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Television Mystery Series… What to Start With?

Sometimes you just don’t feel like curling up with a book, and want to do something that will be take a bit less time to finish. Other people are more visually oriented, and really appreciate the extra “immersion” that can be provided with a visual medium like television. In all of these cases, watching a TV series can often be the best way to really have one of your favorite Cozy series come to life!

However I know that the TV and Movies page on my site (listing all of the Cozy TV and Movie series that I’m personally familiar with) is a bit overwhelming as it is just a list and not really a “review” per se. So I thought it might be helpful to discuss some of the best television mystery series to start with if you are a Cozy Mystery fan. These are three of what I consider the best television mystery series, and I strongly recommend each of them.

Adventures of Sherlock Holmes [Blu-ray] The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (starring Jeremy Brett)

It’s always hard to determine if Arthur Conan Doyle‘s Sherlock Holmes is Cozy or not… by the standards of the time he might not have qualified, but by modern standards his mysteries certainly qualify as Cozy to me! While Sherlock Holmes has been played by a number of talented actors (Ellie Norwood, Clive Brook, Raymond Massey, Basil Rathbone, and Benedict Cumberbatch, to name a few), my personal favorite and the one I feel holds up the best to modern audiences while retaining the character the best is the Granada Television series starring Jeremy Brett.

Note that the next two series also starring Jeremy Brett (The Return of Sherlock Holmes and The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes) as well as the multiple movies made by Brett are also excellent – but I’m mostly recommending The Adventures because it is the first chronologically made and is probably the best introduction. (Unfortunately Jeremy Brett was quite ill during the filming of the final TV series, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, and it shows a little. So I would not recommend it quite as highly as the rest of Brett’s duration as Sherlock Holmes unless you have already seen the rest of his work.) (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is available in disc format on Netflix.)

Agatha Christie's Poirot: The Definitive Collection [DVD] Agatha Christie’s Poirot (starring David Suchet)

As with other entries on this list, there have been several actors to portray Agatha Christie‘s Hercule Poirot, but for me the “true” Poirot will always be David Suchet. To me, he perfectly portrays the fussy Belgian detective. Though these wouldn’t have been considered period pieces when they were written by Christie, the TV series is – as it was made in the last twenty years, not the 1920s-1970s when Christie was writing.

Personally I most recommend the earlier seasons >>> all those with Hugh Fraser as Arthur Hastings, Poirot’s honest and brave but not necessarily incredibly clever friend and assistant. I especially enjoyed the earlier seasons that had Pauline Moran as Miss (Felicity) Lemon. The later seasons do all have their high moments but the earlier material was all absolutely brilliant. The box set I linked above, which includes all the full-length made-for-TV-movies is also quite excellent. (Agatha Christie’s Poirot is available in disc format and streaming on Netflix and on Acorn.)

Brother Cadfael (starring Derek Jacobi)

The Brother Cadfael series by Ellis Peters is an excellent historically set Cozy Mystery series set in war-torn medieval England. As with the other period pieces on this list (and there are a lot as I am a real fan of England’s various architectural movements through the ages) this series uses the setting to full potential. Sets and costumes are all top notch, with a strong feeling of “immersion” in every episode as a result. (Brother Cadfael is available in disc format on Netflix and on Acorn.)

These are just three of my personal favorites… so if you’ve got others that you feel are really great to start with if you are a Cozy Mystery fan, be sure to give examples in the comments. Thank you!

P.S. Here’s part 2:

Television Mystery Series… What to Start With?… (Part 2)

Comments

  1. I just started watching Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries on the Ovation Channel (also available through Netflix), and have really been enjoying them. 🙂

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  2. I love Midsomer Mysteries, Murdoch Mysteries and Miss Fisher in addition to the three you already mentioned.

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  3. Poirot cannot be topped and yes, there is really only one Poirot, David Suchet. I also enjoyed the Miss Marple series with Margaret Rutherford are fantastic. Actually all the Miss Marple are, but she is my favorite. Father Brown both the 1970s version with Kenneth (I think) Brown which I discovered quite by accident and the current PBS series. I also love Death in Paradise and the Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries. I keep looking for more to watch so I am anxious to see what else is suggested. Again, so glad I found this site. I love all the suggestions and I’ve discovered many great authors that’s to the contributors.

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  4. My favorite Agatha Christie character has always been Miss Marple, and I love the television series starring Joan Hickson. In my opinion she was born to play Miss Marple!

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    • Brian, I agree with you about these three current mystery shows. It looks like all of our favorites come from either Canada, England, or Australia. That says a lot about the USA’s inability to produce these types of quality shows…

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        • Bridget, I’m glad that I’ve at least managed to touch your nostalgic side for your favorites… This is a bit of a “spoiler” for upcoming posts, but I’m planning a third of these posts for later this week, so be sure to check back!

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      • It’s not due to “inability,” but US content providers marketing to specific demographics–these cozy mysteries are simply not what most teens and 20 somethings want to watch. These programs don’t sell beer, etc. Also, the countries you mention subsidize national television services that create high quality programs while US produced content has to support itself. One changing thing is the proliferation of streaming services that are producing original content–some of that is exceptional.

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  6. Two of my current favorites are: “Murdoch Mysteries” out of Canada and “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries” out of Australia. Murdoch recently completed it’s ninth season and will have a tenth! The series is set in the late 1800’s – early 1900’s Toronto, where Murdoch is a detective and also tinkering inventor. Yannick Bisson is wonderful as Murdoch and he has a great supporting cast. It’s fanciful and fun with strong murder mystery stories.

    Miss Fisher is set in 1920’s Australia, and the great lead is again surrounded by a wonderful cast of supporting characters. They only did three seasons (so far), and sadly, I haven’t heard any news of a 4th.

    An older series that I just finished is “Rosemary and Thyme”. There are three seasons of this show, which is very much a Cozy Mystery set in current era (2000’s) England (and sometimes Europe). The leading ladies are quite the pair – solving murders and designing gardens as they go!

    All three of these series are available streaming through Acorn TV (first month is free) and the videos are available for purchase through Acorn as well. One exception is that so far they don’t have season 3 of Miss Fisher available for streaming yet. They do have it available for purchase.

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  7. You also can’t go wrong with the Midsomer Murders. I love this show. Thank Heavens for Netflix where I can watch it whenever I want!

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  8. I have seen Holmes played by several different actors – including Tom Baker of Dr Who fame (He was No.4) – but none have been better than the late Jeremy Brett. Looks, voice, and mannerisms. Brett was Holmes, IMO.
    He was apparently a ‘method actor’ who studied the books exhaustively, even down to what Holmes ate, and when, and used all of this in his portrayal. To me he is the definitive Sherlock Holmes.

    David Suchet also, is one of the best Poirot’s ever filmed, I think. He spent 25 years (!) portraying the character, and filmed every novel and short story that Christie ever wrote. In order to get the feel for the Orient Express, he took a trip on it before filming, and he felt so strongly about the character, that while most of the series was filmed in chronological order (The order they were written) he persuaded the producers to film ‘Curtain’ earlier than it’s predecessor, in order that they wouldn’t have to go out on a sad note.

    This sort of dedication, (of both actors) along with excellent casting choices, and attention to detail in wardrobe and set design, is what makes really good film or TV.

    I’ve never seen the Cadfael series, but if it’s as good as the others, then I agree, Danna, all of these can be highly recommended!

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    • Susan*, it doesn’t surprise me that Jeremy Brett studied Conan Doyle’s works. His portrayal is absolutely excellent. And, that’s really interesting about David Suchet persuading them to change the order. I’m glad he did! However, I’m sorry he wasn’t able to persuade them from excluding some of the things the producers/writers added to Christie’s work.

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    • Barb, I wanted to highlight shows that aren’t airing now (other than the Poirots). I think it would be a shame if Brother Cadfael and Jeremy Brett’s Sherlock Holmes aren’t seen by a new generation of viewers, since they are no long airing on “regular TV”.

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  10. Just re-reading your original post, Danna, and I agree that, while Holmes may not have been considered ‘Cozy’ in Victorian times, he certainly fits the genre now.
    They are ‘mysteries’ rather than ‘crime novels’ (Patricia Cornwell, Lee Child, et al.), there is no explicit violence or gore, no sex and no really bad language. Definitely cozy.

    P.S. I’ll keep my eye out for the Cadfael series, too. Thankyou. 🙂

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  11. I’m a HUGE fan of “Midsomer Murders.” Seems I’ve been watching it for a good 20 years. (Just checked. It first aired in 1997, so it’s been close to 20 years!). Based on Caroline Graham’s Inspector Barnaby cozies, which take place in the Cotswolds. Love, love, love the books but the series ranks way high on my list of all-time favorite TV shows. Each and every season is available on NetFlix.

    Also love David Suchet’s “Poirot” and every version of Agatha Christie’s “Miss Marple” movies, not to mention everything Agatha Christie has ever written!

    Thank heaven for Netflix, which makes it so easy to watch these classic mysteries. I need to watch Brother Cadfael. Have thought about it for years, but have never gotten around to it.

    Oh, also count me in as a lover of Jeremy Brett’s Sherlock Holmes. Nobody does him better! Did you know that Jeremy Brett was in “My Fair Lady”? He played Freddy Eynsford-Hill, the young man who fell in love with Eliza Doolittle. He had a wonderful voice.

    Also, in 1979 Jeremy Brett played Maxim DeWinter in a fabulous Masterpiece Theatre version of Rebecca–my all-time favorite book. My favorite Maxim will always be Sir Laurence Olivier, but Jeremy Brett was masterful in the role. Such a great actor–definitely gone too soon!

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  12. I have several, here goes: Pie In The Sky, The Last Detective, Campion, Jonathan Creek, Hetty Wainthropp, Lovejoy, Rosemary & Thyme, Dorothy L. Sayers Mysteries with Lord Peter Wimsey & Harriet Vane, Lord Peter Wimsey, Midsomer Murders, Inspector Morse, Hercule Poirot & Agatha Christie. All of this are British mysteries or detective series. I’m sure I’ve watch more (thank you Netflix) but these are the ones I watch over & over.

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  13. I love Rosemary and Thyme as well as Midsomer, both of which I can currently watch on one of my local PBS channels.

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  14. One almost forgotten author who is most definitely ‘cosy’, an award winner and has been called one of the funniest crime writers, is the late Colin Watson, some of whose mysteries set around the town of Flaxborough were filmed for the BBC many years ago, and starred Anton Rogers as Inspector Purbright, with a young Christopher Timothy as Sergeant Love. Well worth seeking out.

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  17. Danna, I could not agree more on Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes. And I also liked that Dr Watson got his digs in, and was not the buffoon portrayed in many of the movies! I liked the first Dr Watson the best; he seemed like he could be a ladies’ man and had a sly sense of humor. Edward Hardwicke, the second Watson, seemed a bit too mature for the role, but was a steady and intelligent presence.

    The first time I saw Brett in the role, I thought, excellent casting, and the first time he uttered his Sherlockian “HA!” in a moment of triumph or amusement, I knew he was The Definitive Holmes. The first one I had seen who completely fit the role. I read the Holmes books and many of the pastiches over many years, and considered joining the Baker Street Irregulars — now I wish I had!

    I also wanted to put in a word for the Inspector Morse mysteries (PBS) starring John Thaw. They are excellent “puzzle” mysteries and Thaw’s Morse is, according to a friend, absolutely suited. One never knew there was such murderous havoc in little old Oxford town! So far as I know they may only be available through Acorn.

    The recent “Grantchester” on Masterpiece Mystery is also a charming cozy series, and it doesn’t hurt a bit that the lead is quite a handsome young Anglican priest with a Labrador puppy!

    I, too, am a fan of “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries,” but I think the first two seasons are the best.

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    • Marja, I wish I had thought of adding that tidbit about Dr. Watson! It really is refreshing to see an intelligent non-buffoon Watson! Let’s face it, if he was a silly side-kick, Sherlock wouldn’t have put up with him!

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  18. I loved Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes. I do not like the new series. I think I have seen most all of the ones you have mentioned above. I finally got tired of Midsomer Murders after being addicted to it and probably seeing every one of them. Loved the lead actor. I also wish there had been another follow up series with Trevor Eve as the lead in Heat of the Sun. Right now I am addicted to Korean historical films and some modern ones. They are mostly all television series so you can watch one or two a night, if you can stand to wait till the next night to see the next one. This isn’t part of the subject but would love to hear of English and other mysteries that you have enjoyed. Will peruse your website. Thanks for all the information.

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  19. Tks for your site. Loved Murdock & didn’t know they were still filming new seasons. Most, if not all, of these mystery series & many other PBS/BBC series on dvds are available for FREE at public libraries. I’m a Senior on a tight budget & I use online suggestions to add to my possibilities list. I put the episodes on Hold, one after another until I’m done with a series. Even recent ones like Sherlock with Benedict Comerbatch! Waiting for the next George Gently season to be filmed!!

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    • Mary Elaine, I don’t know if they’re filming new shows. I looked the series up in IMDB and see the Christmas episode people commented about was filmed in December ’15. So, here’s hoping they’re going to produce more!

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  20. The Radio Times magazine here in the UK recently ran a poll for the 50 greatest crime dramas. 50th was Hazell, a private detective from 1978-9, while top of the list was Inspector Morse. I would type the whole 50, but it’s a long list, probably discoverable through the internet. The results were published in the magazine for 7-13 July.

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    • Joppy, Hazell doesn’t look at all familiar to me. I’m guessing that it never made its way to the states.

      Thanks for the info on the Radio Times magazine crime dramas. I just looked up the list, and it has a lot of the shows my family has enjoyed. I’ll watch for some of the shows we’ve missed seeing.

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  21. I was just browsing mystery series on Amazon the other day and came across the “Foyle’ War’ series and decided to watch the first one. I liked it very much and thought you might be interested. it is an investigative procedural which is why it may not be on your list but just for your your own and your husband’ personal interest I just thought i’d mention it. We seem to share similar tastes. I tend to take my mysteries in spurts so I haven’t talked to you recently. hope you and your family are doing well.

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    • Marion, we have indeed seen Foyle’s War, and it is definitely to our taste! I’m surprised I haven’t written anything about it to date – though a bit more investigative than some Cozies, I think it still fits nicely within the overall Cozy theme.

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  22. Love all these suggestions!

    Two modern cozy mystery series I came across recently is ‘Shakespeare & Hathaway’ (two quirky PI’s, set in Stratford-upon-Avon) and ‘Darby and Joan’ (set in Queensland, Australia with an overarching mystery, and a mystery solved within each episode).

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  23. I’ve enjoyed all of the Agatha Raisin episodes! Very cozy mysteries — also, the Harry Wild series with Jane Seymour!

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