Below are the DIRK GENTLY Episode Synopses from the BBC AMERICA website.
DIRK GENTLY (Samuel Barnett)
Funny, eloquent, rude and a tiny bit presumptuous, Dirk Gently has strange psychic abilities that enable him to sense tangential connections. He’s turned these abilities into his new profession: that of a “holistic detective,” a term that reflects his belief in the fundamental interconnectedness of all things. However, his abilities have condemned him to a lonely life devoid of human connection. A man with an interesting sense of style and a brusque manner that quickly annoys, Dirk exists on the assumption that everyone around him will instantly recognize his authority… even though said authority doesn’t exist, and pretty much no one ever acknowledges it, ever.
TODD BROTZMAN (Elijah Wood)
A frustrated loser and fallen punk rock front man, Todd’s life is a dead-end. But when he stumbles into a bizarre murder scene, everything drastically changes. A random encounter with the eccentric detective, Dirk Gently, draws him into a web against his will. As Todd reluctantly joins Dirk, he quickly discovers he’s just flat out better at detecting and pretty much everything else than Dirk. He always attempts to solve matters with the fewest steps possible. But despite being a compassionate, smarter-than-average man with biting wit, Todd often finds himself at a moral crossroads. His bad habits of lying and stealing have dire consequences that he won’t be able to avoid forever. He’s not a bad person… he’s just not a good person, but he’ll get there. Maybe. Hopefully?
AMANDA BROTZMAN (Hannah Marks)
Amanda always wanted to be in a band like her brother Todd. Her spunky, smart, wild and impulsive personality defines who she is… or at least who she was. Sidelined by Pararibulitis – a hereditary disease that turns everything around her into a potentially agonizing physical hazard – she’s remained isolated, leaning on her brother for support. She’s deeply connected to her brother but a number of issues in their relationship are slowly being triggered, and Amanda will find herself drawn towards the dark forces converging on Todd’s life.
FARAH BLACK (Jade Eshete)
A neurotic, bad-ass security officer to a millionaire, Farah has brooding, nervous energy and an easy snarl that’s triggered at the slightest provocation. A tactical prodigy, Farah is a dominant figure who is also a bit odd… much more than she’s prepared to accept. She subconsciously talks to herself and if provoked, unleashes a biting deadpan sarcasm. After her boss is killed and his daughter kidnapped, Farah is determined to solve the case alongside Dirk and Todd without the help of police. She makes every attempt to keep the group safe, even if she herself isn’t so sure she’s capable of doing so.
KEN (Mpho Koaho)
A nerdy, friendly-faced tech trapped in increasingly difficult and bloody circumstances, Ken’s side job as a hacker lands him face-to-face with some odious characters, including Bart, a self-identified holistic assassin.
BARTINE “BART” CURLISH (Fiona Dourif)
Bart is a terrifying, homicidal, deranged, fearless, and nearly invincible self-identified “holistic assassin.” Like Dirk, she is a causality psychic. Bart doesn’t determine who she kills or when and how she kills them. It’s all instinctual. Drawn towards people who kill or endanger others, she feels a second nature urge to eliminate them, which she can do with very little effort. She’s rough, rude, kind of gross and an upsetting person, but there’s a complex sweetness to her. Bart is comfortable with who she is and unlike Dirk, she’s found peace with her power.
THE ROWDY 3 (Michael Eklund, Osric Chau, Viv Leacock and Zak Santiago)
The Rowdy 3 – all four of them – composed of the aloof Martin, the manic Vogel, the ever-stoic Gripps and the deranged Cross, are vampires. Not the night walking bloodsucking kind, but rather something much stranger…if that’s possible. They feed on emotion and the electrical energy of the human mind, which they extract in blasts of crackling electricity. Ex-test subjects, the Rowdy 3 have tried to make a life for themselves out in the real world, forever hunting Dirk Gently; deliberately entering his life in moments where it will cause him the most emotional terror.
GORDON RIMMER (Aaron Douglas)
Rimmer is an enigmatic loser with an impressive series of horrible secrets. A high ranking member of a cult called Men of the Machine, Rimmer is by nature, a perpetually scrambling, unreliable, egomaniacal agent of the Brotherhood’s intent. Rimmer loves giving orders and whenever possible, remind his fellow brothers of his seniority within the cult.
ESTEVEZ AND ZIMMERFIELD (Neil Brown Jr. and Richard Schiff)
Estevez and Zimmerfield are missing person’s detectives operating increasingly off book as they follow the trail of a complex and mystifying case. As bizarre events continue to converge around one person, they find themselves more and more flummoxed by the investigation.
COLONEL SCOTT RIGGINS AND SERGEANT HUGO FRIEDKIN (Miguel Sandoval and Dustin Milligan)
Beleaguered CIA head of a defunct secret bureau investigating the paranormal called Black Wing, Riggins used to be a bright-eyed West Point grad. A born optimist with a cheery demeanor, Riggins is a true believer: Aliens? Yes. Psychics? Yes. Demons? Magic? Past lives? Yes, yes and yes. He’s hoping to rebuild Black Wing but gets stuck with Friedkin, an unpredictable, wildly ambitious and dangerous moron. Though he supports Colonel Riggins in his quest to peacefully achieve his goal, his boneheaded nature may derail the Colonel’s plans altogether.