Karen Pirie started on ITV with a two-hour long episode, but those tuning in have complained that the "awful" sound has made it difficult for them to enjoy the otherwise gripping drama.
The new crime drama follows the titular character who is "a young and fearless Scottish investigator with a quick mouth and tenacious desire for the truth", and the first episode presents us with a historic case that she is revisiting.
Throughout the course of the series, Karen is investigating the 1996 murder of Rosie Duff, whose case is now in the public eye and has become the subject of a provocative true-crime podcast, which has opened up some old wounds.
So Karen Pirie is topical given the recent popularity of true-crime shows, and while fans are enjoying the performances and are intrigued by the case, many have also complained that the sound is affecting their enjoyment.
With lots of information to take in, and important conversations happening, fans weren't impressed by the fact they couldn't really hear dialogue properly as they could have missed something important.
Taking to Twitter, fans have called the sound "awful" with many complaining they've had to turn the volume up, or that it sounds like people are mumbling when they speak and hope this won't continue into episode two.
Have volume turned up high on @ITV new drama #KarenPirie the sound quality is so poor!September 25, 2022
Can't tell if they're mumbling or it's just the way they recorded the sound. Weird. #KarenPirieSeptember 25, 2022
#KarenPirie Not a good start...can hardly understand a word. Sound quality is awful. @ITVSeptember 25, 2022
I hope they sort out the sound for future episodes of #KarenPirie. The dialogue gets lost in the mix. It’s good but can they maintain the story for 2 more episodes?September 25, 2022
Sound mixing on #KarenPirie is dreadful 😡September 25, 2022
However, despite the complaints about the sound design, fans seem pleased with the story itself, and especially with Lauren Lyle's performance as the lead character, with one fan calling it "sensational" and another praised the costume and cinematography alongside the performances, so it's not all bad!
WOW!!!!! That first episode of #KarenPirie was sensational. I can't wait for next week. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼September 25, 2022
I loveeeee when great story telling is accompanied with great acting, great costume, beautiful cinematography #KarenPirie was excellentSeptember 25, 2022
When Karen Pirie continues, we'll dive deeper into the investigation and start to uncover some truths about what really happened to Rosie. She had been stabbed and bled out in a graveyard, but who was actually responsible?
We've already discovered that no one knows who the father of Rosie's baby was, and also that the baby may still be alive, and has been adopted, so there's some mystery there regarding Rosie's past and family life. There is a lot still to learn about this case.
Karen Pirie continues on ITV on Sunday, October 2. Episodes are also available on demand via ITV Hub.
