Happy International Murder She Wrote day!! Now, I’ll bet you didn’t know that International Murder She Wrote Day was a thing! But it is! It has been confirmed to me by Instagram Legend murdershewrote84, and as they have said it is, I accept this as gospel.
Photo Credit: Instagram murdershewrote84
And so, in honour of the best detective in the universe living in the most dangerous city in the world (you can’t tell me that Cabot Cove is not a dangerous place – have you seen the things Jessica Fletcher has had to deal with out there?), I thought I would share my five favourite Murder Mysteries on the small screen.
In honour of Jessica of course, but also for my love of the genre.
- The Residence
Have you met Cordelia Cupp yet? If not, you must. But be warned. She loves birds. She is obsessed with eating canned fish. And more importantly, she is smarter than you. Cordelia Cupp is the best detective in the world, and she has been brought in on the night of a State Dinner with the Government of Australia, to solve a murder at the White House Residence.
Photo Credit: Netflix Instagram
This show has all the elements of a great murder mystery: a whip smart but quirky detective, an FBI sidekick who is doing his best but is grossly out of his depth, and a cast of suspects as long as “the last little bit of the trip home when you really have to go to the bathroom” long, and they are all equally insane and suspicious. An absolute joy: Uzo Aduba, Randall Park, Bronson Pinchot (yes THAT Bronson Pinchot), Giancarlo Esposito et all were fantastic. A special shout out to Jane Curtin who plays Nan Cox, who is my favourite character of them all.
- Vera
Vera is a British Murder Mystery show, one of my favourites these days. It’s got 14 seasons, so I haven’t watched them all yet. Not my fault! I only discovered it recently, but I am catching up.
Vera is very much in the British style of murder mysteries: it starts with a murder, usually pretty gruesome and out of the ordinary, in a particularly picturesque area. Nobody really knows what’s going on, and it takes time to figure things out. There’s usually at least one more murder before they do. Vera, the lead detective, is a sight to behold. Wearing a trench coat, rain hat and sensible footwear, she stomps around the Northumberland moors to clear her head, and despite not being very fast or healthy (she really does need to eat more vegetables), her mostly younger colleagues do their best to keep up. The way Cordelia Cupp is obsessed with birds? Well Vera loves plants. She also knows a lot about fishing and also poaching. And often, it’s this odd knowledge that helps her solve the case. Or at least provide more information. This is not one of those mystery shows where the murder gets solved in an hour. No! Solving a murder takes time! And Vera, while being grumpy and sensitive but also utterly oblivious to things like feelings (except when she is), solves all the murders all the time. Ok, maybe my description isn’t perfect, I promise, the show is fantastic. Even the Guardian agrees with me.
- Midsomer Murders
Yes, that Midsomer Murders. Based on the books (but I must admit I have never read them). There are 25 seasons of this show, and I’m pretty sure I’ve seen every episode at least once. Some of them three or four times. This is the TV show that I play in the background when I’m working late or have to finish something profoundly boring (like organising my receipts for my taxes).
Photo Credit: Rotten Tomatoes
Every murder takes place in the county of Midsomer, and much like Vera, it takes Detective Barnaby a while to solve the murder, that usually takes place in an area and circumstance unique to Midsomer (murder in renaissance fair? In an old monastery that has been converted to a brewery. Where else but in Midsomer?!). The (fictional) county of Midsomer has always had a Detective Barnaby at the helm of its murder investigations: we have the original Barnaby, and then his cousin takes over (I personally prefer Barnaby 2.0: IYKYK). This show is great because while the show takes place in a quaint and peaceful setting, the murders are often gruesome but insane (so not gruesome enough to be frightening or realistic). The pace is slow: so yes, we’re solving a murder, but we can be relaxed about it. Barnaby and co. will get there. And the humour is dark and witty too. Very British. If you want something unique and genre breaking, maybe this isn’t for you. But for something fun and relaxing that involves solving a murder? It’s fantastic.
- Poirot (TV Show)
To clarify, I mean the David Suchet Poirot, not the Kenneth Branagh Poirot. Yes, there is a difference, and not just in the size of the moustache. Not that I mind KB’s Poirot, but David Suchet’s Poirot is perfect. PERFECT. He breathes life into Agatha Christie’s most famous character. He seethes with anger when his breakfast eggs are not the same size. He preens as he styles his moustache, assuming no one knows he does it.
Photo Credit: LaboursofHercule Instagram
For those who have read the Poirot books, we know that many of the characters are quite dimensional at times: she focuses on plot, set-up and the murder. Things move along quickly. It’s why they are so wonderful, and much loved, even today. And Poirot the show does that too, but brings life into some of the other characters, like Hastings, Miss Lemon and of course Detective Inspector Japp. Outlined by Ms Christie herself, the set-ups are creative, there’s always an interesting (and often at least one of them is appropriately detestable for all the right reasons) cast of suspects, and while some of the books are a more than a bit racist, the TV versions have made the necessary changes to make it work. Did I mention David Suchet?
- Endeavour
This show is the prequel to the Inspector Morse series, where we see a young Sergeant Morse starts working in Oxford, under the watchful eye of Detective Inspector Thursday. This takes place in the post war era, and the show ends about 15 years (early 70s) before the Inspector Morse TV show takes place (late 80’s to early 90s).
Photo Credit: Rotten Tomatoes
I only watched a few episodes of the original Inspector Morse TV show, so I can’t really say how the two shows compare. What I will say is that Endeavour, it’s prequel, is fabulous. Once again, the backdrop is perfect. Oxford is beautiful. Plus the themes they cover are just so good. The perfect mixture of 60s and 70s zeitgeist, melancholia and, well … murder. It goes on for 9 seasons so you have plenty of time to fall in love with the lead detective and his highly flawed, consistently wrinkled and devastatingly complete humanity.
Some honourable mentions that don’t fit on the list just because I said I would only list five are Only Murders in the Building, Lewis, Broadchurch, Sherlock (hello ANDREW SCOTT), the Lincoln Lawyer, … there are so many good shows! Jessica Fletcher would be pleased that there are so many people out there solving murders, though not nearly as efficiently or as stylishly as she did. Although Cordelia Cupp does come close.
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