Murder in Suburbia

In today's age of politicized and weaponized everything, this series is both a breath of fresh air and a throwback to a simpler time. The two leads are sophisticated yet personable and relatable, and not in an aggressive, "gonna run the world" sort of way. The plots involve upper-middle-class folks where dark passions lurk and still waters run deep. The dialog and the characters' psychology are witty, well written, and believable. And unlike most crime shows, the way the mystery unfolds is quite easy to follow, partly thanks to the episodes' compact format and length. This is a lighthearted whodunit that isn't out to confuse and outsmart you.

DI Ashurst and DS Scribbins, a.k.a. Ash and Scribbs, are pals and detectives in the northern community of Middleford. Each episode is about 50 mins long, and it's totally bingeable. The women have terrific chemistry and are very funny. They're also both very single, and a LOT of time is spent talking about men, dating, ragging on the guys they're dating, wondering why they can't find anyone to date. To complicate matters, they both have huge crushes on their boss, the admittedly dishy DCI Sullivan, but are smart enough to not risk THAT HR complication. I slightly preferred more episodes in S2 than S1, but it's a decently amusing watch if you don't get tired out by all the single ladies talk.

This is a fun series. It bears little resemblance to either real-life murder investigations, or life in modern English suburbia, but it's very entertaining. You should know that, if you're ever murdered on a visit to England, your death will NOT be investigated by a 2 person team of glamorous models. Compared to the USA they don't have many murders in England. When they do, they put a large team on the case, led by senior police officers.

This series follows the American "partner" model, but is otherwise very British, especially in the low key humor. You won't actually care WHO "dunnit", but you will enjoy the banter, and "Scribbs" occasionally disrobes. I recommend it.

This entertaining 2004 British mystery series takes place in the fictional English town of Middleford. Caroline Catz plays Inspector Kate Ashurst and Lisa Faulkner plays Sergeant Emma Scribbins, two well-dressed, wise-cracking, female detectives who must face a variety of grisly murders in the well-manicured suburban homes of Middleford, but who also are facing an unmarried middle age squarely in the mirror. The crimes they solve are clever and bizarre enough to make them interesting, and the suspects are just trendy and snobby enough that you just know they must be Mac users. Kate's romantic subplot centers on her hapless pursuit of their handsome supervisor, Chief Inspector Sullivan, played by Jeremy Sheffield. Emma's love life is a bit more varied with any number of odd sorts, all having dubious qualities. My wife and I have viewed this series many times and find something new and enjoyable with each viewing. Highly recommended!

An American chap commented earlier that 'This is the *best* whodunit mystery show that I have scene {sic} in years'. He then names some American copper-dramas that he thinks are inferior to this. I don't know the shows to which he refers, so all I can say is, well, if this is 'the *best*' then American television must really be in dire straits. MiS isn't even really a 'whodunit mystery show' at all, is it? I mean, the writing is so weak that it is not unusual for the perpetrator to come out of the attic in the last five minutes of the programme. What ever happened to the principle that the guilty party should be seen -- but not recognised -- in the _first_ five minutes?

Actually, I think the IMDb classification of this programme as Crime/Drama is altogether wrong. I think it should be Crime/Comedy. It's the banter and the inter-personal exchanges that make this programme, not the crime-solving aspect. (Have you noticed, for example, that no one else in the police station ever speaks, except for the three leads?)

This is a fantasy programme and should be appreciated as such. If our Yank friend thinks this is good 'whodunit', then he might well be interested in exploring other of the many -- and many _better_ -- of the British police / crime / mystery series over the years.

cheers,

Henry