Murdoch Mysteries

[RetroToday]

Being that I'm from Toronto, Canada, and love the history of the area, I found it very interesting to hear that a mystery series called "The Murdoch Mysteries" set in 1895 Toronto is airing on the television. It's shown locally on CityTV.
Here's a link to the official site for the show: http://www.citytv.com/micro/murdochmysteries/

I saw a couple episodes. I was quite disappointed.

Not very much money was put into it and that made the quality suffer.
The camera angles are mainly restricted to head shots, possibly because they couldn't get good locations on that budget. They don't really refer to any real places in Victorian era Toronto either, didn't quench my historical side. And to make it a little more sour, anytime they do shoot outisde on location, you can see modern cars in the background!

Look to the bottom left of this frame from the Murdoch Mysteries, a horseless carriage! Sheesh!

Oh well, I guess that I do appreciate the effort - nice try. :eusa_doh:

Anyone else out there see this show?

 

[innisart]

I watch the show now that it is on PBS in the states. I don't mind the limited budget; the stories are pretty entertaining TV cozies. What bothers me most is the make-up. It's horrible. It looks like everyone is covered in orange clay, and no one's facial hair looks real. In one episode, a character was wearing a fake moustache, and Inspector Murdoch rips it off the deceased con-man in an "a-ha" moment, but that moustache looked as obviously fake as everyone else's in the room. It broke my suspension of disbelief. In this show, less would be more in terms off make-up, and would probably leave more room in the budget for CGI scenery if they cut back on that orange foundation a little.

Does anyone know who makes William Murdoch's (Yannick Bisson) black hat?

 

[bil_maxx]

I agree with all of your comments gentlemen. As a Torontonian and mystery lover, I looked forward to this show, but unfortunately it is pretty poorly done. I thought we would get another "Nero Wolfe" type production, though of course historically earlier. Ironically, "Nero Wolfe" was filmed in Toronto and uses many of the same locations and actors as "Murdoch" so I know it can be done. I hope they improve the show as it has great potential.

 

[DNO]

I've always found the show a little stiff but it can have its charm, in an "Upstairs, Downstairs" sort of way. John Doyle gave it a good review this week in the Globe...who knows, maybe the new season will see some improvement.

 

[dhermann1]

I'm glad to know I'm not the only non-fan. I find the whole thing embarrassingly inept. Stilted dialog, bad acting (mainly due to bad dialog), cheap look. Can't stand to watch for more than a minute or so.

 

[DNO]

So...tried watching it again. It hasn't improved. Still stiff, stilted. The writers seem to think that most Canadians spoke with English accents at that time...dubious. And the person who does the background sound/music seriously has to review his or her approach. I wish it was better. The idea of the show appeals, but the execution continues to be lacking.