The Cozy Mystery List Blog

Cozy Mystery (and Other Favorite) Books, Movies, and TV

Prime Suspect with Helen Mirren

Prime Suspect is probably the best police procedural made-for-television series I have ever watched. It is a gritty, realistic view of the life of a woman making her way in the almost all male world of British police detectives. Prime Suspect follows as Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren) moves up the police ranks while contending with the resentment of a lot of the on-job men who think a woman simply doesn’t belong in their professional world.

The Prime Suspect series began in 1991 and ran all the way until 2003. Unfortunately for its devoted fans, there are only seven years worth of seasons, which, since it is a British show, means very few episodes. I strongly suggest watching the series in the correct chronological order. It is not a Cozy British police procedural. As I mentioned in the first paragraph, it is “gritty.” It is not just the Prime Suspects who are not model citizens. Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren) is relentless about catching the flawed bad guys – but she is a very flawed person herself.

I have enjoyed Helen Mirren’s work since way before her well-deserved current popularity. A lot of you probably remember her excellent work from such movies as The Madness of King George, Calendar Girls, The Queen, and Gosford Park. Let me assure you that Mirren’s performance as Jane Tennison is (as usual) multi-faceted, and a delight to watch. (Prime Suspect’s creator Lynda LaPlante modeled the Jane Tennison character after a true life female DCI.)

I am not going to tell you obvious things like: the show has three-dimensional supporting characters, mysteries that ring true, there’s great attention to detail, the scenes are realistic, the scripts are great, there is  phenomenal direction, ETC. Those things go unsaid. (Remember my first sentence in this entry!) Both Mirren and the series have won several Emmy and BAFTA awards, proof of the obvious: I am not alone in liking this show!

I watched this series as it originally aired on PBS (way back when “Mystery!” was the name of the show) and have watched it two times since then. I finally decided to share it with my husband, and we then treated our children to this very superior police procedural. And, I plan to watch it again! I may know “who dunnit” but the Prime Suspect journey is definitely a treat within itself.

PS>>> If you’re offended by adult language and themes, this is not a series for you nor is it appropriate for young children.

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The Duchess of Duke Street Miniseries…

The Duchess of Duke Street - The Complete Collection [DVD] The Duchess of Duke Street is a BBC series from the mid 1970s. Masterpiece Theatre aired this British miniseries, which is set in Victorian and Edwardian England… the late 1800s and early 1900s. The series follows Louisa Trotter, a young woman from England’s lower class society – during a time when the possibility of bettering your social standing was pretty much nil to nothing.

Louisa (played magnificently by Gemma Jones) works as a scullery maid (the lowest servants’ position possible for women) but has three very strong traits: ambition, the inability to “hold her tongue,” and intelligence. We watch Louisa go from a very young, almost abrasive girl to a self-assured woman of high society.

Gemma Jones’ portrayal of Louisa Trotter, as she goes up the ladder of British society, is absolutely superb. This period BBC (and Masterpiece Theatre) production will stay with you way after you watch the two-season miniseries.

As you watch the episodes in The Duchess of Duke Street, try to keep in mind that the plot is based on the true life story of Rosa Lewis and The Duchess of Duke Street‘s Bentinck Hotel is based on London’s Cavendish Hotel.

The Duchess of Duke Street miniseries takes us along as Louisa goes from being a scullery maid to a great chef, to eventually the owner of a London hotel. Quite a feat for those times!

This period piece production is (to me) delightful. I enjoyed the costumes, make up, acting, sets, and plot line. Fans of Upstairs, Downstairs will no doubt become fans of  The duchess of Duke Street.

Watching it is addictive, but beware – it is not for young children. (Also, it is not a mystery…)

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Sir David Attenborough: Great Nature Shows

If you have yet to see any of Sir David Attenborough’s nature collections, then you have missed some of the rarest glimpses into our world’s environments. There is a very obvious reason that this Natural Sciences academic from Cambridge is world-renowned: He is one of the world’s foremost experts in his field.

Each of Attenborough’s BBC series take place in different kingdoms. Some of the series that my family has been able to enjoy are:  The Life of Birds,  The Life of Mammals,  Life in the Undergrowth,  Life in Cold Blood,  Life in the Freezer (Antarctica).

Attenborough travels the entire planet so that we don’t have to. While “there”  (wherever that might be!) he brings us truly remarkable sights. And, he is not without the youthful heart of a small boy at seeing something truly amazing. Attenborough’s sense of glee when he watches an elephant quite literally going bump in the night is infectious. His obvious enjoyment at watching an orangutan grab a cracked nut from him or his laughter at watching an albatross land is contagious. >>> Even those Grinches among us are not able to resist his enjoyment.

Did I mention the filming? The Attenborough series are simply spectacular. He has hiked through the hot, dry Sahara Dessert or the hot, humid Amazonian jungles so that we can enjoy the sights that he and his production crew have had to wait for… sights that we would most likely never have seen even if we had been in the dessert or jungle… sights that took enormous amounts of patience and time to capture on film.

I’m happy to let Attenborough and his production crews/experts do the work so that my family can enjoy these beautiful pieces of nature’s art work! The footage we see is absolutely incredible.

(As with most things in nature, some of these shows include scenes not suitable for young children.)

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Jonathan Creek Mystery Series…

Jonathan Creek - Season One If you are looking for a funny (television) mystery series… then you might enjoy the Jonathan Creek Mystery Series. The first three seasons of this series are some of the most entertaining mystery shows that my family has “accidentally” found. This entry is about just the first three seasons of the show. They were a delight to watch.

The show stars Alan Davies as Jonathan Creek , and the wonderful Caroline Quentin as his side kick Maddy Magellan. Actually, I use the term “side kick” rather loosely, since they are equally intrinsic to the show… but since Jonathan Creek is actually the magician/illusionist, I’ll go with that term.

Both of the actors are a delight to watch. The only negative that I can think of imparting is that Caroline Quentin decided to leave the show after its third season. (Don’t quote me on that…. it’s sort of what I remember from years ago when I looked it up…) The First Season (1997) was such a delight to watch… It was like finding a hidden gift. Season Two (1998) provided a continuation of the fun!  On to Season Three>>> More great fun with Jonathan and Maddy… somewhat reminiscent of Nick and Nora Charles (at least to me!) The fourth season brought in the very accomplished actress Julia Sawalha (Saffy from Absolutely Fabulous) as her replacement, but the dye had been cast for my family and we simply weren’t able to make the transition to the new “format” of the show.

The premise of the show is that a very accomplished magician/illusionist (Jonathan Creek) is called upon to help solve a mystery that is virtually impossible to solve… He consents to helping solve the mysteries…sort of against his will. It’s not a career choice that he has made>>> Solving the mysteries has been thrust on him. Maddy, on the other hand, is an investigative journalist, always looking for a breaking-news story. Maddy simply perseveres to get (as in “make”) Jonathan give her that story… She hounds him mercilessly. She simply insists on partnering up with him even though he is fervently against this partnership.

The mysteries are truly stumpers… the types that really would require a magician’s trained mind to solve. And, the audience has fun watching the duo go about solving those mysteries.

♦If you would like to see more TV & Movies suggestions, click here.♦

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