The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Midsomer Murders series…

Midsomer Murders, Series 1 (Reissue) I have put off writing this review because most people who visit the Cozy Mystery Site are already aware of this deliciously fun, long-running ITV mystery series: Midsomer Murders. The episodes are based on (inspired by) Caroline Graham’s Inspector Barnaby Mystery Series.

Nope, it is not “mid-summer murders”>>> the Midsomer in the title refers to the county area in which DCI Barnaby (John Nettles) and his loyal sidekick sergeant (Daniel Casey in the first several seasons, John Hopkins in the middle seasons, and Jason Hughes in the last few seasons to date) are charged with keeping the peace and solving the crimes. And, lucky for us, we get to meet Barnaby’s wife (Jane Wymark) and daughter (Laura Howard) and watch as they both evolve.

The scenery is phenomenal>>> I love all of the different cozy village settings they show in the episodes. Since Midsomer is a county made up of several villages, we are treated to many quaint villages with the traditional cozy mystery characters— including a few totally eccentric busybodies! And, even luckier for us, Barnaby has a civic duty to perform, so we see him officiating/participating in several fêtes>>> More cozy village ambiance for us to enjoy!

Midsomer Murders is now in its eleventh season (I think!) although we (in the USA) are no longer having the privilege of watching this truly cozy mystery show. (A&E stopped showing the series several years ago.) I wish A&E hadn’t decided to change its line-up years ago. It was truly one of my favorite television channels back when they showed us shows like Sherlock Holmes with Jeremy Brett, Miss Marple with Joan Hickson, and Poirot with David Suchet.

If you’re looking for the ambiance of a truly cozy British mystery setting… you might want to introduce yourself to Midsomer Murders. That is, if you aren’t one of its many fans already!

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

The Jury Miniseries…

The Jury If you have read the other TV and Movie Reviews on the Cozy Mystery site, then you have probably figured out that I only post reviews about shows that I enjoy. Why waste time on the bad when there are so many good? And, The Jury is yet another example of a British miniseries that does not disappoint.

The Jury follows a trial that is a media frenzy. It shows how juries of such “made-for-television-ratings” crimes are affected by the constant barrage of reporters and “looky-loos” who feel that the public’s “need to know” far outweighs the biased agenda that spins uncontrollably…. out of control!

The jury members not only have issues trying to understand the crime, they also have issues in their private lives. This series left me wondering how jury members really relate to the particular crimes they are called to hear and how their different daily moods can affect the outcome of their verdicts.

For you Sir Derek Jacobi fans: he gives yet another great performance. Hopefully a lot of Gerard Butler fans will be attracted to this miniseries and be treated (possibly introduced?!?) to several other exceptional actors.

By the way>>> This is NOT a miniseries for the entire family!

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

Manor House Miniseries…

Manor House To those of you who have read some of my other TV & Movie reviews>>> you probably have guessed that It was only a matter of time before I reviewed yet another of Sir Derek Jacobi’s works. Manor House is a departure of sorts, as he is the narrator, not actually one of the stars of the show. But his narration is a true joy to listen to… especially if you’re one of his many fans.

The premise of this six part miniseries: People from 2002 are transplanted back in time – the Edwardian period (early 1900s) – to a manor house in Great Britain. This was a time with vastly differing social classes. Upon entering the grounds of this particular manor house world, the twenty first century inhabitants lost all of their twenty first century technology. YOW! Have we improved our circumstances since then!

For those participants of the televised experiment who were lucky enough to portray (as in LIVE!!!) the aristocratic family>>> bravo for you! For those participants who were “lucky enough” to live the parts of scullery maids, stable boy, butler, cook, ETC>>> YIKES! Times were tough! (I don’t personally know anybody who could survive, let alone flourish, in the life of a scullery maid!) And, of course, as expected, the family living the aristocratic family’s part becomes…. Oops! No spoilers here!

My husband and I enjoyed this show immensely and looked forward to each and every episode. The one big draw back for us: we would have enjoyed spending even more time with the inhabitants of this particular Manor House!

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

The Return of the Old— Man from U.N.C.L.E.

Wow!! Is this ever going to date me!?! Man from U.N.C.L.E. is finally out!

Can you remember  Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) and Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum)? And if so, do you remember what the U.N.C.L.E. stood for? (United Network Command for Law and Enforcement…I had to look this one up>>> my memory isn’t that good!!!) And, what how about T.H.R.U.S.H.? (What a great acronym for an evil organization!) Man from U.N.C.L.E. was one of the first spy shows, taking place during the height of the Cold War days. (Remember air raid drills in school where you had to scamper under your desk?… And how flimsy those little desks were!?!)

The show aired in the mid 1960s and was one of the top TV hits of that time. Since this was before DVDs (and even VHS tapes!) the show aired each week in households that had all of the members patiently sitting in front of the television. If you had a “Spot” or “Puff”>>> you had already made sure that he/she had gone outside for his/her run of the neighborhood (this was before the days of six-foot privacy fences and mandatory leash laws!) and that all bathroom breaks had been taken by all family members… thus insuring no unwanted distractions. If you were hungry, you had already pan-popped your popcorn (or had Jiffy Pop already made an appearance by this time?) and that all of the family members were sitting patiently on the living room couch for the show (before the time of the family/television room!). If you had Boy Scouts on Tuesday nights (as my husband did) then you made sure that you got home early enough to see how Solo and Kuryakin were going to save the world this week. It was, in short, a big event in the days of the three-network television line-ups.

And, how about this for another “Back in the Days”… Remember when turtle necks were all the rage… After watching David McCallum sporting the Kuryakin turtle necks, you’ll wonder if the show had any thing to do with the turtle neck’s popularity!

Just ask someone in their fifties (or older) if the remember Solo and Kuryakin. I bet you will see them smile at the memories!

MENU