Hark, a post (about the telly)

[shallowness]

As was the case last January, I haven’t had much cause to use the ‘tv in XXXX’ tag, but I gave Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries a try last night. I’d only seen bits of the original series, maybe a few episodes through, so I don’t know how fans of that show, which I know was beloved, would land on the ‘what they did to the character to set up the show’/’another show about an insouciant lady private detective solving cases that men fail at’ equation.

I haven’t talked about it, but I have got invested in The Frankie Drake Mysteries, which is also a 1920s-set ladies solving murders in the Commonwealth show, but with less money thrown at it. Possibly, this was the first episode.

The action has moved to the 1960s, which means different stylish eyecandy (and the show avoided the dreaded Heartbeat effect). They’ve killed off (or ‘killed off’) Phrynne Fisher, and the niece who never met her – daughter of a half-sister - has inherited her house and car, and investigating skillz. I liked Peregrine, with her natural ability and mix of can-do naivete and thrill-seeking life experience, the latter linking her to her aunt.

The show seemed to set up more elements than I expected, a nod to The Avengers here (yay!) in character names, Bond there (a Q figure), the Adventuresses Club Peregrine needs to impress and a corrupt policeman (but surely normative determinism means Peregrine takes Sparrow) to fight as well as sexism to contend with. I don’t know if it will alwas take two episodes to solve a case, or if it was a one-off from having to set everything and everyone up and itll revert to a Case of the Week format. It's colourful and not that demanding, which is good for its slot for me, so we'll see

Comments

[autumnia]

I've seen Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries and thought it was enjoyable as long as you have low expectations of it. It wasn't terrible but not as delightful as the original series. One season of it was probably enough for me, but it's not a show I'd probably watch again if there were more episodes (unless characters from the original series popped up as cameos).

[shallowness]

I suspect my reaction might be different if I'd been more invested in the original show, and we'll see what I make of further episodes, but I'm not too demanding at that point in the week. I'd wondered if other characters or their descendants would cameo or remain airbrushed/moved past.