The stories told in this series are heart-warming. I realize that isn't edgy enough or dangerous enough for some people, but when you get tired of watching bloodshed and meaningless violence, you will appreciate this show. The stories are well-written, and generally well-paced. They take you all over, in the sense that they solve mysteries and reunite people and discover secrets and do not follow a "murder of the week" sort of formula.
The main themes of the episodes are love, friendship, respect. One reviewer referred to this show as "housewifey", which is insanely patronizing, but what he probably meant is that it doesn't have any bimbos jiggling their naked boobs for the camera and isn't bloodthirsty enough for his "masculine" taste. And it's not, so if you must exist on a strict diet of sex and violence, skip this show.
The main characters are more nerdy than they are glamorous, but since when is the entire world made up of models? They rely on their brains, decency, teamwork, and perseverance to get the job done. We haven't seen characters like Rita and Norman in any show that I know of (Rita has her Sheldon Cooper moments but she is a much nicer person). I find the inevitable falling in love of Oliver and Shane to be predictable, but that's OK too; watching their story unfold is very enjoyable.
The acting is good. I enjoy the work of actors who can get across an emotion or idea with only a facial expression.
There isn't much laugh-out-loud comedy on the show. It is certainly charming and will make you smile rather than laugh. Occasionally I have small criticisms of how specific matters are done in the show. For example, I thought that when Oliver and Shane were locked in the bank vault with the young banker, it was a bit of a cop-out to have the young man take a nap to make room for the private letter-reading between Oliver and Shane. However, these things are probably just growing pains, and no doubt if given the chance, this show will mature.
