Jill Golick at Running with my Eyes Closed analyses the pilot of Murdoch Mysteries:
- Murdoch Mysteries
“Murdoch Mysteries, which premiered in Toronto last night and around the country on other nights this week, knows just what kind of a show it is and shares that information with us right up front in the teaser.” Read more.
Loved the original M.M. show from 2004. Found this new one completely unwatchable with it’s cliche shakey camera work, overdone multiple angle shots and silly panning camera sound effects. I’ll definitely give this series a miss.
I really enjoyed the show. The references to historical Toronto and the way crimes were solved without the csi bull was very illuminating. Great casting and sets too. Congratulations on making some non-moronic television!
Has anyone seen Life on Mars ,the British cop show…
It seems that Murdoch Mysteries has blantantly lifted certain elements wholesale from the show….even certain scenes are almost identical….yes the period the shows are set etc and plot lines of the cases that are solved are totally different, but the dynamic between Murdoch and his boss, the character of the boss, the fact that Murdoch has the 2 allies in the woman and the inexperienced cop….
And if in doubt just try typing in ‘Murdoch Mysteries and Life on Mars’ in google..you’ll find the blog of the husband of the author of the books that the show is based on admitting that he gave the producers the Life on Mars DVD box set to watch and that
‘loved Life On Mars so much she has now made it required viewing for all the writers on the Murdoch series. Our show is set in Victorian Toronto 1895, and Life on Mars is set in Manchester UK 1970’s. No comparison. But the tone of the show is what she wants to capture.’
hmmmm
I think that’s a huge stretch. That type of boss is a stock police character you can find in NYPD Blue and The Wire too. Life on Mars premiered in 2006 and the first Murdoch Mysteries TV movie was 2004, with the books before that of course. If anything, you’d be saying that Life on Mars ripped off Murdoch, but either way, the shows are very different in tone and subject. The fact that the original author of the books wanted that tone doesn’t mean the TV producers succeded in capturing it – or even wanted to.
Well I must say that I watched the episode with Mare Del Mar and geraint Wyn davies and for some reason they “added” to the Murdoch Mysteries, giving it that extra punch…they should be added from time to time in future episodes. (The show it self so far has been great).
Nice to have “detective work” the way it was before.
Historical mistake in tonight,s episode (Feb. 20). Murdoch mentions Cambridge (implying Cambridge, Ontario) which was not formed until the 1970’s by the joining of Preston, Galt, and Hespeler.
my name is sandra
i live in scotland and we are getting murdoch mysteries from sky
iwatch it every tuesdayon uktvdrama and yanickbisson is good
as the dective
the last episode of Murdoch is airing in Canada this Thursday, has anyone heard anything on renewal of the show?