Television series

Lovejoy

Name: Lovejoy
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Crime
Released: 1986
Cast: Ian McShane, Dudley Sutton, Chris Jury, Phyllis Logan, Malcolm Tierney

Mystery
Dip in and out

Lovejoy is a breezy, clever British crime series about an antiques dealer with an eye for forgery and a talent for solving crimes. Ian McShane is irresistible as a rogue who slides between worlds—legitimate auction rooms one moment, criminal underworld the next—with charm and cunning. It's witty, warm, and endlessly inventive: mysteries wrapped in comedy, greed explored through beautiful objects. Perfect for anyone who loves crime drama that doesn't take itself too seriously.

TVMaze rating

4.0

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy a rogue who lives by his wits and charm, with light crime and sly comedy in a cosy British setting, where the pleasure is in the scheming and the banter rather than the plot.

Skip it if you want a tightly plotted mystery with steady escalation; episodes are loose, self-contained capers, and the stories often lean on coincidence and familiar faces rather than building a single arc.

What it asks of you: Each episode runs about fifty-three minutes and wraps its own case, so you can dip in without homework. The tone stays easygoing, with the comedy doing as much work as the crime.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Rockford Files1974

James Garner as a private detective who uses charm, intelligence and improvisation rather than violence. Episodes are perfectly plotted, funny without mugging, and Garner's likability makes you root for a man who isn't always honest.

But It's American 1970s television—slower pacing than you're used to, and some cases resolve in ways that feel dated.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy2011

Gary Oldman as a spy navigating murky professional waters with wit and cunning. The film shares Lovejoy's delight in intelligence as the greatest tool, in reading people and situations with precision. Taut, elegant, and deeply satisfying.

But It's a puzzle-box film requiring close attention. No one smiles much. If you want warmth and levity, this isn't it.

Columbo1968

Peter Falk as a detective who disarms suspects with apparent bumbling and genuine human interest. Like Lovejoy, Columbo sees what others miss and uses psychology over procedural. Endlessly rewatchable, hugely clever, funny in its own understated way.

But The format—knowing who the murderer is from the start—feels rigid by modern standards. Episodes can meander before the payoff.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Lovejoy

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Sharpe's Rifles1993

A clever protagonist who sees what others miss—one in auction rooms, one in military strategy. Both are men using perception as their primary tool.

Tom Selleck's version of Lovejoy gets replaced by Sean Bean as a sharp-eyed officer reading battlefields and men. Like Lovejoy reading antiques for forgery, Sharpe reads situations for advantage. Both share that delight in intelligence as the weapon.

But It's a Napoleonic Wars drama that takes its violence seriously. The scope is epic where Lovejoy is intimate.

Alias Smith and Jones1971

Two charming con men navigate the American West on the run. It has Lovejoy's DNA exactly: criminals you like, humor that lands, plots that twist, and lead characters who think their way out of trouble.

But It's a Western in an era when Westerns felt dated. The tone can be uneven, veering from comedy to melodrama.

Magnum, P.I.1980

Tom Selleck as a private detective in Hawaii, solving crimes with warmth, humor, and occasional roguishness. The tone—funny but genuine, clever but never cruel—mirrors Lovejoy's best episodes. Deeply likable television.

But It's very 1980s in its sensibility. Some episodes are filler. The formula can feel repetitive if you watch too many at once.

Thief1981

James Caan as a professional burglar moving through criminal and legitimate worlds with precision and style. Michael Mann's film is about the intelligence of crime and the seduction of the outlaw life—Lovejoy's thematic cousin.

But It's a serious, noir-inflected crime film with violence and moral darkness. No comedy, no coziness. A different register entirely.

The Grifters1990

Both are about criminals of a particular type—intelligent, attractive, operating on the boundary between worlds. The Grifters shows what happens when that life doesn't end in redemption.

Con artists moving through American lowlife with style and desperation. Stephen Frears finds the dark psychology of people who live by their wits and charm. It's Lovejoy's story if you removed the coziness and replaced it with genuine danger and human damage.

But It's morally bleak. Characters you understand hurt each other. There's no safety net, no charm that saves you. Uncompromising and sad.