Television series

Murdoch Mysteries

Name: Murdoch Mysteries
Genre: Drama, Crime, Mystery
Released: 2008
Cast: Yannick Bisson, Thomas Craig, Hélène Joy, Jonny Harris, Lachlan Murdoch

A Toronto detective in 1901 solves murders using newfangled forensic science—fingerprints, toxicology, early photography—while navigating period manners and personal longing. It's cozy procedural comfort food with genuine chemistry, period detail that doesn't lecture, and the pleasure of watching smart people figure things out. For anyone who loves a puzzle and doesn't mind their drama gentle.

TVMaze rating

4.1

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like cosy procedurals where the pleasure is in the period detail and a clever detective's early forensic methods, plus a slow-burn romance you can settle into week after week.

Skip it if you want grim, unsparing crime, since the tone stays warm and the gore is kept at a polite distance.

What it asks of you: Unhurried hours, each self-contained and easy to dip into, but nineteen seasons of them is a long companionship to sign up for.

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

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Endeavour2012

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

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Alienist2018

Both dramatize the birth of forensic science and psychology as tools, and both hinge on one man's refusal to dismiss new methods as witchcraft.

1896 New York: a criminal psychologist, a telegraph operator, and a detective hunt a serial killer using proto-forensic psychology. Gorgeously lit gaslit-era thriller with genuine innovation in forensic thinking—Murdoch's world, darker and more savage.

But Explicit violence and disturbing psychology. Slower pacing; the second season falters. Not comfort viewing—it's beautiful but brutal.

Miss Scarlet2020

1870s London: an ex-governess turns private detective while sparring with a Scotland Yard inspector. Clever cases, genuine partnership built on equals-based tension, and feminism that feels earned rather than imposed.

But Lighter than Murdoch and sometimes feels it. The chemistry works better in later seasons; season one is a bit uneven.

Penny Dreadful2014

Victorian London, literary monsters, and a cast of damaged people summoned to fight darkness. Gorgeously shot, morally complex, and the dialogue alone is worth the price. Horror with ambition and style.

But Much darker and more violent than Murdoch. Will test you if you dislike gore or relentless misery. Cancelled after three seasons.

Grantchester2014

A vicar and a detective solve crimes in 1950s Cambridgeshire. Warm, funny, character-driven, with genuine friendship at its heart. Cosy but never stupid—the mysteries land and the people matter.

But Gentler and less crime-focused than Murdoch. If you need puzzle complexity, this prioritizes souls over solutions.

The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes1970

Both prize the inner lives of brilliant men; both understand that method and decency matter more than winning, and both suggest that the real tragedy is loneliness.

Billy Wilder's melancholy masterpiece: Holmes as a tired, lonely man solving a small mystery in the Scottish Highlands. Not a case, but a character study—what remains when the cases end? Two hours of wit and sadness that respects intelligence over spectacle.

But Barely a mystery at all. Slow, reflective, and built for adults who'll sit with quiet. If you want cases solved and villains vanquished, this deliberately denies you.