The Murdoch Mysteries

I have to say that having watched and truly enjoyed 10+ TV show seasons of the newer Murdoch Mysteries with Yannick Bisson, Thomas Craig, Helene Joy, and Jonny Harris, I had extremely hard time getting through these older three movies ... Perhaps these movies are more true to the Victorian reality so they are darker and totally humorless, but I didn't warm up to any of the characters, and especially the inspector (Colm Meaney) put me off with his shouting and boorishness.

A commendable effort on behalf of the director and producers. somewhat similar to the Great Detective Series from a few decade back.

This is what we need, more quality mysteries from any period in time, made in CANADA. about CANADA.

Took me sometime to fathom out that the story was set in Toronto, and still unsure about the time frame. I suspect that the piece was set somewhere around 1900.

Which would have made it somewhat dubious that a Woman Coroner would have been there.

But who am I to knock a very good mystery.

Everybody knows that the Brit's are the tops in this area of TV, but now we have some good shows of our own, DaVinci's Inquest, Cold Squad, Blue Murder, Lets keep them coming.

Politically Correct high school stuff. Women doctors, black women coroners, women in taverns...pathetic beyond belief.

When I bought my first Murdoch Mysteries boxset years ago, these original adaptations of Maureen Jennings novels were included. Back then, I didn't know much about them, all I knew was the long running show starring Yannick Bisson as Murdoch. So when I first started watching these TV movies, I had trouble adapting to the dark and gritty style. On second viewing, however, I fell heads over heels in love. The cast is great, the characters are edgy and the cases suspenseful. So if you like the novels and a good murder mystery, do yourselves a favor and watch these films. You might even learn a thing or two about the late 1800s and Toronto the Good.

PS: As a treat to fans of today's Murdoch Mysteries, Hélène Joy played a crucial character in the last made-for-TV movie, a part that (as rumor has it) ultimately resulted in her playing Dr. Ogden in the following TV show.

Though the main characters are the same, this version is a completely different show from the newer series. I give them both a solid 9 for completely different reasons. After having seen all 3 movies with Outerbridge I was initially disappointed with the new one. After watching a few episodes I realized they were intentionally lighter and reconsidered my opinion. The movies are rather somber and the seriousness of the subject matter takes a darker turn than the newer rendition. These are quite intense and very compelling. Well done.

Addendum: The way I rate shows... I don't review anything less than a 7 because 6 would be a failing grade and I won't waste my time watching it. I'm old; I don't know how much time I've got left. Since I probably turned it off before getting even halfway through, it wouldn't be fair to rate or review it. 7 is watchable but I may go a while between episodes since, though somewhat entertaining, there are other shows more interesting or compelling. 8 would be a regular in my lineup. 9 is a must see and probably bingeable. 10 is just the epitome of superbity and headed for my all-time favorites list. I'm adding this to my reviews because it seems there are a lot of binary reactions to pretty much everything these days. I am not a like/unlike kind of guy. I see a lot of grays so if I give something a 10 it doesn't mean the only alternative is a 1.