Darby and Joan

Darby And Joan is a heartwarming series with two likeable and intelligent leads doing some amateur sleuthing while trying to solve the mystery surrounding Joan's husband who was found dead in Australia when he was ostensibly in Spain. Joan is English, a nurse and, while there a few "fish out of water" tropes these are few and she's no fool. Jack Darby is the laconic, emotionally stunted Aussie bloke, but there is more to him than that. He just doesn't want to overshare. Some great cameos from familiar Aussie actors and fantastic scenery to boot. If you want some light viewing with an overarching engaging narrative I can highly recommend this series. I hope there is a season 2.

This show is a breath of fresh air, filled to the brim with treasured Aussie actors and actresses. I really enjoyed Brian Brown and Greta Scachi's chemistry. It is an easy and entertaining watch, with stunning scenery. Highly recommend.

This show doesn't take it's self too, serious which makes it a delight to watch. There is no wokeness in your face, no political statements, either just two average relatable people on a mission. Joan looks like your average middle age female with Darby portrayed as a kind older male. Joan comes to Australia to find answers to her husbands death when he was supposed to be in Spain. Darby is an ex policeman who was forced to retire, and the two literally collide and decide to work together to find the answers of Joan's husband's death. As the two travel around the country they have some great adventures. The scenery is beautiful. It's nice to see a series with older actors having a good time. No darkness and gruesome deaths just light mysteries. Kind of reminds me of "Murder She Wrote" with the same presentation of the crimes. I've watched 4 episodes and am enjoying it.

I happened upon this show on my Acorn subscription. I wasn't expecting anything, because I had never heard of any of the actors, however, it caught my interest and I have been enjoying it very much. I think the key is that it is an easy show to watch. There is the main mystery unravelling around Joan's husband which is an ongoing plot point. And then there are small mysteries in each episode that get concluded by the end of the episode while simultaneously revealing more information about Joan's husband. The writing is good. The characters, although sometimes unusual, seem real and interesting. The drama doesn't become annoying by watching the characters self sabotage themselves at every turn like most of the soap opera'ish series I've seen. The scenery is awesome, although some of the dangerous species in Australia are concerning. ;-).

Anyone looking for the extreme detail and meticulous clue gathering of a CSI show will be disappointed. Most of the plots are rather simple and solved with minimal sleuthing, but that is part of the shows charm. Even the dangerous encounters won't get you too far onto edge of your seat as the criminals give up the goods rather easily, so the show is light hearted in that regard.

Anyway, I'm enjoying it and would like to see another few seasons.

The pace of this series is amazing - there's plenty of intrigue to keep you watching but the beautiful scenery calms things down again. I prefer mysteries like this ie without (much) death but there aren't many around - the main other being 'Signed, Sealed, Delivered' (AKA kLost Letter Mysteries'). My only gripe with D&J is that for much of the season, there's a 'straight marriage is crap but gay marriage's always perfect' vibe, which is obv v unrealistic. I hope they go ahead with S2 as set up in the S1 finale - TV needs more cross-generational shows, especially where the older characters take the lead.