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British Television Mystery Series: McDonald & Dodds

First, let me start off by saying I love this ITV British television crime series. McDonald & Dodds takes place in Bath, a beautiful English city which is about 100 miles from London.

Detective Chief Inspector McDonald (Tala Gouveia) is transferred from London to Bath – where she is ready to take on the world. She wants to move up the police ladder. Unfortunately for her, she is forced to partner with Detective Sergeant Dodds (Jason Watkins). The Chief Superintendent (James Murray) wants to force Dodds to retire since Dodds still works in a very deliberate and outdated mode. Dodds doesn’t use a computer for research since he much prefers going to the library to gather his facts. He also is a paper and pen note taker, etc. All of this irritates McDonald – but the Chief Superintendent is so determined to put an end to Dodds’ career that he refuses to let McDonald off the “make-him-retire” hook. Needless to say, Dodds is quite quirky…

McDonald is quite different than Dodds. She’s a very modern detective and is quite good at heading her small group of investigators. She is very ambitious and expects a lot from her officers.

All of the actors do great jobs portraying their unique characters. The writing is smart, the plots are interesting, and the setting is absolutely beautiful. I very much recommend McDonald & Dodd. It is currently aired on BritBox.

Spoiler alert: The show doesn’t force the two main characters to remain locked into their quirky vs. exasperated personalities. The two main characters actually evolve.

Comments

  1. Thanks for the heads up! This looks like just my “cup of tea” along with Death in Paradise and Shakespeare and Hathaway.

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    • Cuppa Cozy, my husband and I really like this show. I’ll be posting an entry about Shakespeare & Hathaway in the future. It’s another British show that lets the main characters evolve. I don’t know why the USA can’t put out television shows like these rather than the high action SWAT-team-ramming-open-a-door type of shows… (Which I find rather comical when the lead detectives dressed in their suits follow the heavily armored SWAT team members. — I hope that makes sense.)

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    • Oh, if you love those shows, you’re in for a treat with McDonald&Dodds!
      I’m currently watching Sister Boniface’s Mysteries, a spin-off of Father Brown. Truly cozy show, and funny too.

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    • This show is so fun, isn’t it? I have found several lighthearted , well written mysteries on Britbox (ok, more than several). I just finished the new season of Shakespeare and Hathaway and am working my way through the latest of Death in Paradise.

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      • If we are talking British TV, my husband and I have been fans since To The Manor Born and the Six Wives of Henry VIII, which were on PBS Masterpiece back in the day. Anybody with me on this? Or are are we fossils? : )

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  3. I really enjoy McDonald and Dodd, Shakespeare and Hathaway, Death in Paradise and totally agree the American television shows. They take themselves so seriously.

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  5. I have watched this show and love it. At first, I was hesitant because it didn’t sound like something that I would really like but after watching the first couple of shows, I was a fan. A big fan. And, I also love Shakespeare & Hathaway. All the characters on this show are great fun and a joy to watch. I can also highly recommend that show Pie In The Sky. I think you would like it a lot.

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  7. I just discovered McDonald & Dodds last week. I binged on all nine eps, and understand a fourth series has been ordered. Definitely recommend it. I also love Shakespeare and Hathaway. Wish they would give their assistant more to do. 🙂 Sister Boniface is also good; it is a spin-off from Father Brown. And finally, Harry Wild, featuring Jane Seymour is also pretty good. It is on Acorn and the others on Britbox.

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    • Will there be a season 3 broadcast here in the states of McDonald and Dodd? We binged all 5 episodes and wish there were more. Also hoping for a 2nd season of Harry Wild (they left us with a cliffhanger) and Chelsea Detective.

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  8. Thanks for the recommendation! You should check out New Tricks also on Britbox. It ran from 2003-2015. It’s about a senior police detective who oversees 3 retired police detectives to solve cold cases. It has both humor and a little sadness, but it stays lighthearted. I’m up to season 5. I understand that there are some cast changes in future seasons, but so far for me the cast is perfect. One of the original cast members, Dennis Waterman, sang the theme song “It’s Alright.” Sadly, he recently passed away.

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  9. We recently discovered this series and really enjoyed it. Shakespeare & Hathaway is also a favorite of ours. These characters seem like real people. I agree with your comments about US programs.

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  10. We already watched whatever was available months ago. It is a VERY good series, a feel good type show. Wish there were more episodes! This is a great suggestion. Hope you keep up with the British mystery suggestions, although we may have seen them all! Our favorite mysteries are British and we’ve been hooked on Acorn and Britbox for years.

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  11. Have you tried Harry Wild on Acorn? Jane Seymour plays a retired English literature professor.

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  12. Almost every mystery show mentioned above we love. My husband and I watch a mystery every evening. Waiting for new seasons. We only have a Death in Paradise left to watch.

    Thank you, Danna for everything you do for cozy readers and authors.

    Reply

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