One of my favorite movies is Hot Fuzz, where a hotshot detective from London is transferred to a quaint English village, because he is trying too hard. It turns out that the village is a hot mess of criminal activity and villagers start dropping like flies. I love the movie, which is utterly hilarious, but I never realized just exactly what it’s poking fun at until a friend mentioned Midsomer Murders to me.
Midsomer Murders is a British TV series set in a quaint conglomeration of English villages in a beautiful countryside, with Causton being a kind of administrative center. In Causton works Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby, who is assisted by a variety of Detective Sergeants, one a time, over the course of the series. DCI Tom Barnaby is never so excited as when there is murder afoot, which his wife Joyce and adult daughter Cully have learned to tolerate. In every episode, there is a murder, usually followed by more murders, so many, in fact, that I am wondering how this village hasn’t gotten depopulated by now. It goes like this.
MIDSOMER MURDERS IV – ‘TAINTED FRUIT’ on Sunday 23 September 2001.
The show is well written and based on a series of books by Caroline Graham. Somehow it manages to be lightly humorous and so charming, despite the horrible murdering left and right. It’s like comfort murder? Not sure what it says about us, but Gordon and I really enjoy it. We are watching it through Amazon on Acorn TV, but it’s also available on Netflix, iTunes (paid per episode) and so on. There are 19 seasons and episodes are an hour and a half long, so in our house it’s the pre-go to bed TV.
Another hilarious thing – there are a lot of actors who got their start on Midsomer. For example, this fresh-faced gentleman with Patric Swayze haircut and an earring.
It took me a second, but once I got it, I laughed for half a minute.
So if you haven’t watched this before, Gordon and I definitely recommend it.
“Sooookie!”
Thanks for that. I knew he looked familiar, but now I get it. Just got rid of cable and only doing Amazon and Netflix. Will definitely check out this series. I love British productions.
No onder I had no idea who he was. I’ve never seen any of the Tv Sookie. I liked the books, but was usually still at work when the series was on. (Stores closing at 9 PM means the folks working those stores seldom get home before 9:30 or 10 PM. Prime might as well be over, if it isn’t at that point.)
My mom got me hooked on this show. I’m about 6 or 7 seasons in, if I remember correctly. I had to stop watching when I got busy with my grad school work, but it is somehow relaxing to watch.
I love Midsomer Murders. One of the best shows the UK has put out. I avidly devoured every episode, and cry when I realize I need to wait for the next season. Its amazing how many killers lurk in the quiet countryside. Doc Martin is also equally enjoyable- though you find yourself wanted to stab him in the eyeballs with a fork when he speaks.
I love shows like that. Sweet murder mysteries? Comfort viewing about murder? It makes no sense, but I get why it’s soothing. And the hilarity of the pile-up of dead bodies in places where it makes no sense. One in a decade, okay. Multiple major murders every week? That might raise a national media/law enforcement eyebrow.
I can’t figure out who that guy is! He looks familiar but I have a cold so my brain is a bit checked out. That’s going to drive me crazy. lol
He used to be in another police series called Bergerac, it was an 80’s series set in Jersey.
Who is the dude in the last photo?
Stephen Moyer, at last that is what google came up with
That’s who I thought it was. Is Patrick Swayze a joke I’m not getting?
Duh! Have to stop speed reading! Patrick Swayze “hair cut”.
Vampire from True Blood. Lol.
There is also an episode where the first victim is Orlando Bloom. Sorry the episode name escapes me.
Lots of famous actors in Midsomer Murders lol. I recommend Foyle’s War and The Good Life (also know as Good Neighbors) for British TV…
Aha! Thank you.
My husband and I have watched the entire series of Midsomer Murders multiple times. There are so many episodes you actually forget some of them after you’ve gone through the whole thing. We’ve also been watching the Poirot and Miss Marple series on Acorn. The Miss Fischer Mysteries are great too. That one ended too soon.
A kindred spirit!! I watch all the series you mentioned and love them all! ❤
I love all of those too and if you haven’t tried them- Death in Paradise and Rosemary & Thyme are another 2 awesome and hilarious British crime shows.
Know them, love them!!
I loved Midsomer Murders. I watched all 19 seasons and wanted more.
A couple of other good British shows are Inspector Morse and it’s spinoff Inspector Lewis.
If you like period ones, Foyle’s War is a good one set in and around the second world war.
Didto!! Love them all and they are perfect on a rainy Sunday when there is not much else on!! ?
Foyle’s War is the by far the best tv series I have ever seen!
Agreed!
Just so you know … there’s a series called “Endeavour” that is a prequel to “Morse”. You don’t find out Morse’s first name until the very last episode of the last series. Anyway, Endeavour is set in the mid late 60’s and is about the young Morse. Lot’s of beautiful Oxford Spires and Colleges and of course murder!
Endeavour – how Morse started off as police inspector. Set in 1950s/60s UK
Newest Foyle’s War Series set after WWII
Both great ?
If you like that check out:
Vera
Inspector Morse
Inspector George Gently
Judge John Deed
I’m going to stop now as there is a Martin Shaw theme developing!
Have you seen Endeavor? Morse as a baby cop.
Oh I liked Vera and Gently too 🙂
Midsomer is the best! Another good one that I love is Agatha Raisin, also on Acorn. I can hardly stand American murder shows but I don’t think there’s a Brit one I don’t love. Go figure 😛
I love Midsomer Murders, especially the old ones where DCI Barnaby is played by John Nettles, who before that played in another “detective” series, Bergerac, set on Jersey. Love Hot Fuzz, too, but never realized it was a parody of Midsomer Murders, but now that you pointed it out, it seems kind of obvious.
I totally agree about the “comfort murder” thing, it’s the same cozy feeling I get from Donna Leon’s Brunetti mysteries set in Venice…
If you like Midsomer murders. You should also try Father Brown. Same kind of quaint mixture of charm and murder.
Love both Midsommer and Father Brown, and how long before bedtime determines which one I watch. LOVED the Worlds End/Hot Fuzz/Shaun of the Dead trilogy. But Hot Fuzz, where everyone is armed and he rides in makes me laugh out loud every time….and the plant!
My wife is a serious Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz fan, so I’ll have to suggest this series to her.
??? Peter Capaldi shows up. My kiddo calls it my British duffer mysteries but it is the ultimate comfort tv.
I’m currently enjoying Death in Paradise which is another BBC murder series set in the carribean. Stereotypically ‘British’ detective (seriously the guy wears a suit all the time while constantly complaining about the heat) and a female detective who casts yearning glances his way – which he is of course completely oblivious to.
So many murders on this small, sleepy carribean island and I’m only about half way through season 2.
Yes I was just about to suggest Death in Paradise – totally comfort murders :). Fun show!
Death in paradise has just finished its 5th season her in Britain, and on its 3rd senior detective
I have watched the first season but haven’t finished the second, got distracted and didn’t go back yet. The funny thing is in one of the episodes of the first season I believe pretty early on the detective from Sherlock is on it.
I absolutely love Death in Paradise, actors are awesome 🙂
Orlando Bloom features (briefly) at some point if i remember rightly. You can definitely play ‘who is famous now’ through the decades. There is a similar depopulation issue with Shetland (bit darker but still good) as there hasn’t actually been a murder there in over 10 years…
Hot Fuzz is brilliant though.
It is one of my favorite shows. Love the humor and enjoy guessing who the next victim will be in the episode.
I am a 26 year old British woman. I have been watching Midsummer Murders since I was about 12.
The whole ‘comfort crime’ thing is actually a genre is actually called ‘cosy crime’. It’s a bit of a thing in the UK, I’m not sure about anywhere else but all of the books/TV shows I can think of (many of them already mentioned) are set in the UK.
Midsummer (it’s always shortened in the UK, everyone knows what your talking about) is something of an ongoing gag really. Everyone is convinced that the whole area must be populated with people released from insane asylums or something; and while a lot of people will say that they find it ‘twee’ no body really objects to it. You can put it on the telly in any house in the country, with any audience, at any time and it my be mocked to within an inch of it’s life but it won’t be turned off.
It’s like our version of Law & Order. It’s an old standby, a lowest common denominator, something to watch while you wait for something else to come on because it’s been repeated so many times that you have probably seen it before (but you can’t quite remember). It is an institution.
What’s the British version of Law and Order? Midsummer! ??
No, we have a British version of Law and Order, it’s the same as the U.S series but set here.
Ilona and Gordon – you should really move to the UK. The telly is great here. Please come.
My wife and I always remark after a season of Lewis that Oxford really needs to look at it’s hiring process. Easily half the culprits are professors.
Good old midsummer, as a British person it’s nice to see our shows going over and being enjoyed as much as yours come over here and are enjoyed by us
I can definitely sad I love them across the channel here
Say of course.
I love Hot Fuzz. Its one of my favorite go to movies. Thanks for sharing this information, its great to have a new show to watch 🙂
Love Midsomer although we have often said we would not like to live there!
Hot Fuzz is a definite favorite at my house so I’ve already queued Midsomer Murders based on this post. Thanks for the recommendation!
Midsomer is the perfect “comfort” watch. Evil vanquished in the politest British fashion. Miss Marple always said that any sort of evil could be found in an English village ?
Foyle’s War is absolutely riveting. Highly recommend it.
I love that show! It’s funny and I love English crime tv serie!
So I LOVE Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Rosemary and Thyme, Lewis, Brokenwood (New Zealand). Most people think I like old people tv!!! I’m 33 and totally enjoy watching old people tv!!!
Welcome to the English tv series!!!
I’m kind of surprised no one has mentioned Murder, She Wrote. Back in the ’80s(?), Angela Lansbury wrote and solved murders in sleepy little Cabot Cove, apparently the murder capital of Maine. It had the same cozy murder feel, but it’s a bit dated now. I remember one episode where the main character gets her first computer!
A classic! I watch it on TV every Friday lunch time!
Yes – I was going to mention that one. My husband jokes that Jessica Fletcher is actually a serial murderer and twists the facts so she can blame someone else. How else could murder follow a non police person around so much?
Also Columbo – “just one more thing …..”
They’re easy to watch when my hubby falls asleep early and I’m sitting there doing my loom knitting.
In the last seasons Jessica moves to New York maybe the producers finally realized the murder rate was more big city-ish. I love British murder mysteries tv series including midsummer murders but my favorite is Sherlock Holmes. Too bad they only air on pbs here.
I heard it was due to Angela Lansbury herself. Here is what I found:
13. By the seventh season, Murder, She Wrote had fallen in the ratings. In response, Angela Lansbury took over as executive producer. She brought in a new production team, including several of her relatives. Lansbury moved the character and story from Cabot Cove to New York City. Jessica Fletcher was now an urbanite who used a computer, dressed sharp and interacted with young people. Lansbury’s efforts paid off. By the ninth season, the show was in the top 5.
http://www.neatorama.com/2014/04/16/15-Facts-You-Might-Not-Know-about-Murder-She-Wrote/
It’s such a good show! They film the series around where I live so my family and I like to spot local pubs and landmarks on the show 🙂
Hot Fuzz is *literally* the best parody Simon Pegg has done!
Oh the SWAN! The Swan is a badass! I didn’t know Hot Fuzz was a parody movie now I need to watch Midsomer Murders. Does a swan have a counterpart in Midsomer Murders?
It is kind of funny how many murder mystery shows are placed in small towns. One would think that people wouldn’t travel to them anymore. That being said I have watched and enjoyed Midsomer and others like that thru public television. Thanks for the reminder about Netflix type viewing now I can look up some old favorites.
I watch Midsomer and Father Brown on Netflix. There was one called Rosemary & Thyme, where a botanist and a forme police woman work as landscapers and end up solving murders, on Netflix that I enjoyed, but it only had three seasons.
I’ve been thinking about getting Acorn TV, mainly because they have the Canadian series Murdoch Mysteries, a sort of Edwardian era police procedural set in Toronto. Netflix had it until season 7, but now it’s gone completely, and Acorn TV has season 11, which just finished running in December. No word yet on season 12.
Acorn TV runs their own stand alone streaming videos. To truly get all the British shows I think one needs Acorn and BritBox.
If you are still on Barnaby 1, you’ve got a lot of good series ahead of you.
There were complaints once that not enough people were dying, so they had to up the body count.
(there were also complaints about how very, very English it was, but they’ve brought the cast diversity into oh, at least 1980).
I’d also recommend the Midsomer Murders Bot on twitter (@midsomerplots). All the joy in a few short lines.
Recommend George Orwell’s essay, “The Decline of the English Murder” for the amusing real-life background for cosy English murders. “Your pipe is drawing sweetly, the sofa cushions are soft underneath you, the fire is well alight, the air is warm and stagnant. In these blissful circumstances, what is it that you want to read about? Naturally, about a murder.”
We all know it is the riff raff from Badgers Drift!
Cadfael. Love, love, love Cadfael.
BTW – is Renee Raudman going to do Hugh’s book? Dying to know …
No. Hugh is a man.
Okay your answer made me think of the movie “Robin Hood Men in Tights” where they sing about being men in tights – tight tights!
?
This is a favorite of mine as well , finally caught up and have seen all 19 seasons .
Death in Paradise is also good if you have not seen it yet
I have seen many an odd episode of Midsomer, but never watched it consistently. It’s hard not to love Bergerac though (aka, a younger John Nettles doing the same thing, but in Jersey, as in the small island between the UK and France). I watched a LOT of Bergerac when I was a kid. Home sick from school, it was good daytime tv 😉
Hi you Guy’s over in U.S , can I recommend another cosy mystery . Its called “Father Brown”. Yes you’ve guessed it , it all happens in a quaint village , circa 1940’s and 1950’s . Dont worry no religion pushed down our throats . But again why would anybody live in a village with so many murders ? Would love to visit the “Death in Paradise “Island . Enjoy
I watch both of these!
Yes, indeed, known as a “cozy” mystery as someone pointed out. Agatha Christie might have started it with her Miss Marple and Tommy & Tuppence novels. Funny, but I want to move to “Midsomer” even with the high body count (a shame it isn’t real), although I never felt that way about Cabot Cove, Maine where Jessica Fletcher lived.
My husband and I have watched it for years. I think there are only one or two episodes where 3 people aren’t killed. Barnaby’s sidekicks have come and gone – I think Toby was the best of the lot. When he was replaced by his ‘cousin’, we had to stop watching.
My favorite Midsummer moment occured when Joyce Barnaby wanted to move to a small village and Tom said, “Absolutely not, do you know what goes on in those places!”
Brokenwood, from New Zealand, is another good choice if you like Midsummer. And check out Britbox, they have many excellent british mysteries as well as all of the classic Dr Who episodes.
Love the series. It’s perfect for relaxing with a snack. 🙂
If you like Foyle’s War try Goodnight Mr Tom. A Touch of Frost is also very good. Heartbeat is also what you might call cozy. It is set in the 60s in a Yorkshire village. A young copper moves from London to a small village and there are quite a cast of colourful characters.
Try the new BBC series ‘Shakespear and Hathaway’ – more of a comic vibe, but loving it. I love Midsummer, it’s like Alice through the looking glass. Everything is chocolate box pretty on first glance, and then all those twisted emotions appear. It’s wonderful.
I always thought J B Fletcher was a serial killer – it was more fun working out how she committed the murder, and then framed someone for it!
Has anyone else read Gaslight? It came out last week. The 4th book in the Crossbreed series by Dannika Dark?
I am loving this series, I highly recommend you try it if you need another author to check out. B&N has the 1st book in the series for .99.
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/keystone-dannika-dark/1125127968?ean=2940157523480
I’m reading it now. I love this series.
I love both Hot Fuzz and Midsomer Murders
My local PBS advertises Midsomer by having Midsomer, population (and a number counting down) haha!
I’ll also add to the list
Keeping Mum, with Rowan Atkinson, Kristen Scott Thomas, and Maggie Smith, and a lot of people die, but it’s funny and “cozy”
In Midsomer keep your eye out for Orlando Bloom
Have tried “Lewis”? I used to love that show.
Midsomer is a county, so lots of little villages to go to. Orlando Bloom is also in an episode. We’ve watched all 19 available seasons a number of times at my house.
I’ve loved this show for years. I watch every new season and often watch the back seasons on Netflix. The reason they don’t run out of people is because it’s several villages and people from the city keep moving in. LOL Hot Fuzz is one of my go to favorites on girls night! We even have a drinking game.
I love that show! MM and Foyles War.
Death in Paradise, Poirot and Agatha Raisin are all similar shows I’d recommend. Death in Paradise is actually set on Saint Marie in the Caribbean but it has a main British detective and that kind of cozy mystery feel to it.
Pie in the Sky is my choice for quaint British murders.
Yes! The late Richard Griffiths was so good as the detective who would rather be cooking in his restaurant kitchen than solving crime. Maggie Stead as his accountant wife who would rather eat junk food than haute causine plus all the supporting characters made this a wonderful cosy whodunnit tv series.
LOVE. Also cracks me up that the new Barnaby shows up earlier in an unrelated role. I love how inventive they get with the murders but no-one really remarks on it in general.
Welcome to Midsummer the quintessential murder capital of the U.K, along with Shetland. You can also spot a very young Orlando Bloom at some point!
Have to find it. Does not sound like s mystery. Have to find my Acorn catalog.
Up here in Toronto, we have watched the various seasons — and (spoiler alert), changes in main characters, including the Inspector — over many years. My Italian-born mother was always a Britcom and BritMystery lover, so we initially had no choice and then grew to love them too. Happy, happy that you are just starting.
Our local PBS was running both Midsommer and The Coroner, a show that only ran two seasons but was very enjoyable and definitely cozy.
I love this show. Also on Netflix is another fish out of water show called Death in Paradise.
Death in Paradise is Awesome. I love it! So campy and fun.
Death in Paradise is definitely worth watching. If you thought all these murders in Midsommer were unbelievable try a small tropical island that must be murder central.
Midsommer is a series of different little villages so at least it is spread out a bit. But Paradise Island …. good for the locals, hard on visitors.
I love it. Was in fact going to recommend it as well. ?
Seems like the similarity hit a few of us. Y’all beat me to it. The settings of both Midsommer and Paradise are so idyllic I spend half my viewing time sightseeing ? Both places do seem overly hazardous for a holiday tho..
The books are even better, there’s a really cruel edge to the characters who are really well written. Made me laugh a lot. Start with the Killing at Badger’s Drift, you won’t regret it.
Hot Fuzz is the best. I recently saw a movie on Amazon prime in an unrelated genre which I wondered if you were familiar with? I am dragon, a russian film. It was beautiful.
Question for the AuthorLords or the VeryFine Commentators on this Blog: I am really, really enjoying the snips and bits of Maud’s adventure in VampireLand — and am looking forward to seeing how Helen helps to save the day — but is there any schedule for when the Novella/Book is to come out?
Look for them on Fridays. Occasionally the AuthorLords are busy with other obligations and the chapters come out a little late, but the Friday schedule is pretty regular.
Thank you. I have finally learned this! However, are they intending on putting it out as an e-book in its final state at some point and, presuming they are, do you have any idea when this might happen? (I need to put it on my amazon WishList)
I don’t believe that a date for the publication of the ebook of Maud’s adventure has been announced. They usually happen a month or two after the online serial story is finished.
There is an episode where Barnaby’s wife says how nice it would be to live in a Midsomer village rather than Causton proper. Barnaby is so horrified at the thought because he knows what those villages get up to.
“Every time I go into any Midsomer village it’s always the same thing: blackmail, sexual deviances, suicide, and murder. How could you possibly expect me to go and live in one of them?’
???❤
These are all UK Series but grittier and tougher going than Midsomer Murders but excellent and lots of Seasons watching:
Endeavour
Morse
Lewis
Morse and his side-kick Lewis solve crimes in Oxford, UK
An older and wiser Lewis and his side-kick James Hathaway solve crimes in Oxford, UK
Endeavour is set in 1950s/60s Oxford, UK when Morse is just starting out in his police career.
Silent Witness – UK crime solving pathologists : tougher going than Midsomer Murders but excellent.
Waking the Dead – special UK team of police detectives, pathologist + psychologist. Trevor Eve as the main detective and team leader can occasionally be too macho/frustrated but he has a great team of ladies ?
‘Rellik’ (killer backwards) + ‘Black Lake’ were on BBC
Liar
‘Mammon’ is Scandinavian
Scott & Bailey – women detective drama + their personal lives.
Happy Valley
Broadchurch
Grantchester
Wired in the Blood
Rumpole of the Bailey – great, funny UK legal drama series
Silk – UK barristers drama/series
Seconding Morse. Been years since Ive seen an episode but it was a favourite in our house growing up.
Shetland which is on Netflix here in Canada is one I highly recommend.
Got a kick out of that one.
You could also look out for “Father Brown”, based on the character by G. K. Chesterton.
Midsummer Murders has made a whole area of rural England the “crime capital” of the UK! And filming can be tricky, as the area is on the cusp of two very different architectural styles, so shots have to be carefully framed as the houses around the corner may well look completely different!
We like Hot Fuzz in our house too. Did you know it is part of the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy of films starring Nick Frost and Simon Pegg?
It seems to have been that way for a long time, too.
Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael books, for example, are set in the Middle Ages. That’s not the only series, but it’s the first one I read and an excellent representative of the genre.
I think BBC considered making that a series, but I never saw any episodes.
Cadfael was made into 4 seasons in the 90’s with Derek Jacobi as Brother Cadfael. It was the favorite Mystery! in my family.
Second that for Cadfael, I had first read the books and when I saw Jacobi as the main, big hearts appeared out of no-where in my eyes.I wonder if it could be found somewhere.
My husband and I have loved this series. Many libraries have this series on DVD.
Definitely try Death in Paradise! The Detective for the first 2 series is Ben Miller then Kris Marshall (Colin from Love Actually) and currently Ardal O’Hanlon (Father Ted). Brilliant series about murders on the fictional Caribbean island of Saint Marie.
I always have to wonder about murder mystery series – am I the only one who thinks maybe the main character is a serial killer doing the murders and pinning them on others? I enjoyed Murder She Wrote for a while and Columbo, but then then began thinking that if I knew they were coming to my area I’d run far way as too many murders happened around them
I have often wondered if it is more dangerous to live in Midsomer or in Cabot Cove!
I often wonder if there are any people left in Midsomer! Murder capital of England lol
We do too. We watch more Brit shows than anything. Love Midsommer best. Been watching for years.
You should try the Murdock Mysteries, also by Acorn TV. They are set in Canada in the late 1800s to early 1900s. They “star”, such personages as Sir Arthur Conan Doyal, and a man who believes he is Sherlock Holmes.
We watched it too.
Oh, goody. I’ve been looking for something fun to watch that has NOTHING TO DO WITH POLITICS. I keep informed, but it’s just … you just need to get some time away from it, you know? Read and watch something enjoyable that doesn’t have the name “Trump” in it anywhere. Thank you!
Midsummer Murders is Great. Love that series. However, the Vera and Shetland series based on Ann Cleeves’ book are outstanding! Highly recommend them.
Shetland and Vera are different types of shows – slower, not as many murders, a lot grittier. But I love them both.
I also loved “River” and “Hinterland”. And “Silent Witness”, even though that in particular breaks my heart sometimes…
Midsommer Murders is very lighthearted – more like Murder She Wrote, I think. Death in Paradise and Father Brown are very similar and worth checking out.
In our house it used to be a running joke to tell anyone who annoyed you to take a short trip to Midsommer. Lately it’s been Saint Marie – why not enjoy a cocktail or two on a tropical beach before you’re bumped of, right? LOL!!
Thx for Hinterland recommendation. Not available in my area, but will watch for it.
I love the show. And absolutely love Acorn. There are so many entertaining things on there but Midsommer Murders kept me busy for months before I ran out of new episodes and seeing all the faces we know from other things was fun. Same with the Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot episodes, lots of “oh my gosh that person is familar” The Acorn programming that has me absolutely obsessed is Time Team.
I loved Time Team. There seem to be a lot of full episodes on Youtube.
I have watched all the seasons. At our house we say they drop like flies. Gotta to love poor Troy.
I love Midsummer Murders. I oruginally watched on A&E but missed a lot of episodes. I started rewatch ing last summer. Luckily the Murders take place all over a county not just one town. Our lead investigator at one point tells his wife he does not want to to move in to a small town because they are hot beds of corruption. Thanks for the heads up for Hot Fuzz. I will definitely have to rent
You missed the whole “Monty Python” thing in Hot Fuzz at
the police headquarters in London. And yeah midsomer has lost its whole population, that’s why I watch Vera, but love New Tricks that is if you like a different type of cop show. Now days though a lot of the good British cop shows are no more.
Try these two, both set in Manchester (from memory), both have humour and good writing and lots of strong women
No Offense – light hearted and inappropriate but fun. Outrageous.
Scott and Bailey – more serious, more procedural accuracy, but still with humour and interesting relationships.
We’re Midsomer Murders fans as well. When we dropped cable last year the only thing my husband subscribed to was Acorn TV specifically so he could watch episodes we hadn’t seen before. He will only watch one episode a week (definitely not a binge watcher), so we’ll be at it for a while. Another one that’s not a mystery that we enjoyed last year is “Delicious” about a hotel owner who is less than honest in his dealings with his family. It’s witty and we just discovered tonight that season two is now available on Acorn.
One of the DS’s comments on how many dead bodies there are — and Barnaby ruefully acknowledges it. It’s a wonderful show, i find it very relaxing.
My boyfriend will wander thru when I have an episode on “how many people are dead” me: “only two so far…”
I also loved the Miss Marples — I caught a very young Benedict Cumberbatch in one. (Dittoing Death in Paradise and Father Brown — also Vera on Hulu, though that’s a bit more serious)
Exactly ! Personnaly my husband and I will bet at the start of the episode on the number of murders that will take place. ?
Is that Colin Ferrall?!!! o_O
A young Stephen Meyer, ‘True Blood’ I think ?
Thank you for putting me out of my misery! I knew him from somewhere but couldn’t think where. Definitely Stephen Moyer, ‘Bill’ from True Blood.
What a relief to know who that is. I knew he looked familiar but just couldn’t figure it out.
I adore Death in Paradise, and started watching Midsomer Murders because apparently they’re not importing Death in Paradise to the US anymore. *sob* If you like Midsomer, absolutely check out Death in Paradise. Foyle’s War is less humorous, but I highly recommend it as well. It’s a period mystery series set during WWII and very well done.
Newer episodes of Foyle’s War set just after WWII excellent also.
Had to Google it and now I know why you laughed. I’ve been a fan of British TV especially it’s murder series (I own all of Agatha Christie’s books); there is just something about people with lovely accents chewing up a murder scene. Thanks as always!
We love Midsomer Murders! The episodes that weren’t aired we picked up at our local library. So sorry the series ended!
Its still going !
Also don’t forget Hamish Macbeth. I concour about Foyle’s War! If you like British period tv try Call the Midwives- addictive watching, great acting, wonderful stories and script writing, can’t recomend it enough.
I loved Hamish Macbeth!!! I found the books a bit too caustic and the characters annoying and unlikeable.
I like Agatha Raisin also.
I love those BritMysteries! Midsommer Murders, Death in Paradise, Father Brown, but my heart belongs to the Doctor Blake Mysteries! Give me an uptight Aussie and I’m in heaven…
I’ll bet Maud would solve a few murders, erm, if she didn’t commit them to begin with.
I’ve been watching and loving Midsomer since it started and the change in main character worked very well. Loved watching all the programmes mentioned in the comments. Try the Miss Marple series.
I live in the area depicted as “Midsommer”. When we watch this, it is a game to identify every house and store and village green. You can go on a “Midsommer Tour” which will take you around to see some of the spots. I find the premise – that this area is a murderous hotbed – hilarious. I must admit it is a gorgeous part of the world and my husband and I – ex-pat North Americans – enjoy the countryside quite a bit.
My husband and I moved out here from London a couple of years ago. It’s all very charming, but we’re careful to remind each other that the postman is probably hiding a dark secret and danger likely lurking around every hedge. Vigilance is key 😉
My mother loves Midsummer Murder. She recently mentioned to me that they were up to season 16 or 17. To which my father quipped “oh so it should be ending soon then?”
“What do you mean?” asked my mother.
“Well mum, there is usually about 3 to 4 murders per episode right? times that by about 24. So thats about 96 deaths in one season. Now times that by the number of seasons there are (16 at the time): soooo thats 1536 deaths all up. Pretty sure that is half the town mum” – me
Love the programme, if I remember rightly in one episode there is only one murder and there was a public outcry! It is after all Midsomer MurderS!
All these mentions of Acorn TV made me think of Acorn Antiques – if you can find episodes (probably on Youtube) I recommend it for pure silliness and take-off of bad soap-operas. Julie Walters as Mrs Overall is just bliss.
OMG, Mrs Overall… Just thinking about her makes me crack up. And now I have a craving for soup. Or rather, two soups… (If you don’t know it, I recommend you Google it – a whole other side to Julie “not my daughter, you b*tch” Walters.)
Two soups! Completely brilliant – it’s the walk.
I LOVE Midsomer Murders. We usually get it on PBS on Monday nights but when they preempt it for something else I’m pretty lost TVwise!
There’s another British series about a psychologist who hunts serial killers by getting into their heads. It’s darker (takes place in “an industrial town in the North” so they can film it through a grey filter) and apparently ALL of the UK’s serial killers operate in this one town. I enjoyed the show, but
1) it was back in 2006-2007 that I watched it so that
2) I can’t remember the name to save my life and
3) I spent hours wondering if anyone lived in this town except for police, serial killers, and victims.
It sounds like Wire in the blood.
Midsummer Murders employs what my husband and I cheekily call the “Murder- Cam”…a gloved hand reaching out to push aside the brush, etc. We love that show and just about every other Brit mystery mentioned here. Gotta say, Vera is our current fav.
I used to watch this when I was younger and I still love it. It’s on often in the UK even now. However when it first started it used to say population 900 of the little villages but I think they’ve killed off about that many characters by now! ? Surprised there’s anyone left for them to kill off really.
Still love it though!
I would also suggest Murder in Suburbia, Mrs Bradley Mysteries, Jonathan Creek, Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, and Inspector Lynley Mysteries
Waking the Dead and Vera are also good, but aren’t cozy mysteries.
You will love it even more a couple seasons in; it gets better and better season 20 rocks
I couldn’t agree more with you.
It is called “Inspecteur Barnaby” in France and it was first broadcasted every Sunday evening.
Then I used to watch it with my niece and nephew every afternoon during summer time.
Very good British show with lovely places, flowers, dogs and horses as it should be in UK.
But a lot of dead bodies… and murderers among so-called normal people.
Highly recommended.
Love Hot Fuzz! It’s a guilty pleasure that I’ve watched more times than I care to admit. Not sure if anyone’s mentioned it but we love Murdock Mysteries. It takes place in Victorian Toronto and historical characters such as Tesla, Edison, Helen Keller and more show up fairly regularly. Murdock is always inventing things with names that are familiar with a little twist, “finger marks” “true tester” etc. We highly recommend it!
My husband and I find ourselves watching one episode daily, we’re on season 18–it’s just a fun entertaining story for much needed escapism from daily ‘stuff’.
I love to watch it as well before going to bed. It is so nice and calm.
I actually watched an old episode last month, and in there was Orlando Bloom still in a smaller acting role. He was one of the victims getting killed 😉
Another good series is Brokenwood Mysteries set in New Zealand. Wonderful characters.
Brokenwood good . Looking for 4th season
Love this series! Also try Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries and Agatha Raisin along with all of the other recommendations. 🙂
I love Midsomer Murders! I will say though I did not realize how many seasons I was getting myself into when I started watching it on Netflix. I was probably 10 seasons in when I started thinking “surely this is ending soon”. NOPE. DS Jones will always be my favorite sidekick. I was so excited to see him make a guest appearance in S19!
Yes Love Jones. Liked Troy also.
Hi Ilona and Gordon,
I’m a Librarian and what you’ve mentioned also sounds like the MC Beaton novels. She has 2 series, Hamish MacBeth (set in the highlands of Scotland) and Agatha Raisin (set in the Cotswolds). Both are murder mysteries set in small towns and there is quite a bit of humor to both series.
Midsomer Murders is really incredible and highly addictive. The various ways people are murdered is highly creative and the motive usually really convoluted. We love the fetes/fairs/events taking place in most episodes because they are usually when things get really crazy. And you learn stuff, like change-ringing which is featured in one episode, and to always be on your guard when Cully or Joyce take up a new hobby or occupation.
It is a happy moment when you find things that can go in the middle of a Venn diagram of things enjoyed. Glad to hear that authors I enjoy are finding one of our favoured shows fun as well!
Here in Sweden it’s a summer tradition to watch Midsomer Murders! It’s has (since I can remember) been sent on the television every summer (often on Tuesdays) and the whole family sits and watch it 🙂
I live right in the Heart of Midsummer world, its filmed in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire using several villages and the town of Thame, it is truly beautiful here, but in my 58 years we’ve had 0 murders in real life .more likely to meet a sheep rustler than a killer ?..We all watch it though, just so we can see how nice our house or garden is looking or whether we are in the background on market day ?
Funny how all these small towns have such high homicide rates. I always wondered about Cabot Cove, where Murder She Wrote was based, and that tiny village where Miss Marple lived. Honestly, I wonder if anyone has been put off on small-town living because of this premise. 🙂
Can’t wait to check out Midsomer Murders, though!
Enjoyed reading comments of all Midsomer Murders fans. Very entertaining. Am subscribing to Acorn.
My mum loves watching Midsummer Murders, the actor who plays Barnaby was in a show called Bergerac…not sure about spelling, also a cop but the smooth type that got all the women and such. Who is the actor shown in the pic? I don’t recognise him. Also if you want to see the whos who of English actors you should watch I Claudius, so many well known actors.
I LOVE I Claudius. I gave away my boxed set of DVDs, which I now regret.
I think the actor is Stephen Moyer (Bill Compton)? (I haven’t read the previous comments, but I’m sure someone else knows for sure.)
While I really enjoyed Midsomer Murders and Death in Paradise, my favorite murder mystery series will always be “Life”. It is set in Los Angeles and Damian Lewis -a British actor- plays an American police officer. The whole series is wry, clever, and full of suprises, kinda like the unexpected Ilona Andrews plot twists – you never see them coming. The acting is amazing, the murders unusual, and even though it is only two seasons, the series is complete and the ending highly satisfying. Totally worth watching.
I love Midsomer and Death in Paradise and don’t forget Miss Fischer!
Vampire Bill!! *giggle snorts*
The Russian Blue kitten named Killmousky? Oh, yeah. Best cat name ever!
And it IS comfort murder. I watch it when I am not feeling well or want to relax. Also amusing: Brokenwood on Acorn. The Russian mortician is hilarious.
Also seconding Murdoch Mysteries, shown in the US as “The Artful Detective.” Absolutely adorable.
Rosemary and Thyme was another series I enjoyed, only three seasons though.
Blurb: Set amongst the stunning gardens of Europe, Rosemary Boxer and Laura Thyme, two professional gardeners, find themselves drawn into solving mysterious crimes.
Love, Love, Love Midsummer Murders. Watched all the episodes.
You might also enjoy Brokenwood Mysteries – another AcornTV gem. 🙂
Very similar premise, but set in New Zealand.
It’s not just one village though, it’s the fictional county of Midsomer. Loads of people for killing without making a significant dent in the population. Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries and Poirot are my all time favourite mystery shows. Lewis is pretty good too.
I was hoping that someone pointed out that Midsomer actually takes place over a bunch of villages so it is not quite as implausible as it seems. I echo the comments on Miss Fischer and Brokenwood. I would add Vera (split over Acorn and Britbox) is another great one. I adore the British style murder mysteries that have some darkness but there is also some levity–not unlike the AL’s books. If they get too dark, they lose me. Lewis is great and so is Endeavor (Morse in his early years). For a sometimes campy and short show, Murdoch Mysteries can be fun especially since they have all sorts of nonfiction characters appearing in the turn of the century (20th C) show. Also Murdoch is often “inventing things” that give us all a little giggle. Guest stars that you recognize start showing up later in the series.
Yes, I’ve watched all of the Miss Fischer and Poirot. I’m not familiar with Brokenwood or Vera? Have enjoyed Lewis and have only watched a very few episodes of Endeavor. But watched almost all of the Morse. All are so much fun!
I grew up watching Midsummer Murders and really like it, but Foyle’s War is even better and made by the same people, I believe.
I’m a vet in the north of England……I read your blog on a few days ago and then a funny thing yesterday. A gentleman came in with his gorgeous Labrador who had hurt her paw. He’s was visiting from a small village down south and we got chatting about villages. His village has a lovely common with a duck pond and is where Midsummer Murders is filmed. He’s even appeared in a few episodes with his old black Lab. I couldn’t believe it and he thought it was fabulous that you we’re watching it. ???
OMG, I am a big fan of Midsomer Murders as well, I am so happy that you also enjoy this brilliant series!!! Also, like you said, the series features SO many well-known British actors (and some appear in more than 1 episode) :D.
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Thank you for the movie recommendation. It was great fun and I laughed until my sides hurt. I loved it
Okay I give up who is the guy? The blonde one with the eating?
Earring?
Hi! Useful article!.
If you want a fairly dark crime series “Shetland” is the one for you (and is based on the books of Ann Cleeves, who also writes the “Vera” books). Beautiful scenery, Scottish accents, sunshine and rain (and storms and sea and ships and ferries). The current story on UK BBC 1 has some very nasty characters in (last episode in this series Tuesday night (20 March 2018)).