Murdoch Mysteries | IMDB v2.1

Murdoch Mysteries Oct 3, 2019 16:26:42 GMT

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Post by amyghost on Oct 3, 2019 16:26:42 GMT

Oct 3, 2019 13:21:18 GMT OldSamVimes said:

Oct 3, 2019 12:14:31 GMT amyghost said:

I hadn't heard of this series and just looked it up on wikipedia. Sounds interesting--I'm not generally a big mystery show buff (except for stuff like Columbo and some of the various Sherlock Holmes series over the years)--but the device of introducing historical personalities into the plots could be fun if done right. I'd be up for trying out some episodes, if they can be seen in the US. Any particular episode recommendations?

(As an aside, I wonder if you've ever caught the miniseries The Murder Rooms, a fact-based UK series that was predicated on the story of Dr. Joseph Bell, Conan Doyle's real-life mentor and inspiration for Holmes? Very well done, with some of the stories based on Holmes tales; Doyle himself appears in the series, acting somewhat as Watson to Dr. Bell. If Murdoch manages the same level of interweaving of fact and fiction in an entertaining way it should be a good show.)

Hard for me to remember what the best episodes are.

There's something like 180 episodes and I've watched around 170 in the past month or so.

I'd liken it to 'Father Brown'. It's a period show too and Father Brown had about the same amount of humor in it. I don't mind some of the more serious 'murder-shows' (Mindhunter was fantastic), but I like putting a show on and knowing I'll get a couple chuckles as well as a murder mystery.

One recent episode I remember being interesting is 'Sir Sir Sir' (in the last season). It was kind of a Halloween episode and everything that happened was just for one show, when usually there are sub-plots happening in the background that cross over from episode to episode.

I've watched 2 of the 3 Christmas specials. They're self-contained shows that are movie length instead of the regular 45-50 minutes.

'Midsomer Murders' was always 90 minutes per show, a bit long at times. With the 45 minute mystery shows there's barely any filler, the plot moves along rapidly.

Edit: I will check out 'The Murder Rooms'. Thanks for the recommendation.

The Father Brown reference intrigues me. Funny you mention that particular series--our local PBS outlet began running it a couple of years ago, and at first I wasn't much impressed by it, but now I've become a regular Sunday afternoon viewer. In terms of length, I find the average 45-minute FB installment sometimes a bit too quick to flesh out the mystery successfully, but the emphasis on character with a dash of humor has come to offset any plot shortcomings.

I'm with you on Midsomer--though I find the characterizations in that one appealing as well, the pacing is sometimes too drawn out: more filler than proper mystery often enough. The writers don't seem to be as skilled as, say, the Columbo writers were in finding the delicate balance of character play and interest in the solution of the puzzle. What you say about Murdoch definitely leaves me with an interest in giving some episodes a tryout, since I've found Youtube has a batch and I can watch them on the old smart telly (ain't technology grand?). There are a couple of the longer 'holiday' episodes in the mix, and I may start out with those.

Do catch Murder Rooms if you have the chance, and we can compare notes at a later time on the two shows.