’s Seat. The 2024 episodes? They spend a lot more time in the schemes, the back alleys, and the claustrophobic interiors of police stations and cheap flats. It’s a deliberate choice by writer Gregory Burke to reflect the "Jekyll and Hyde" nature of the city that Ian Rankin always writes about.
Breaking Down the Episode Count Across the Eras
If you're trying to binge the whole thing, you have to look at it in three distinct blocks.
The first block is the Hannah era. These are essentially four TV movies: Black and Blue, The Hanging Garden, Dead Souls, and Mortal Causes. They're okay. They’re a bit "2000s television," if you know what I mean. The lighting is a bit bright, the pacing is a bit frantic.
Then you get the Stott years. This is where most fans find their footing.
- Season 1 (2006): Two episodes (The Falls, Resurrection Men). These were two hours long each. Massive, cinematic stories.
- Season 2 (2006): Four episodes (The Black Book, A Question of Blood, Strip Jack, Let It Bleed).
- Season 3 (2007): Two episodes (Resurrection Men was technically Season 1, so here we got The Names of Dead and Knots and Crosses).
- Season 4 (2007): The final two (The Naming of the Dead and Exit Music).
Wait, the math is always weird with British TV because of how they broadcasted them. Sometimes The Falls is listed as a standalone pilot. Sometimes the seasons are bundled differently on DVD. Basically, if you find 10 Ken Stott episodes, you’ve got the full set of that specific run.
The 2024 reboot is much simpler: six episodes, Season 1. Done.
Why the New Episodes Split the Fanbase
Some people hate the new Rebus. They really do. They think Richard Rankin is too young, too fit, or too "Hollywood" for the role. But if you actually sit through the 2024 Rebus TV series episodes, you’ll see he’s tapping into a different kind of anger. This isn't the weary sadness of an old man; it's the simmering rage of a man who realizes the system he serves is fundamentally broken.
The pacing of these new episodes is a shock to the system if you're used to the slow-burn 90-minute format. Modern Rebus moves fast. It’s edited with a jagged edge. One minute you're in a tense standoff in a high-rise, the next you're watching John navigate a disastrously awkward dinner with his ex-wife and her new, wealthy husband.
It’s the domestic stuff that actually makes the new episodes stand out. In the older series, Rebus’s family was often just background noise or a plot device to put someone in danger. In the 2024 run, the relationship between John and his brother Michael is the literal heartbeat of the show. It’s about class, it’s about the "broken contract" for veterans, and it’s about how easily a "good" man can slide into criminality.
The Problem with Streaming and "Missing" Episodes
If you're looking for these episodes online, it's a bit of a nightmare. The Ken Stott era pops up on BritBox or ITVX intermittently. The John Hannah ones are harder to find, often relegated to secondary streaming services or physical DVDs.
The 2024 series is currently the "hot" property, usually found on Hulu in the US or BBC iPlayer in the UK. But here’s a tip: don’t expect the same continuity. You can't really watch the Stott episodes and then jump into the Rankin ones and expect a chronological story. They are different universes. It’s like Batman. You have the 1989 version and the 2022 version. Both are valid, but they don’t live in the same house.
Mapping the Edinburgh of Rebus
You can’t talk about these episodes without talking about the city. Edinburgh is a character. Full stop.
In the Ken Stott episodes, the Oxford Bar (the "Ox") is a holy site. It’s where Rebus hides. In the new series, we still see the city’s grit, but it’s filtered through a more modern lens—the gentrification of Leith, the stark contrast between the festival-crowd glamour and the reality of the people living in the shadows of the monuments.
There’s a specific scene in the third episode of the 2024 series that perfectly captures this. It’s a long, silent shot of the Firth of Forth. It’s cold, grey, and utterly indifferent to the violence happening on its shores. That is Rebus in a nutshell.
What to Watch First?
If you're a total newcomer, honestly? Start with the 2024 reboot. It’s designed for a modern audience. It doesn't require you to know thirty years of book lore. The six episodes are tight, the stakes are personal, and the acting is top-tier.
Once you’ve finished that, go back and find the Ken Stott episode The Falls. It’s probably the best single piece of Rebus media ever produced. It captures the "Big Yin" energy of the books perfectly. The mystery is convoluted, the atmosphere is thick enough to choke on, and Stott’s performance is a masterclass in "less is more."
A Note on the "Lost" Scripts
There’s always talk in fan circles about unproduced Rebus TV series episodes. Ian Rankin has written over 20 novels, yet we only have about 20 total episodes of television across twenty-five years. That’s a massive gap. Many of the best books, like Even Dogs in the Wild or In a House of Lies, haven't been touched by TV cameras yet.
The 2024 reboot seems to be the vehicle that will finally bridge that gap. Because it’s a "reimagining," the writers can take elements from various books and weave them into this new timeline. It gives them more freedom than a straight adaptation would.
Actionable Steps for Rebus Fans
To get the most out of your viewing experience, don't just mindlessly scroll. Here is how you should actually tackle the Rebus catalog:
- Check the Platform: In the UK, the 2024 series is on BBC iPlayer. In the US, it's on Hulu/Disney+. For the classic Stott era, your best bet is BritBox or a physical DVD set—streaming rights for the older shows are notoriously flaky.
- Read "Knots and Crosses" First: If you have the time, read the first novel. It’s short. It gives you the "original" John Rebus, which makes watching the 2024 version much more interesting because you can see where they kept the DNA and where they mutated it.
- Focus on the Brother: When watching the new 2024 episodes, pay close attention to Michael Rebus (played by Brian Vernel). His arc is the mirror to John’s. Understanding Michael’s descent is the key to understanding why John is so desperate to hold onto his badge.
- Don't Skip the Stott Era: Even if you love the new, fast-paced version, the Ken Stott episodes are the "soul" of the character for many. They are slower, yes. But they have a depth of character that modern TV sometimes rushes past.
The world of Rebus is expanding. For the first time in over a decade, the detective feels relevant again. Whether you prefer the classic 90-minute mysteries or the new six-part serialized grit, the core remains the same: a man standing in the rain, trying to find some version of the truth in a city that’s very good at hiding it.