Based on the best-selling Inspector Rebus novels by Sir Ian Rankin, the new adaptation premiering today on Viaplay is set in modern day Edinburgh and reimagines John Rebus (Richard Rankin) as a younger Detective Sergeant. The series explores his struggles with modern technology, personal relationships, and a violent criminal conflict involving his brother, Michael, when he steals from drug dealers to support his family. Rebus must decide whether to protect his brother or bring him to justice. A fresh new take in the high-end crime drama, Rebus examines complex issues of family dynamics, ethical dilemmas, and the shifting landscape of law enforcement. Recently having aired on the BBC, the series will now be available to binge in the US starting today.

Rankin, who fans may know as Roger Wakefield on the hit series Outlander, which premieres later this month, recently spoke with SciFi Vision about working on Rebus and playing such an iconic character.

The actor was already a fan of Gregory Burke, who adapted the novel series for television, as well as a fan of the original novels, so he knew the script would be high quality.

“You're going to have particularly well thought out, complex characters from which to draw from, and that interests me alone,” Rankin told SciFi Vision.

“This character, I thought, had the potential to be very different and very original, in spite of the fact that it's been done a couple of times before, many years ago,” added the actor. “…The fact that it still felt like it could be original and fresh and a different approach in this genre made a lot of sense to me, as to why I would want to do it. And I'm glad I did, because it was everything that I thought it was going to be.

“It's not typically a kind of a procedural crime show. It seems more of a sort of a character drama to me. The story is really in these characters, and it's in these characters' relationships with one another, and that sort of carries the drama through the season.”

Hear more from Rankin by watching the full interview below.

You can stream all six episodes of Rebus starting today on Viaplay. The Viaplay US streaming service, which specializes in the best of European and Nordic series and films, is also available as an add-on subscription on Prime Video Channels.