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The Best Episodes of Shetland

Every episode of Shetland ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Shetland!

Binge this in 2d 6h•Peaking at 8.2/10

Created from the novels by award winning crime writer Ann Cleeves, Shetland follows DI Jimmy Perez and his team as they investigate crime within the close knit island community. In this isolated and sometimes inhospitable

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Shetland Season 3 Episode 1 - Episode 1
    8.2/10(11 votes)

    #1 - Episode 1

    S3:E1

    When a young man disappears on the Aberdeen to Shetland ferry crossing and a small boy ends up in intensive care, DI Jimmy Perez and his team investigate, becoming convinced the two events are connected.

    Director:Thaddeus O'Sullivan
    Writer:Gaby Chiappe

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  2. Shetland Season 2 Episode 2 - Raven Black - Part 2
    8.1/10(13 votes)

    #2 - Raven Black - Part 2

    S2:E2

    Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez believes he and his team are finally closing in on the killer as they discover what 17-year-old Catherine Ross was hiding from everyone in the hours before her death.

    Director:John McKay
    Writer:Gaby Chiappe

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  3. Shetland Season 3 Episode 2 - Episode 2
    8.0/10(9 votes)

    #3 - Episode 2

    S3:E2

    DI Jimmy Perez is convinced that Michael Maguire is somehow implicated in the death of Robbie Morton. But with the investigation seemingly under threat before it's even started, he faces an uphill battle to uncover the truth behind Maguire's silence.

    Director:Thaddeus O'Sullivan
    Writer:Robert Murphy

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  4. Shetland Season 3 Episode 3 - Episode 3
    8.0/10(9 votes)

    #4 - Episode 3

    S3:E3

    The murder investigation takes Perez and Tosh to Glasgow as they try to uncover the reasons behind Maguire's brutal death and his connection to Robbie Morton. But old ghosts return to haunt Perez as his enemies try to prevent him from getting to the truth.

    Director:Thaddeus O'Sullivan
    Writers:Gaby Chiappe, Robert Murphy

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  5. Shetland Season 2 Episode 6 - Blue Lightning - Part 2
    7.9/10(10 votes)

    #5 - Blue Lightning - Part 2

    S2:E6

    Time is running out for Detective Inspector Perez as prime suspect Peter Latimer lies critically ill in hospital. Was the fire a drunken accident, or was Peter Latimer the second victim of a murderer still free on Fair Isle?

    Director:Stewart Svaasand
    Writer:Richard Davidson

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  6. Shetland Season 3 Episode 5 - Episode 5
    7.9/10(8 votes)

    #6 - Episode 5

    S3:E5

    Perez struggles to deal with what has happened to Tosh as he continues to investigate the murders of Robbie Morton and Michael Thompson, but a shocking discovery finally leads him to the identity of who Thompson was going to testify against.

    Director:Jan Matthys
    Writers:Gaby Chiappe, Robert Murphy

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    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 WORST Episodes of Shetland

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  7. Shetland Season 1 Episode 1 - Episode 1
    7.8/10(18 votes)

    #7 - Episode 1

    S1:E1

    Elderly Shetlander Mima Wilson is found murdered on the archaeological site in the grounds of her croft. Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez and his team investigate. Can Perez unravel the family feuds and secrets that emerge and restore the security of his beloved Shetland Islands?

    Director:Peter Hoar
    Writer:David Kane

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  8. Shetland Season 4 Episode 2 - Episode 2
    7.8/10(5 votes)

    #8 - Episode 2

    S4:E2

    Perez is on the trail of an attacker, Tosh investigates an oil company in the hunt for Sally's killer, and DNA testing in the Kilmuir case yields a surprising result.

    Director:Lee Haven Jones
    Writer:Louise Ironside

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  9. Shetland Season 2 Episode 1 - Raven Black - Part 1
    7.7/10(14 votes)

    #9 - Raven Black - Part 1

    S2:E1

    Old wounds are painfully reopened for the shocked residents of Ravenswick, as Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez and his team look to a past crime to solve the present day murder of a young teenage girl.

    Director:John McKay
    Writer:Gaby Chiappe

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  10. Shetland Season 2 Episode 3 - Dead Water - Part 1
    7.7/10(12 votes)

    #10 - Dead Water - Part 1

    S2:E3

    When an old acquaintance of Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez dies in a suspicious car accident on the island, he wonders whether his journalist friend had uncovered a story that cost him his life.

    Director:David Moore
    Writer:David Kane

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  11. Shetland Season 2 Episode 4 - Dead Water - Part 2
    7.7/10(12 votes)

    #11 - Dead Water - Part 2

    S2:E4

    After a second body is found brutally murdered on Shetland, Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez wonders if the two killings are connected to corporate greed and corruption on the island or to just one woman - Evie Watt.

    Director:David Moore
    Writer:David Kane

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  12. Shetland Season 2 Episode 5 - Blue Lightning - Part 1
    7.7/10(12 votes)

    #12 - Blue Lightning - Part 1

    S2:E5

    Perez returns to his childhood home after the murder of a scientist on the beautiful island of Fair Isle. Tensions run high as a storm on the mainland forces Perez to work in isolation - and compels all of the suspects to remain together under one roof.

    Director:Stewart Svaasand
    Writer:Richard Davidson

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  13. Shetland Season 1 Episode 2 - Episode 2
    7.6/10(16 votes)

    #13 - Episode 2

    S1:E2

    With two murders and no strong leads, can Detective Inspector Perez and his team apprehend the suspect before crowds descend on the Shetland Islands for Up Helly Aa, the biggest fire festival in Europe?

    Director:Peter Hoar
    Writer:David Kane

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  14. Shetland Season 3 Episode 6 - Episode 6
    7.6/10(10 votes)

    #14 - Episode 6

    S3:E6

    As the investigation reaches its final stages, Detective Inspector Perez and his team discover the person responsible for the deaths of Robbie Morton and Michael Thompson is closer to home than any of them thought.

    Director:Jan Matthys
    Writers:David Kane, Gaby Chiappe, Robert Murphy

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  15. Shetland Season 4 Episode 3 - Episode 3
    7.4/10(5 votes)

    #15 - Episode 3

    S4:E3

    Jimmy questions Donna about the shocking DNA results, Alison arrives in Norway in search of Andreas Hagan, and an unexpected twist leads Perez and Tosh into the murky world of the Norwegian far right.

    Director:Lee Haven Jones
    Writer:Paul Logue

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  16. Shetland Season 6 Episode 3 - Episode 3
    7.4/10(5 votes)

    #16 - Episode 3

    S6:E3

    The hunt is on for Sandy's attacker, before a shocking confession causes tensions to boil over and some Islanders take justice into their own hands.

    Director:Max Myers
    Writer:David Kane

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  17. Shetland Season 6 Episode 6 - Episode 6
    7.4/10(5 votes)

    #17 - Episode 6

    S6:E6

    As Perez closes in on the identity of Galbraith’s killer, he struggles with Duncan’s secret, while Donna has one more surprise in store.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Shetland Season 3 Episode 4 - Episode 4
    7.3/10(7 votes)

    #18 - Episode 4

    S3:E4

    Perez and his team are determined to track down the person who helped Michael Thompson's killer on Shetland. But the closer the team get to the truth in both Shetland and Glasgow, the more dangerous it becomes for all of them.

    Director:Jan Matthys
    Writers:Gaby Chiappe, Robert Murphy

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  19. Shetland Season 6 Episode 1 - Episode 1
    7.3/10(6 votes)

    #19 - Episode 1

    S6:E1

    When a prominent and controversial Shetlander is shot dead on their doorstep in broad daylight, Perez rushes back from his mother’s funeral to lead the investigation.

    Director:Max Myers
    Writer:David Kane

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  20. Shetland Season 4 Episode 6 - Episode 6
    7.2/10(4 votes)

    #20 - Episode 6

    S4:E6

    Season Finale - Troubled by historical DNA evidence results, Jimmy has to face the fact that Duncan may have been involved in Lizzie Kilmuir's murder, and potentially Sally McColl's as well. A shocked Duncan is brought to the station for questioning, hurt that Perez would even think him capable of murder. However, the detective knows Duncan's lying - perhaps not about the murder, but about something else significant. So when Duncan finally admits he had an affair with Donna, it's not long before a bombshell is dropped.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Shetland Season 4 Episode 1 - Episode 1
    7.0/10(7 votes)

    #21 - Episode 1

    S4:E1

    When Thomas Malone has his murder conviction overturned after 23 years behind bars, DI Perez has to reopen the investigation into the 1994 death of local teenager Lizzie Kilmuir.

    Director:Lee Haven Jones
    Writers:David Kane, Ann Cleeves

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  22. Shetland Season 5 Episode 6 - Episode 6
    6.9/10(5 votes)

    #22 - Episode 6

    S5:E6

    Perez closes in on Zezi's location at last. But can he reach her before it's too late?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. Shetland Season 5 Episode 3 - Episode 3
    6.8/10(5 votes)

    #23 - Episode 3

    S5:E3

    Sandy feels the heat in the aftermath of Calum’s suicide. Convinced that McGuire is the key to cracking the case, Perez travels to Glasgow in an attempt to track him down.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Shetland Season 6 Episode 4 - Episode 4
    6.8/10(4 votes)

    #24 - Episode 4

    S6:E4

    After the shocking events of the previous night, Perez must piece together what happened before a rampaging and vengeful Creggan finds his target.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Shetland Season 5 Episode 5 - Episode 5
    6.7/10(5 votes)

    #25 - Episode 5

    S5:E5

    The discovery of Niki’s body intensifies the search for Zezi. Perez feels that time is running out. A desperate Olivia tries to get information from Jamie Hayes.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Best Episodes Summary

"Episode 1" is the best rated episode of "Shetland". It scored 8.2/10 based on 11 votes. Directed by Thaddeus O'Sullivan and written by Gaby Chiappe, it aired on 1/15/2016. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "Raven Black - Part 2".