Some other reviews here have compared "The Brokenwood Mysteries" to "Midsomer Mysteries" and I agree there are similarities. Ultimately though, for a variety of reasons I find Brokenwood much more enjoyable. I've seen a lot of mystery series and read many (but not all) of the reviews here and am surprised none that I've read noted the most unique thing about Brokenwood that sets it apart from Midsomer and every other mystery series I've seen. While most other mystery series usually have one or two leading characters usually a Detective Inspector and his/her partner and a few other regular characters, such as a medical examiner, perhaps a spouse of the lead, etc., Brokenwood is the only series I've ever seen that has a whole host of recurring characters most of whom have nothing to do with Law Enforcement. Indeed, many start out as suspects in one episode and then show up in other episodes, sometimes as witnesses or suspects again in a different case, or for some other reason. The most notable is Frankie 'Frodo' Oades who is a suspect in his first appearance, then just happens to be closely involved in some others, even a suspect once or twice again. But there are lots of other. Jared, who is a suspect in the first episode, then helps Detectve Mike Shepherd start his grape growing enterprise and they become good friends. Or gay Reverend Greene, who is a suspect in two of the several episodes he appears in. Or Ray, the owner of the local watering hole, who for some unfathomable reason opens a Pizzeria, seemingly leaving his difficult sister to run the more profitable Bar. Then there's the town gossip, Mrs. Marlowe, whose information sometimes helps the detectives, sometimes leaves them perplexed. Perplexed is a good word to describe many of the detectives reactions to what they hear or see. This especially true of Fern Sutherland's Det. Sims. This just scratches the surface of the many recurring characters and suspects. Brokenwood must be very small town indeed.
For a mystery series this show is very lighthearted, but where else do the most hilarious lines come from the pathologist, in this case Russian Gina Kadinsky (played perfectly by American actress Cristina Serban Ionda) who has an unrequited crush on lead Detective Mike Shepherd. Neill Rea who plays oft married Shepherd anchors the show with a no-nonsense approach that belies the often quirkiness that surrounds him. I saw the first season on Prime's "shows to sample" last month (August 2022) and was so hooked I had to subscribe to Acorn to see the next seven seasons. I've now seen all the 36 episodes so far made (don't know iif they'll be more) and enjoyed them immensely. If you like British mysteries you/will probably love this New Zealand mystery series.
