Tin Star Cast Guide: Story, Filming, Reviews (2025)

Few TV shows ask one actor to play both the hero and the villain in the same story, but Tin Star does exactly that. Tim Roth’s dual performance as police chief Jim Worth and his drunken alter‑ego Jack Devlin drives the tension of this British‑Canadian crime drama, which ran for 25 episodes across three seasons from 2017 to 2020.

Premiere date: September 2017  ·  Number of seasons: 3  ·  Episodes total: 25  ·  Lead actor: Tim Roth  ·  Filming location: Alberta and British Columbia, Canada

Six key specs define Tin Star’s production identity: network, cast, episode count, and more.

The implication: This is a compact, high‑concept series – not a sprawling franchise. Its limited run makes every episode count.

Is Tin Star worth watching?

Critical reception

Season 1 holds a 70% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, with praise for Roth’s performance but some criticism of pacing (Rotten Tomatoes (season 1)). Season 2 improved to 83%, and Season 3 achieved a perfect 100% – though only a handful of reviews were counted (Rotten Tomatoes (season 3)). Metacritic aggregated ratings hover around 60–70, indicating “mixed or average” reviews overall.

Audience reviews

Viewer scores on IMDb average 7.4/10 from about 15,000 ratings (IMDb (user ratings)). Fans often highlight the stunning Canadian cinematography and Roth’s dual‑role acting, while detractors point to slow plot development and uneven writing in the middle episodes.

Ratings overview

• Season 1: Rotten Tomatoes 70% (critics), 72% (audience)
• Season 2: Rotten Tomatoes 83% (critics), 77% (audience)
• Season 3: Rotten Tomatoes 100% (critics, low sample), 82% (audience)
• IMDb overall: 7.4/10

The pattern: Critical scores climbed as the series found its groove, but audience ratings stayed consistent – a sign that the show’s dark, character‑driven style appeals to a dedicated niche rather than a mass audience.

What is the story behind Tin Star?

Premise and setting

James “Jim” Worth is a former Metropolitan Police detective who, after a traumatic undercover operation, relocates his family to the small Canadian town of Little Big Bear in the Rocky Mountains to start fresh as the local police chief. The idyllic setting is shattered when a giant oil company (North Stream Oil) moves in, bringing violence, corruption, and secrets from Jim’s past. The show is set in the fictional town of Little Big Bear, shot in real locations around Canmore and Calgary in Alberta, plus parts of British Columbia (Wikipedia (production details)).

Main plot arcs

• Season 1: The Worth family arrives in Little Big Bear. Jim confronts a violent gang backed by North Stream Oil. His alcohol‑fueled alter ego Jack Devlin begins to surface.
• Season 2: A year later, the family has been fractured. Jim’s daughter Anna disappears, and the search uncovers a human trafficking ring. Jack Devlin becomes more dominant.
• Season 3: Set seven years after Season 2, the Worth family is reunited under a new threat. The story shifts to Liverpool, England, where Anna is now a police officer and Jim faces his final confrontation.

Themes and tone

Tin Star explores moral compromise, the double life of an undercover operative, family loyalty under extreme pressure, and the price of violence. It’s a slow‑burn thriller with moments of visceral brutality, often compared to Hell or High Water and Fargo for its blend of noir and western tropes.

Why this matters: The series uses its isolated mountain setting as a pressure cooker – every character’s past inevitably catches up with them, making the “worth” in the title an ironic question for the protagonist.

Who is in the cast of Tin Star?

Tim Roth as Jim Worth and Jack Devlin

Tim Roth plays the dual roles of Jim Worth, the morally conflicted police chief, and Jack Devlin, his violent, booze‑fueled alter ego. The two characters are separate personalities that emerge when Jim drinks – Roth distinguishes them with posture, accent, and mannerisms (Wikipedia (character descriptions)).

Genevieve O’Reilly as Angela Worth

Angela is Jim’s wife, a former nurse who becomes a key support and, later, an active participant in the family’s survival. O’Reilly, known for Rogue One, brings a quiet resilience to the role.

Abigail Lawrie as Anna Worth

Anna is Jim and Angela’s daughter. In Season 1 she’s a rebellious teenager; by Season 3 she has become a police officer herself. Lawrie’s performance anchors the family dynamic.

Oliver Coopersmith as Jack Devlin (young)

In flashbacks, Coopersmith portrays the young Jack, offering glimpses of his past relationship with Frank Keane. This version appears primarily in Season 2.

Christina Hendricks as Elizabeth Bradshaw

Elizabeth is the polished but ruthless Vice President of North Stream Oil. Hendricks, famous for Mad Men, appears in Seasons 1 and 2 as a corporate antagonist.

Ian Hart as Tom Holland

Hart plays a local pharmacist who becomes entangled in the town’s drug trade. His character provides a moral counterpoint to the corporate villains.

Supporting characters

• Sarah Podemski as Denise Minahik, a First Nations police officer who rises to chief.
• Ian Puleston‑Davies as Frank Keane, a criminal from Jim’s past.
• Olunike Adeliyi as Constable Tanya Brooks (Season 3).

The pattern: The cast is lean – fewer than a dozen major roles – which allows each character to be fully developed. Roth’s double performance is the gravitational center; every other actor orbits around him.

Where was Tin Star filmed?

Main filming locations in Canada

The series was shot primarily in Alberta and British Columbia. The fictional town of Little Big Bear was built around Canmore, a real mountain town west of Calgary (Wikipedia (filming locations)).

Specific towns and landscapes

• Canmore, Alberta – serves as the backdrop for most outdoor scenes.
• Calgary, Alberta – used for interior industrial and urban shots.
• Vancouver, British Columbia – studio and some city‑scene filming.

Studio locations

Interior scenes were filmed at studios in Calgary and Vancouver. The production made extensive use of the Rocky Mountain landscape to create a sense of isolation.

The implication: Filming in Canada’s rugged national parks gave the show a cinematic visual identity that sets it apart from other British crime dramas – the landscape itself becomes a character.

Are Jack and Jim the same person in Tin Star?

Explanation of Tim Roth’s dual role

Jack Devlin is not a separate physical person but a dissociated personality that emerges when Jim is intoxicated. Jim’s backstory as an undercover officer who committed brutal acts created a traumatic split – Jack is the embodiment of that violence. Roth plays both as distinct characters, with Jim speaking in a measured English accent and Jack adopting a rougher, more aggressive Liverpool‑tinged dialect (Wikipedia (character development)).

Character differences

• Jim Worth: Controlled, moral, protective of his family, haunted by his past.
• Jack Devlin: Impulsive, cruel, manipulative, and ruthless. He emerges when Jim’s defenses are down.

Plot significance

The tension between Jim and Jack is the engine of the story. Nearly every major plot point – the decision to leave Liverpool, the escalation of violence, the fractured family relationships – stems from Jim’s inability to control his alter ego. The final season resolves this by forcing Jim to fully accept or reject Jack.

The catch: Without Roth’s dual performance, the show would lose its central metaphor – the impossibility of outrunning your past. The duality is both a narrative device and a character study.

Pros / Cons of watching Tin Star

The implication: The show’s strengths and weaknesses are clearly defined, making the decision to watch largely a matter of personal taste.

Tin Star timeline

• 2017: Season 1 premieres on Sky Atlantic (Wikipedia)
• 2018: Season 2 announced; filming begins in Alberta (Wikipedia)
• 2019: Season 2 airs (10 episodes) (Wikipedia)
• 2020: Season 3 (final season, 6 episodes) airs (Wikipedia)

Confirmed facts vs. what’s unclear

Confirmed facts

• Tim Roth plays both Jim Worth and Jack Devlin (Wikipedia)
• Series ran for 25 episodes across 3 seasons (IMDb)
• Filmed in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada (Wikipedia)
• Premiere date: 7 September 2017 (Wikipedia)
• Show concluded in 2020 (Rotten Tomatoes)

What’s unclear

• The exact meaning of “Liverpool” in the show’s title or context – not officially clarified; fan theories suggest it refers to Jim’s origin or the alter‑ego’s voice
• Whether any spin‑off or continuation is in development – no official statement

For a series built on mystery and moral ambiguity, the lack of clear answers about certain narrative elements may actually be part of its appeal – but it also frustrates viewers seeking closure.

Frequently asked questions

For fans of taut, character‑driven thrillers, Tin Star delivers a satisfying three‑season arc anchored by one of Tim Roth’s finest performances. But the slow pacing and unresolved ambiguity mean it’s not for everyone. The choice for the average streaming viewer is clear: if you can tolerate a little narrative fog in exchange for breathtaking scenery and a riveting dual role, hit play. Otherwise, look elsewhere for a more straightforward crime fix.