It definitely has all the hallmarks of a mystery series—intertwining investigations, corruption at the police level and higher, a dark past that vaguely reflects the central cast—but there's something about P.I. Meena that keeps it from being more than just a collection of genre markers. It neither feels urgent nor specific enough to separate itself from so many similar shows, and it often jumbles up the stories it tries to tell, leading to a fluctuating tone and hurried pacing. Tanya Maniktala makes for a charming lead, but she can't help but be overwhelmed by the show's attempts to hit the familiar beats we expect to see.

Still, Meena is a likable, watchable protagonist who thankfully doesn't fit into the stereotype of the stoic, burnt-out detective. In fact, her genuine compassion for every victim involved isn't just a welcome change to the trope, but it becomes one of her strongest assets. At a certain point these kinds of stories just ended up believing that getting personally invested in cases would make the investigator weak and emotionally compromised. So it's good to see P.I. Meena believe in the opposite, and to reiterate the importance of caring for those affected by corrupt exploitation and wanton violence.