Midsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders
TV-14 | 23 March 1997 (USA)

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SEASON & EPISODES
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  • Reviews
    Inclubabu Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.
    CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
    Twilightfa Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.
    Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.
    Charles Ray I began watching Midsomer Murders on a local NPR station (WETA-UK), when some of the older episodes were airing. Then, thanks to my son, I started watching it on Netflix. At first, it was just an interesting British mystery set in a rural area, but when I read some of the comments by original producer, Brian True-May as to why there were no characters of color in the series, I was a bit turned off, despite the fact that the stories were otherwise pretty well done. Then, True-May, as people of his ilk are prone to do, went a verbal step too far and was removed from the series. With the change, more characters of color began to appear, often in key roles, with no change in the essential direction of the show-and, in my opinion, the series is much the better for it. When John Nettles, the first DCI Barnaby, left the show, and was replaced by his cousin, played by Neil Dudgeon, I thought the series would lag, but was happily proved to be wrong. The new DCI Barnaby is as interesting in his own unique way, and Midsomer continues to be a part of England that, though I might like to visit, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to live--or die--there. If you like British mystery and cop shows, you can't go wrong with this one.
    thobelman I am an American who loves and enjoys most BBC productions. I especially love the various English murder mystery series. But this series left me somewhat befuddled, and I could not watch more than the first series (which I simply could not finish). While many reviewers say it is meant to be humorous or tongue-in-cheek, I can't seem to get past certain issues I consider integral to murder mysteries. For example, Sergeant Toby is portrayed as "dumb as a box of rocks." But, it would be unlikely that a police officer who has worked their way up to the rank of sergeant and is partnered with a DCI on Murder cases would be unable to think his way out of a paper bag. And, the constant contempt, insults and bad treatment by Barnaby seems exactly that and nothing more. A much more intelligent, witty (and sometimes contentious) parallel relationship is expertly done in the George Gently series where the sergeant is smart and perceptive (if a little misguided) and makes significant contributions to investigations. In Midsomer Murders, the characters come across to me as unrealistic and campy, and in some instances, the show reminds me of poor quality, B-grade horror movies. While I agree with many comments about the attention to details of the settings and interiors of homes, I feel there are important elements that are missing from a good Detective series. But, I have probably missed the point here and recognize that the series is just not my cup of tea.
    ladybug2535 I've been binge-watching (unintentionally--I accidentally got hooked) on N*tfl*x and am now on season 12. My appreciation for this show has only grown; which leads me to substantially increase my rating from the first season or two. FYI: yes, while thankfully not too hard to understand here, there is closed-captioning.Why I've grown to like this show so much: While the initial season or two were rife with annoying stereotypes, as the show matured, so did the characters. Barnaby, the lead, is a nice change from the sometimes deranged, immature and annoying detectives so popular on American television today. He's a laid back intelligent fellow, with a stable marriage and a lovely grown daughter with ambitions of her own. It's also a nice change for a detective show to not rely on any ongoing marital or family strife as a prop for ramping up tension and drama. Any marital spats here are realistically mild and short-lived (except for the first season or so, when Joyce (his charmingly age-appropriate wife) too often complains about his frequent and justified absences during "family" moments--that was irritating, as any cop's spouse--or doctor's spouse, or fireman's spouse, would know that is part of the job; especially in a rural district with low staff numbers. I realize I'm over thinking this, but I'm glad they dropped that trope relatively early, regardless). As of season 12 Joyce is secure in her relationship with Barnaby and a woman with an active life outside of her marriage. This is a healthy relationship with mutual support and affection. Such a nice change from the usual. His "sidekicks" have also matured and grown more believable.Even better, the show has improved the mysteries and interjected a bit more dry and appropriate humor. The Barnaby of season 12 is a confident and relaxed, seasoned detective. Sure of himself and his team(unlike many shows of this ilk); willing to let others do the heavy lifting--far more realistic than an older lead detective charging off after a younger suspect--and even let someone else take the lead. By season 12 Barnaby is secure in his position and has nothing to prove to his superiors; he's good at his job without being a rigid moralistic crusader, and everyone knows it. Despite the fact that he despises office politics, he's an active part of a functioning team, and the other characters are also allowed to change, grow and mature, with character arcs that realistically portray their growing knowledge and confidence--and promotions.Another thing I really like about the program (and for me a major point of appreciation for British programming in general) is that many of the characters are middle aged or elderly. The cast is composed of actors and actresses that look age-appropriate and like real people. These are not Hollywood plasticized, Botoxed and sanitized versions of the middle-aged or elderly. Victims and villains, and even those having romantic affairs look like ordinary people-in some cases very attractive ordinary people, but people with prominent laugh lines and even (gasp) gray hair. People with character. Senior citizens are actively having love affairs and sexual encounters and no one is acting shocked at their age (except perhaps a spouse or two, or maybe their grandchildren); and the writers don't treat it like a joke. This show rarely makes any note about how old anyone is when they are getting up to whatever they are doing--except perhaps in admiration. What a breathe of fresh air! You do not have to suspend disbelief to accept that actor as the father of that middle aged child, or that one as the middle aged parent of that teenager, or that those people are actually married to each other and have been for 30 or 40 years, or that person was active in WWII, etc. Given some of the mysteries go back to something that happened decades or even generations before, casting age-appropriate actors matters a great deal, even if it didn't seem like an obvious thing to do anyway. (On a social level, it also demonstrates a much greater acceptance of aging and flaws in appearance. You can be attractive even with wrinkles and a saggy bum. An attitude we'd do well to emulate). Midsomer's murder demographic definitely skews older than we would assume from similar American programming. I like that very much.Overall a very enjoyable program with interesting and believable characters (if you can get past the first season or so) and great actors. Usually not the most challenging of mysteries, but entertaining. The quality or challenge of those mysteries can vary. In general the audience is given the same knowledge as the Detectives, so in that regard there are few "cheats" (I can't stand mystery shows that cheat their audiences; leaving out crucial information that only the sleuth knows). Most of the time the Detectives spell out their logic (sometimes as the show progresses, but usually at the end) in figuring out the murderer's identity and/or the murderer's motive. Once we know the facts and follow the Detective's logic, it makes sense--if you haven't already solved the mystery on your own.
    HoustonOpinion I miss John Nettles and his co-stars who made this a great detective series. However, the new generation has picked up where Nettles left off. It's a great detective series that we are able to watch through Netflix in USA. The new generation has greater mix of ethnic groups, probably a reasonable profile of current UK. The countryside is very unique, narrow lanes and very lush green summer landscape. I would like to see some winter scenes. Winter may have fewer daylight hours but it would allow overseas viewers a glimpse, especially those of us who reside in the warm winters of Texas. I am sure it gets harder to come with new plots. However, if one watches the daily news - there are plenty of stories. Immigrants trying to find a better life through some harrowing and dangerous journey.
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