Welcome to the Kitchen Table! It is the heart of December, in holiday season, and the weather might not be nice. Why not hunker down with some streaming entertainment? I am sharing my Netflix finds tonight -- not movies this time, but television series. Tonight's subject is:
Cozy Mysteries
A cozy mystery is a gentle version of the mystery story -- violence is downplayed, any sex is implied not explicit, and the characters tend to be from a small group or village. These are puzzle stories -- and they can be as comforting as tea and biscuits, as addictive as potato chips. Think Agatha Christie -- she pretty much invented the genre.
I've picked four series from four countries -- see below the fold!
Rosemary and Thyme
From England. This wasn't a new find for me. My mother was watching this series in the last months of her life so it has a special place in my heart. The stories feature an academic botanist unfairly deprived of her teaching position (played by Felicity Kendall) and a former policewoman, newly divorced and really pissed off about it (played by Pam Ferris) who join forces to restore gardens to their former glory -- and find some bodies along the way. You will see gorgeous, gorgeous scenery of the gardens and grand houses of Britain and Europe in this -- and a great cast of characters. Enjoy!
Murdoch Mysteries
From Canada. It is the 1890s in Toronto -- and Station 4 of the Toronto Constabulary is the scene. William Murdoch is a 19th Century nerd, fascinated by scientific methods and newfangled gadgetry -- and also by the beguiling Dr. Julia Ogden, Medical Examiner. Historic characters find their way into the stories -- Nikola Tesla, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, H.G. Wells -- and the whole series is more than a little steampunk. Lots of fun! The series is still being made so we have more to look forward to.
Columbo
From the U.S.A. Columbo was an iconic series that began in the late 1960s starring the late Peter Falk. It bucked the rules of the detective genre because the mystery is revealed right up front. Each story begins with the murder -- and we, the audience, see who, how, and often why. The interest comes in seeing the rumpled and humble (but oh so clever) Detective Columbo figure it all out. The villains always underestimate him! Arrogance will do that...and the villains Columbo meets tend to be from the upper crust. Oh, how they fall. Revisit a bygone southern California with Detective Columbo ("Just one more thing...") just for the pleasure of it.
Watch a trailer for the Columbo DVDs here.
Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
From Australia. Set in 1920s Melbourne, Miss Phryne (pronounced Fry'-nee) Fisher is a woman of independent means and a flapper who does just what she likes. She likes to drive fancy motorcars and to fly a Tiger Moth. She likes men -- but not marriage. And she likes to take up detection and solve a few murders, whether the police want her there or not. The wardrobe! The hats! And an actress, Essie Davis, who might remind you of Diana Rigg in her 30s... This TV series is based upon a popular series of novels by Kerry Greenwood. I've really enjoyed it and hope they will make more. I think there are close to twenty books featuring Phryne Fisher so there is hope!
Got any cozy mystery series you would like to share? Please do!
Prior Streaming Movies on a Friday Night subjects:
At the Table
Ghosts
Resilient People
Love
Food and Our Health
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