Neill Rea stars as Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Shephard – a country western music fanatic who happens to love his vintage 1970s car. He’s new to Brokenwood, and isn’t particularly appreciated by Detective Kristin Sims (played by Fern Sutherland). Detective Sims was hoping to be in charge of the detective department. Both Fern Sutherland and Neill Rea are terrific in their respective roles.
This new detective-boss takes some getting used to. One of Detective Senior Sergeant Shepard’s idiosyncrasies: he talks to the crime victims >>> when he first meets them, while they’re laying dead on the ground!
As much as I appreciate the two main leads of The Brokenwood Mysteries, I will say this: I look forward to all the scenes Shepherd has with the Russian forensic pathologist (played beautifully by Cristina Ionda). The interaction between the coroner and… well just about anyone brings a terrific addition of humor to the shows. Unfortunately she isn’t one of the main characters of the show, so you won’t see a lot of her…
With Mike Shepherd being new to the area, it’s a wonderful fluke that he makes friends with Jared Morehu (played by Pana Hema Taylor). Mike is able to get the entire history of the town – in minute detail – from Jared. Name any subject (wine, dramatic arts, rugby, golf, etc) and Jared knows all the local juicy gossip.
Another of the main characters is D.C. Breen (Nic Sampson). I was really happy to see that his role on the show was expanded (I think after the first season). He provides a lot of the humor in the show also.
My husband, grown daughter, and I all enjoyed these television mystery shows. The setting is absolutely beautiful, the acting is great, the humor is appreciated, the mysteries are full of red herrings, and the writing is terrific. Thumbs up!
And, by the way, this is just one of the terrific tv shows available on Acorn TV.
P.S. My husband and I use the subtitles while viewing this really, really good mystery show.
For more Cozy viewing ideas, click on my Cozy Mystery TV & Movies page.
Cathy Ace says
I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed this series…watched quickly over a couple of weeks. All the tropes are there, but with a fresh twist. We’re calling it ‘Midsomer Down South’ in this house 🙂
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Cathy, that’s a decent comparison, though I’d say that Brokenwood feels a little less “formulaic” than some of the Midsomer Murders – though that could just be because there are so fewer episodes.
Cathy Ace says
Very few episodes so far…not enough! 🙂
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Cathy, yes, a lot of non-American tv shows certainly seem to have shorter season runs. Though the fact that Brokenwood episodes are all as long as movies might have a lot to do with it.
Cathy Ace says
I enjoy the longer length of episode, it’s a “proper evening’s entertainment” 🙂
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Cathy, I agree – it’s a great length to allow a more complicated mystery.
Joy says
Don’t think Midsomer Murders should be called formulaic. For Brokenwood to be compared to them is a compliment. Now saying that i enjoy Brokenwood put Midsomer is my favorite
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Joy, don’t get me wrong, I do love Midsomer Murders as well.
Ellen Thorne says
This sounds a great series, hopefully it will be shown here in the UK.
Many thanks for the information you give on new authors, books etc as many authors are new to me, so I keep a list of them that
Way I know who look for when browsing amazon. Hope you & your family not forgetting your pets have a great summer.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Ellen, if you can get ahold of it somehow, I’d strongly recommend it!
Joppy says
It’s already been available through one of the multitude of obscure channels on satellite. I watched the series a few months back, having found it by accident, looking for something decent to watch.
Newfie says
It was on sky , drama channel 158 ,
Enter it into search box and you can download them
Sharon S says
It sounds wonderful! Thanks, Danna. And I just checked my public library, and they have series 1, 2, and 3!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Sharon, it’s definitely worth tracking down one way or another!
KG says
Love this program also. I watched season 1 on Netflix, season 2 on PBS, and will now go back to Netflix for the rest. I would love to know more of Mike Shepherd’s background and hope that will be revealed. There is just the right amount of humor for me in this series.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
KG, I’d also like to hear more of Mike’s background.
Lois wessel says
Just started watching Brokenwood and love it, but the music is too loud. We have to constantly lower the volume. Your idea of closed captioning is brilliant. Thanks.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Lois, we’ve definitely found captioning useful for series like this and some of the more distinctly British shows. Accents are becoming harder for us as we get older.
Cindy O says
Binged watched all 3 seasons and loved them.
Can’t wait for next season.
Acorn tv best thing ever if you are a fan of Brit, Aussie, New Zealand, Canadian and so much more.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Cindy, yes, Acorn is certainly a great deal if you’re looking for non-American tv that is by native English speakers.
Carlene says
I have seen this show and I love it. I’m glad you have found it.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Carlene, yes, it’s certainly a great find!
Bek says
Those look like SO much fun! It’s going to be the first of the year before I can put both Prime and Acorn in the budget, but I’ve made a note of this!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Bek, we ended up dropping Netflix, because we have more TV than we can use off of Prime and Acorn. So I’d definitely say it’s worth the wait if it takes you some time to get the budget for it.
LI says
Hi Danna,
I also like this series and I have also started subscribing to Britbox which is like acorn TV only it has a bigger selection. I watch either one of those all the time.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
LI, I’ll have to take a look at Britbox at some time! Thanks for the suggestion.
Cindy O says
I watch more Brit tv (becoming a fan of Aussie and New Zealand tv now too) than American – just the shows and ooo those lovely accents
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Cindy, we’ve been leaning away from most American television as well too… except for cooking competitions. We still watch a lot of American cooking competitions.
Luisa says
My husband and I just love this series! We’re looking forward to #4. Hope it comes out soon! Acorn has a wonderful collection. One of my favorites is Doc Martin. An outstanding feature of Acorn TV is the beautiful landscapes it portrays. Makes a person want to visit those places. Guess I’ll have to settle for viewing it on the “telly”!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Luisa, we’re definitely looking forward to a Season 4 as well! And yes, it really does show off that New Zealand scenery.
Janice says
My husband and I enjoy this series too. We also like Vera. We can’t wait for the new season of Brokenwood to come on.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Janice, yes, we’re definitely looking forward to a new season!
Emzee says
We have a mystery movie night each week with another couple. We loved this series! I believe series #4 is shooting/airing this year. You are right about the close captioned. Our friend is hard of hearing and put on the cc for him. But we needed it to understand some of the dialogue!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Emzee, it certainly is a distinct accent! Beautiful, though, when we can understand it.
Betsy says
My husband, daughter, and I love this series as well. After reading your review, my husband (a born and bred New Zealander!) had a chuckle with your p.s.!?
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Betsy, it’s a lovely accent, but as we get older, my husband and I are finding accents harder and harder to totally understand. Our son says it’s totally understandable though.
Andi M says
Love Brokenwood also! I agree with you about using the CC -accents and fading hearing are not a good combination! So fun to see the NZ setting and the everyday things that are part of the way of life there.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Andi, it really is a great series that I can strongly recommend to any mystery fan!
ann says
I’ve been getting the DVDs of this series from the library and love them.
Ann
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Ann, it certainly is a series worth tracking down.
Joyce S. says
Great series! Check your local library, they may carry this series. Check out SHETLAND another enjoyable mystery series set in/on the Shetland Islands.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Joyce, thanks for the suggestion! I do intend to watch Shetland at some point – there’s just not enough time in the day sometimes.
Beth says
Watched this show on Acorn tv – loved it.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Beth, it really is a great series!
Mollie Hunt says
I got it out of our local library here in Portland, Oregon. It’s an excellent series.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Mollie, it’s certainly worth watching, wherever you hunt it down!
Judy Timmons says
The Broken wood Mysteries are very entertaining. The plots are clever and the main characters are well cast. I really enjoy the chance to see New Zealand. What a beautiful part of the world. We watch the series on Acorn streaming service. I love this site. They provide us with so many great British shows.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Judy, Brokenwood sure is a great series!
Monica M says
I love the series. No need for subtitles, even though I’m Canadian. I watched the first series (season) on BBC Canada and picked up the 2nd from the local library. Great characters. The supporting cast really rounds each episode out.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Monica, it’s definitely a great series, and I agree that the supporting cast is really a big part of why the show is so great.
Candidly, Cat says
LOVE this series!! Binge watched all seasons and now require MORE MORE MORE!