I misteri di Murdoch

'Murdoch Mysteries' stars Yannick Bisson as Inspector William Murdoch who solves crimes in 1890's Toronto, is an exceptionally well made and acted series, which makes a nice change from CSI/NCIS etc. staple of whiz-bang, FX laden crime shows

Bisson is likable as the handsome Inspector, with English Actor Thomas Craig suitably sceptical and at times dopey as his by-the-book boss and Johnny Craig is good as his rather naive partner and at times hindrance Constable Crabtree.

Helene Joy is suitably understated as the resident Doctor/Pathologist.

Now in its Third series, currently being shown on UK Cable channel ALIBI, (It surely deserves a wider audience on a Major British Channel)

The writing, set design and Photography is exquisite and convincing

Fans of well made and intelligent Mystery Series will find much enjoyment in Inspector Murdoch's cases.

Great Canadian show. Simple, yet top notch with a Canadian like atmosphere.Very realistic for the times. History is great. The clothing designs and artifacts is exceptional. It seems the times were simple back then. Well written with a touch of humour. The cast are all excellent. You can tell they all get along really well. The show reminds me of Sherlock Holmes and yet it also reminds me of Sue Thomas FB Eye and Due South which by the way it sure was nice to see Paul Gross (from Due South) appear in an episode as his brother, although not sure what episode it was. We didn't see his name on the cast list as a guest star. The guest appearances are outstanding and it sure is nice to see some familiar faces. We love and watch all the episodes. With each season the character story lines change as in the case of Helen Joy, Yannick Bisson which is excellent leaving us more curious with what will happen next. That is one of the reasons we like the show. Now that the show is in it's fourth year the plot lines are continually changing which goes to prove that Murdoch Mysteries is a true success. Keep up the excellent work.

Murdoch was a superb blend of concept, plot, wardrobe and character. I enjoyed the first thirteen seasons. The cast is strong throughout and the stories interesting and believable in the context of the show. Some of the historical figures inserted into the story have added flavour. The relationship between Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) and Ogden (Helene Joy) works remarkably well with both of them contributing to cases and providing a spine from which to hang various plots.

Last season (14) the writers began to run out of steam and this year many of the episodes are poor and pander too deeply to modern-day sensibilities. Sad to say, it is time to be put out to pasture.

There are so few shows that I thoroughly enjoy. Murchoch Mysteries is one of 4 particular shows that I watch regularly - and tape so that I do not miss them.

There are three main reasons that I like MM.

First, it is such a pleasure to watch something that does not have swearing, sex scenes, and gratuitous violence. Even though there are the odd (bordering on) romantic interludes the story line remains true to the theme of the title and they do not over-shadow the stories.

Second, I quite like viewing shows that depict times gone by and it is interesting to see how detectives'/police duties were (supposedly) undertaken in that time.

Third, the acting and story telling - as noted in a previous post - equals that of Midsummer Murders, Poirot (another favourite of mine), Judge John Deed (again, another favourite).

I like each character who has a distinct role and adds to the show as well as the enjoyment of watching the show. I do hope that there are quite a few new series planned.

This started off as a guilty pleasure for me, but now it's just a pleasure.

The foreshadowing of modern technology is as subtle as a brick, but deliberately so and that makes it OK in my book.

Yannick Bisson is an impeccable straight man, with just the right hint of humour now and then, and Thomas Craig (a Sheffield lad, like me) is brilliant. I defy anyone to find the term 'buggerlugs' used in tv or film with such panache!

Helene Joy is beautifully poised and credible and I'm surprised she's not been in more tv and film. She's excellent.

The standout though is Jonny Harris, who's brilliant in every scene. My mum and my girlfiend think so too - both of which disturb me slightly... but never mind that, his comic timing is perfect and the blend of Father Dougal, Bertie Wooster and everything else he brings to the role make Constable Crabtree a truly endearing character. The clay bust and potato room lines are laugh out loud funny (as I guess you'd expect from a stand-up comic), but I'm only up to series 4 so I hope there's plenty more to come.

City scene effects are a bit iffy, but I'm guessing budget was tight so no disrespect to the techs.

PS just read briefly down previous reviews, and the 1/10 from someone trying to be Steppenwolf but unable to write made me laugh out loud. For your edification 'steffern', I have a Masters in literature and my colleagues find me hilarious. Or if they don't, I do.