Murdoch Mysteries

In this mannerly and often lighthearted series, Detective William Murdoch uses newfangled scientific techniques to track down criminals in turn-of-the-twentieth-century Canada. His fellow good guys include a two-fisted police inspector, a constable with a taste for the supernatural, and a bluestocking medical examiner who is Murdoch’s ongoing love interest.

 

One of the delights of this show is how frequently real historical figures are brought into Murdoch’s world - Nikolai Tesla, Henry Ford, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Emma Goldman are only a few examples.  It’s great fun to play nitpicker and compare what you already know about the characters with how they’re portrayed on the show.  For example, the actor who plays a young Winston Churchill has the future prime minister’s speech patterns and pugnacious mannerisms down pat; however, he’s nearly a foot taller than the real (5'6") Churchill and he towers over Murdoch and his companions.  And when Thomas Edison crops up on the program, he seems to suffer from no hearing impairment while the real Edison was nearly deaf for most of his adult life.

 

But this isn’t just for history nerds (who might object to the series’ rich but rather sanitized production design).  Convoluted plot twists, subtle humor, and relatable characters make good viewing for those who like their murder mysteries on the cozy side. Fans of Agatha Christie, Father Brown, or the 1960s steampunk-Western series Wild, Wild West would find Murdoch Mysteries worthy of a look.