Reader Friday: TV Mystery Series

Posted on by

The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery. —Francis Bacon

* * *

Some of my favorite TV shows to watch while I’m running on the treadmill are old mystery series. I like Murder, She Wrote, Columbo, Midsomer Murders, and a few others. My favorite is Endeavour starring Shaun Evans as the young Detective Endeavour Morse.

Recently, I decided it was time to watch newer mystery series (ones that aired starting in the year 2020 or later.) I found a lot of them. Here are a few I thought sounded interesting:

Adolescence – When a 13-year-old is accused of the murder of a classmate, his family, therapist and the detective in charge are all left asking what really happened.

Severance – Mark leads a team of office workers whose memories have been surgically divided between their work and personal lives. When a mysterious colleague appears outside of work, it begins a journey to discover the truth about their jobs.

High Potential – A single mom with three kids helps solve an unsolvable crime when she rearranges some evidence during her shift as a police department cleaner.

Grace – Brighton set crime drama following Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, a hard-working police officer who has given his life to the job.

Dark Winds – Follows Leaphorn and Chee, two Navajo police officers in the 1970s Southwest that are forced to challenge their own spiritual beliefs when they search for clues in a double murder case.

Ludwig – While seeking to unravel the mystery of his twin brother’s disappearance, reclusive puzzle-designer John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor takes on his twin brother James’s identity as DCI on Cambridge’s major crimes squad.

Grosse Pointe Garden Society – Follows four members of a suburban garden club, as they get caught up in murder and mischief, as they strive to flourish.

Only Murders in the Building – Three strangers – who live in the same New York City apartment building and share an obsession with true crime – suddenly find themselves embroiled in a murder.

I don’t have any data on the series beyond the taglines above.

So TKZers: Help me find a new series. What Mystery Series are your favorites? Have you watched any of the newer series? Which would you recommend?

33 thoughts on “Reader Friday: TV Mystery Series”

  1. The Bride and I “semi-binge” (as in maybe two episodes an evening), several of those you’ve listed above (Adolescence, Grace, Dark Winds, Endeavor, Grosse Point – to which I’d add Longmire, and Bosch), and have tried a couple of the others that, disappointingly, just didn’t seem to connect (and which includes the Joe Pickett adaptations).

    The “Brit Box” streaming package has a pretty good selection of both police procedurals and PI whodunnits – the “Robert Galbraith”/J.K. Rowling’s Strike series in particular.

    We recently completed “The Residence” – an off-beat and quirkily humorous murder mystery set in the White House during a state dinner, with a detective brought in by DC police who is a birdwatcher. It’s a “one-off” at the moment – 8 episodes, I believe, but the editing between scenes is spot-on for the humor value, and characters are almost straight out of the Knives Out franchise – which gets referenced and skewered, as does Murder on the Orient Express, since just about everyone has a reason to have killed the long suffering Chief Usher… and I think you’ll be surprised at who’s in the cast – which adds to the humor and need to pay attention – and who’s referenced, but not…

    Thanks for asking… and enjoy your weekend!

    • Thanks for that great list, George. I forgot to mention Longmire. I’ve watched episodes and enjoy it.

      Hadn’t heard of The Residence. I’ll add it to my list. I guess I’ll be spending a lot more time on the treadmill. (That’s a good thing!)

  2. Lately we’ve watched Bosch Legacy which unfortunately seems to be ending with this season.

    Also Reacher, although that’s not a mystery per se. It’s going downhill from earlier seasons.

    Oldies but goodies: Columbo, McCloud, Rockford Files. Even older, Perry Mason, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, 1950s-60s PI shows like Peter Gunn (hear that theme music), 77 Sunset Strip, The Thin Man.

    Kay, thanks for suggestions of newer shows.

  3. I’m out of touch with what’s currently on. I used to catch some episodes of Murder She Wrote. And before that the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (I admit it – I had a crush on Parker Stevenson, i.e. Frank Hardy). 😎 😎

    • Good morning, Brenda!

      Murder, She Wrote is another favorite. (Just don’t ever move to a town where Jessica Fletcher lives. Your chances of being murdered would increase dramatically. 🙂 )

  4. Dark Winds is an excellent series, Kay. For a lighter, often goofy, series, Murders in the Building is a ton of fun. How can’t it be with Martin Short and Steve Martin?

    • Another vote for Only Murders in the Building! Selena Gomez and Martin & Steve. Great combo.

      Currently binging House, MD. My post-covid mind screams “Where are your masks and gloves!” My how times change.

    • Good morning Sue.

      Dark Winds sounds like one I’d like. I’ve seen a couple of episodes of Only Murders in the Building and I loved it.

      Thanks for the recommendations.

  5. We’ve been watching Ludwig, Dark Winds, and Severance from your “new” list. Another one we liked was New Tricks. I think we went through all of the original Perry Masons.

  6. My husband and I just finished watching Striker, the series based on Robert Galbriath’s (J.K. Rowlings) mystery books with Comoran Strike and Robin Endicott as private detective agency owners. They did a really good job of translating the books to the series, especially with the characters. If you can find The Killing (I think we watched it on NetFlix), it’s worth watching. We also like Dark Winds, Longmire, all the reiterations of Bosch and The Lincoln Lawyer. I agree that Reacher’s first season was the only one really worth watching, unfortunately.

    • Thanks for the recommendations, Kelly. I’ve heard of Striker, but never watched.

      Dark Winds keeps appearing in these comments, so I guess that’ll be the next series I jump into.

  7. We watched all of Columbo, Perry Mason, and Murder She Wrote during the pandemic. Love them all. Also Elementary, starring Johnny Lee Miller as Holmes and Lucy Liu as Watson. A Modern day Sherlock Holmes in NYC. We watched Midsomer Murders through Season 22, but now it’s only available on Acorn, which we don’t have (yet).

    Only Murders in the Building is terrific, hilarious, quirky with twisty mysteries and a cozy vibe. Selena Gomes is compelling, and Steve Martin and Martin Short are a great old guy duo–so much fun to watch the three of them become a crime solving team.

    Another mystery show I adored is A Man on the Inside, starring Ted Danson, which is centered on a senior living center in San Francisco. Delightful, funny and poignant, also with a cozy vibe. I can’t wait for season 2.

    We’re watching the the Residence–ditto what George said above. Very cleverly written show, with a great detective, a cozy adjacent vibe and a terrific cast. They’ve kept me guessing on the mystery, too.

    On Britbox, we really enjoy the new Father Brown Mysteries, set in the Cotswold’s in England in the 1950s. We’re currently on Season 12 Then there’s the wonderful Mrs. Sidhu Investigates, about a caterer in Slough, a suburb of London, who solves crimes. Warning–watching it will make you crave Indian food.

      • Great list of mysteries, Dale. I forgot to mention the Father Brown series. I’ve watched many episodes and enjoyed them all.

        Thanks for mentioning A Man on the Inside. I’d never heard of it, but the concept is great. (Besides, I’m planning to have a veterans retirement home in my next book. Maybe I can get some ideas.)

  8. I’ve been watching the old Agatha Christie shows on PBS. But if you haven’t watched the new Matlock staring Kathy Bates, I highly recommend it. I also watch Death in Paradise. It has 14 seasons you can binge.

  9. Good morning, Patricia.

    I haven’t seen the new Matlock, but it sounds like I need to give it a try. Also, Death in Paradise. (14 seasons? I’ll have to put in some serious treadmill time.)

    Thanks for the recommendations!

  10. I used to watch Quincy ME, Diagnosis Murder, Murder She Wrote, MacMillan and Wife, Colombo, and all the cop shows in the 70s and 80. Now I can’t watch any of them. Not sure why.

    • Hi Michelle.

      Thanks for stopping in and commenting. If you ever start to watch mystery series again, folks here have supplied us with a good list of possibilities.

      Have a great weekend.

  12. I’ve lost my taste for TV mysteries in the last few years, but I watched the first two seasons of DARK WINDS, the third season is currently showing, and I enjoyed it. I saw a few episodes of THE MAN ON THE INSIDE at a sibling’s house at Christmas, I thought it was clever, but I don’t get that streaming service. The CW is currently showing episodes of the British series SHERLOCK & DAUGHTER. I missed the first episode, but I’ve seen the next two. Holmes is played by David Thewlis (Lupin in HARRY POTTER) as a grumpy older guy, and his not-his-daughter is American with Native American blood. She’s hot-headed and unconventional. Watson and Mrs. Hudson have been kidnapped, and Holmes has been told not to look for them or do any cases, or they’ll die. That means we don’t see Holmes being Holmes, and all the crime solving is by the daughter. So not an optimal Holmes storyline.

    • Hi Marilynn.

      More votes for Dark Winds and A Man on the Inside.

      Have you seen the mystery “Remember” starring Christopher Plummer as a slightly demented man seeking revenge for a friend? It starts out in a nursing home.

  13. I’ll chime in.

    I’ve watched many of those already mentioned, but my tastes run to lots of shooting/fast cars action in addition to a mystery to be solved.

    We just watched all 3 seasons of the TV series, Shooter, loosely based on the Mark Wahlberg movie. There were only 3 seasons because I guess it was not rated well by viewers. But I don’t care. I loved the series.

    Lots of twists and turns, espionage foreign and domestic, cool guns, bad guys who were really bad and mostly politicians, and good guys who were easy to root for. And, right down to the last episode, the mystery was solved as to who killed the hero’s father, and the killer was dispatched with a spectacular sniper shot.

    My kind of mystery… 🙂

    • Hi Deb,

      “bad guys who were really bad and mostly politicians, and good guys who were easy to root for.” I like those kinds of series too.

      Have a great weekend.

  14. “High Potential” is fun. “Dark Winds” is deep, fascinating, and a Don’t Miss. “Only Murders in the Building” is twisty, comedic, and entertaining. “Longmire” has great character interaction and development. Kathy Bates takes the old “Matlock,” gives it a good shake, and makes it her own intriguing, scheming character.

    • Great descriptions, Suzanne. More votes for Dark Winds and Only Murders in the Building.

      I better get on the treadmill soon to catch up.

      Thanks for your comments.

  15. I actually didn’t like Dark Winds. I’ve read all the Tony Hillerman books on which it’s based, and the series strayed way too far off the Hillerman characters for my tastes.

    Brokenwood Mysteries, a New Zealand mystery series on Acorn is excellent. Great quirky characters and solid mysteries in a fabulous setting. There’s loads of humor, too.

    Ellis on Acorn. Wow, what a powerful, quietly-spoken Black female detective. I hope there will be another season.

    • A New Zealand mystery series sounds like one I’d like. I’ll have to give Brokenwood Mysteries a try.

      Ellis sounds like another one that’s worth trying.

      Thanks for your recommendations. Have a good weekend.

Comments are closed.