Midsomer Murders: Barnaby's Casebook (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)Imagine Saint Mary Mead. Squared. Then add some extra blood and mayhem.
That about describes the setting of "Midsomer Murders," a morbidly witty British mystery series based on Caroline Graham's novels. And "Midsomer Murders: Barnaby's Casebook" brings together the the next round of seventeen cases in this cozy, dark little county, drawing from the fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth seasons of the series. It's a great half'n'half combo of police procedural and cozy mystery.
Snotty society beauty Melissa Townsend is receiving some threatening letters, apparently because of the death of a tenant that stemmed from her neglect. Then she's found stabbed with a syringe filled with animal tranquilizers. Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) starts investigating the murder, especially the possible involvement of Melissa's best friend (and a bit more), a drunk driving case, and secret blackmail. And more murders, of course.
From there on, Barnaby and his assistant, Detective Sergeant Gavin Troy (Daniel Casey), are forced to investigate all sorts of crimes -- a group of bell-ringers that are being bumped off, a prestigious boarding school with a deadly secret, a farmer's wife's apparent suicide, a vibrant but obnoxious widow's murder, a bizarrely complex murder tied to a mental hospital, a dead body found during an art class, an investor found dead in a river, and an old-as-dirt feud between two halves of a Midsomer town, which may hold the key to a series of deaths on the set of new movie "The House Of Satan."
Then Troy receives a promotion, and does one last case with Barnaby: a gentle recluse in the woods is implicated in the murder of his late tormentor. Enter DS Scott (John Hopkins), a rather cocky new guy who arrives just in time for a deadly class reunion, a Celtic solstice ritual that turns deadly, the death of a barman, a pagan ritual involving a dead curate, and a literary festival disrupted by some seedy goings-on... including murder. Then there's the Christmas special, "Ghosts of Christmas Past" -- Barnaby's holidays are interrupted by a string of deaths in the Villiers family, nine years after aspiring magician Ferdy Villers killed himself.
Honestly, I think Miss Marple would feel right at home in Midsomer County -- such a pretty, homey, sunshiney place, full of kindly spinsters, farmers and aristocrats of varying stripes, from skanky to down-to-earth. The whole thing is set in the various villages in this county, which is picturesque, lush, and full of farms, cute little English villages, opulent manorhouses, and little brick cottages.
So of course, there are gruesome murders, plotting and tawdry secrets hidden in every corner; several spill out in every episode, and only some of them have to do with the main murder (some are red herrings, and some are side crimes). Every now and then they have a dud episode (such as the horrendously preachy "Straw Woman"). But the writers keep a funny edge in the stories, such as Barnaby being confronted by an impending vacation ("Joyce, it looks as if these people are sitting on top of an elephant"), or and some clever dialogue ("Well, gettin' blown up's got to be a bit tragic").
And these cops are pretty believable detectives. John Nettles is absolutely wonderful as the kindly, middle-aged cop with a brain like stainless steel, whose nice sedate family is a relief from all the Midsomer weirdos. And Daniel Casey is solid as his younger, brasher assistant -- and his departure from the show is handled in a believable but touching manner. Hopkins isn't quite as likable as Scott, mainly because Scott is kind of a jerk at first, but he starts fitting in a bit better soon.
Most of the villagers are played by excellent actors as well, no matter how weird their characters are. Slightly loopy historians, crazy old ladies and nasty little schoolboys are only a few, with actors such as Lucy Punch, Hugh Bonneville, Angela Thorne, Amanda Root, and "Lost's" Henry Ian Cusick as a slimy rich boy. And Jane Wymark and Laura Howard round off the cast as Barnaby's very understanding wife and daughter.
"Midsomer Murders: Barnaby's Casebook" is a big, solidly-written chunk of British coziness, with murder and scandal in every episode, and some new transitions for the homicide division.

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As seen on A&E and The Biography ChannelWHAT EVIL LURKS BEYOND THE WELL-TRIMMED HEDGES OF MIDSOMER...The cozy villages of Midsomer County reveal their most sinister secrets in these contemporary British television mysteries. The smash hit series stars John Nettles (Bergerac) as Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby, a dogged investigator and devoted family man, unflappable in the face of the macabre crimes and eccentric characters he encounters on the job.Inspired by the characters of novelist Caroline Graham, these 17 mysteries see the promotion of Barnaby s earnest assistant, Sergeant Troy (Daniel Casey, The Wingless Bird), and the arrival of his brash replacement, Sergeant Dan Scott (John Hopkins, Love in a Cold Climate). Guest stars include Hugh Bonneville, Gemma Jones, Honor Blackman, John Standing, Freddie Jones, Susan Wooldridge, Phoebe Nicholls, Stella Gonet, and Henry Ian Cusick.THE MYSTERIES INCLUDE: Tainted Fruit, Ring Out Your Dead, Murder on St. Malley s Day, Market for Murder, A Worm in the Bud, A Talent for Life, Death and Dreams, Painted in Blood, A Tale of Two Hamlets, Birds of Prey, The Green Man, Bad Tidings, The Fisher King, Sins of Commission, The Maid in Splendour, The Straw Woman, Ghosts of Christmas Past, DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE John Nettles interview, essays by star John Nettles and co-creator Betty Willingale, Midsomer map, production notes, Caroline Graham biography, and cast filmographies.Plus two exclusive bonus discs: Map of Midsomer Murders, a behind-the-scenes documentary hosted by John Nettles, and Super Sleuths, a documentary about the show s first decade. Set contains 19 discs (including bonus programs); approx. 28 hours. Mysteries previously released on DVD as Sets Four, Six, Seven, and Eight, the original U.K. broadcast order.

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Midsomer Murders: Set 14 Review

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(More customer reviews)(if you are shopping for season 14, then I assume you know the basics already; still I am including the show outline in the PS paragraph; hope this helps)
This is such a LOOOOOONG wait, but...I thought I would share a few thoughts on the upcoming episodes: Death and Dust, A Picture of Innocence, They Seek Him Here, and Death in a Chocolate Box (eps 56 thru 59). All four were originally aired on British TV from May 2007 to May 2008. The US Feb 2010 DVD release date means we are more then two years behind. Ghrrrrr.... Still, I believe these episodes are well worth the wait: Barnaby himself becomes a murder suspect (!), MM's trademark inventive murder tools make an appearance (including a guillotine!), and we see the return of Simon, Cully's (Barnaby's daughter's) intended. Alas, Cully's wedding (episode 60) is still a long time coming (according to Acorn, set 15 has a tentative release date of June 2010, and set 16 of Oct 2010; we will have THREE sets, rather then the usual two in 2010!!!).
As excited as I am for season 14, according to Brian Tru-May, the show's executive producer, there are many well known actors interested in guest starring in future episodes, including Michael Caine, Roger Moore, and Johnny Depp (!!!). I hope this great show goes on forever! ;o) Still, no word on who is taking over for John Nettles when he retires...
UPDATE (Feb 10, 2010): Nettles' replacement has been revelaed. I have included the details in Set 16 review.
PS: For those new to this British masterpiece, Midsomer Murders is a long running "who done it", based on the novels of Caroline Graham, starring John Nettles (of the Bergerac fame) as the unflappable Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby. The series is set in the fictional Misomer County, which comprises of many cosy, rural villages, where wealthy and poor alike seem to do each other in at an average rate of three to four bodies per episode. The series has a worldwide following, not in the least due to the creative and macabre ways in which the MM victims are typically dispatched.

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WHAT EVIL LURKS BEYOND THE WELL-TRIMMED HEDGES OF MIDSOMER…
The cozy villages of Midsomer County reveal their most sinister secrets in these contemporary British television mysteries. Inspired by the novels of Caroline Graham, modern master of the English village mystery, the series stars John Nettles (Bergerac) as the unflappable Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby, with Jason Hughes (This Life) as his earnest, efficient protégé, Detective Sergeant Ben Jones. Guest stars include Stephanie Cole, Gareth Thomas, Christopher Fairbank, Richard Hope, Peter Eyre, Chris Barrie, Matthew Marsh, and Clare Higgins.
THE MYSTERIES Death and Dust--The impending marriage of a widowed doctor and a well-to-do divorcée motivates a murder of mistaken identity. Picture of Innocence--In the midst of a “shooting war” between rival camera clubs, someone tries to frame Barnaby--and definitely not for a portrait. They Seek Him Here--Heads roll, quite literally, when a movie crew begins filming an adventure classic set during the French Revolution. Death in a Chocolate Box--A long-buried scandal reemerges to haunt two of Barnaby’s former colleagues, now the managers of a halfway house.

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Midsomer Murders: Set 13 Review

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(More customer reviews)For those new to this British masterpiece, Midsomer Murders is a long running "who done it", based on the novels of Caroline Graham, starring John Nettles (of the Bergerac fame) as the unflappable Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby. The series is set in the fictional Misomer County, which comprises of many cosy, rural villages, where wealthy and poor alike seem to do each other in at an average rate of three to four bodies per episode. The series has a worldwide following, not in the least due to the creative and macabre ways in which the MM victims are typically dispatched. I give the series as a whole a five star rating, though set 12 was a bit dissapointing (four stars) in that it lacked some of its trademark British humour which in the past acted as a buffer between the viewer and the grim reality of the bloody murders... Let's hope Set 13 sees MM back to its best form!

Set 13 contains the following episodes:
ep 52: Dance With the Dead; orig air date: Nov 2006
ep 53: The Animal Within; orig air date: Jan 2007
ep 54: King's Crystal;orig air date: Jan 2007
ep 55: The Axeman Cometh; orig air date: Feb 2007
SPOILER ALERT!!!: In The Axeman Cometh we meet Simon, Cully's intended. Her wedding is in ep 60 (which I guess will be in set 15). END OF SPOILER ALERT!!!
If you own any MM sets from Region 2, you may already own at least some of the above episodes, as the Region 1 and 2 sets are NOT synchronised. Better check... I read somewhere there were fewer MM episodes released in the US in order to keep the price of each set more affordable. If that was indeed the case, then it is a great shame... I would like to see those missing episodes released at some point in the US as well.
PS: As a side note, John Nettles is retiring soon, though we should see Barnaby episodes well into 2011. The makers are still shopping for a suitable lead who will pick up the baton. All they will confirm is that Barnaby will NOT be killed off, and that his current sidekick (played by Jason Hugh) is NOT in the running. The actress playing Cully has already retired from MM (her last episode was shown on British TV this summer; it was her character's wedding episode).
UPDATE (Feb 10, 2010): Nettles' replacement has been revealed. I have included the details in Set 16 review.

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The cozy villages of Midsomer County reveal their most sinister secrets in these contemporary British television mysteries. Inspired by the novels of Caroline Graham, modern master of the English village mystery, the series stars John Nettles (Bergerac) as the unflappable Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby, with Jason Hughes (This Life) as his earnest, efficient protégé, Detective Sergeant Ben Jones. Guest stars include Phil Davis, John Castle, Richard Johnson, Lisa Eichhorn, David Horovitch, Harriet Thorpe, Flora Montgomery, and Suzi Quatro.

THE MYSTERIES Dance with the Dead--A young man asphyxiates in a vintage automobile, setting off a search for his mysterious girlfriend. The Animal Within--A mischievous old coot goes missing just before a visit from his niece—a woman supposedly dead for three years. King’s Crystal--At an artisan glassworks, Barnaby delves into possibly murderous family rivalries. The Axeman Cometh--The Midsomer music festival brings out the bluesman in Barnaby. Unfortunately, it also brings out someone murdering rock stars.

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Midsomer Murders: Set 15 (2010) Review

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(More customer reviews)While I am thrilled that in 2010 Acorn is giving us an extra release of Midsomer Murders, I am disappointed that the second set of the year only includes three episodes:
Ep. 60 Shot at Dawn (or. broadcast Jan 1, 08)
Ep. 61 Blood Wedding (or. broadcast Jul 6, 08)
Ep. 62 Left For dead (or. broadcast Jul 20, 08)
Which means in the US we are still running two years behind the original broadcast. Still, the consolation is that in Blood Wedding we finally get to see Cully marry her Simon. And as a special treat, there is a guest appearance from Gavin Troy (Barnaby's original sidekick)! I think the series did loose a little heart and humour with Gavin's departure and I will be very happy to see this character return, if only for one episode.
A side note: August 19th, 2010 will be John Nettles' last day of filming on Midsomer Murders. His run as Barnaby will end with episode 82, likely not due in the US until 2013, ghhrr... Reportedly, DS Ben Jones and Dr Bullard are staying on. ITV is mum on who is replacing Nettles, though wild rumours are circulating that it could even possibly be a she, rather then a he...
UPDATE (Feb 10, 2010): Nettles' replacement has finally been revealed. I have included the details in Set 16 review.
PS: For those new to this British masterpiece, Midsomer Murders is a long running "who done it", based on the novels of Caroline Graham, starring John Nettles (of the Bergerac fame) as the unflappable Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby. The series is set in the fictional Misomer County, which comprises of many cosy, rural villages, where wealthy and poor alike seem to do each other in at an average rate of three to four bodies per episode. The series has a worldwide following, not in the least due to the creative and macabre ways in which the MM victims are typically dispatched.

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WHAT EVIL LURKS BEYOND THE WELL-TRIMMED HEDGES OF MIDSOMER…
The cozy villages of Midsomer County reveal their most sinister secrets in these contemporary British television mysteries. Inspired by the novels of Caroline Graham, modern master of the English village mystery, the series stars John Nettles (Bergerac) as the unflappable Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby, with Jason Hughes (This Life) as his earnest, efficient protégé, Detective Sergeant Ben Jones. Guest stars include Daniel Casey, Samantha Bond, Donald Sinden, Malcolm Sinclair, Maggie Steed, and George Cole.
THE MYSTERIES Blood Wedding -- Cully’s wedding day is fast approaching, but a series of bizarre murders at an upper-class wedding leave Barnaby distracted.Shot at Dawn -- A long-standing family feud erupts into violence after a disgraced soldier’s name is placed on a World War I memorial. Left for Dead -- Barnaby discovers a potential link between a double murder and a decades-old disappearance in the sleepy town of Dunstan.
Bonus disc: Super Sleuths, a documentary about Midsomer Murders in which John Nettles, Caroline Graham, Anthony Horowitz, and others reflect on the show’s first decade.

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Midsomer Murders: Set 16 Review

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(More customer reviews)The third and final 2010 US release of Midsomer Murders, contains four episodes:
Ep 63 Midsomer Life broadcast Jul 13, 2008
Ep 64 The Magician's Nephewb. Jul 27, 2008
Ep.65 Days of Misruleb. Dec 24, 2008 Christmas Special
Ep.66 Talking to the Deadb. Aug 05, 2008
(episode numbers may be off by one, as the original broadcast dates vary depending on source)
After close to 200 murders, I thought all possible ways of "dispatch" have been explored. Not so. The inventive MM writers manage to surprise again, as they introduce South American poison-dart frogs as a new murder weapon (in The Magician's Nephew)!
But, on to the good stuff:
As most are aware by now, John Nettles (66) is leaving the show in August this year. His last appearance will be in ep.82. His replacement has finally been revealed! The episode airing tonight on British TV (ep.75 The Sword of Guillaume) will see a new character introduced: John Barnaby, Tom Barnaby's nephew, will arrive in Midsomer, to help with a case while Tom is away. He will eventually take over as DCI, when Tom retires. The character is played by Neil Dudgeon (49), a hard working British TV actor, with a few screen films behind his belt; you may have seen him as Joshua in the 2008 comedy The Son of Rambow. So, there you have it! Only time will tell how the replacement works out. Most comments, regarding the actor's potential to succeed in Midsomer, have so far been positive. Taking into consideration the speed of Acorn releases in the US, we will have to wait till 2013 before we can judge for ourselves...
PS: For those new to this British masterpiece, Midsomer Murders is a long running "who done it", based on the novels of Caroline Graham, starring John Nettles (of the Bergerac fame) as the unflappable Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby. The series is set in the fictional Misomer County, which comprises of many cozy, rural villages, where wealthy and poor alike seem to do each other in at an average rate of three to four bodies per episode. The series has a worldwide following, not in the least due to the creative and macabre ways in which the MM victims are typically dispatched.

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The cozy villages of Midsomer County reveal their most sinister secrets in these contemporary British television mysteries. Inspired by the novels of Caroline Graham, modern master of the English village mystery, the series stars John Nettles (Bergerac) as the unflappable Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby, with Jason Hughes (This Life) as his earnest, efficient protégé, Detective Sergeant Ben Jones. Guest stars include Tim Pigott-Smith, Ronald Pickup, Pooky Quesnel, Simon Williams, Anton Lesser, Tom Goodman-Hill, Niamh Cusack, and Judy Parfitt.
THE MYSTERIES:Midsomer Life--After the unpopular editor of a local magazine is found dead, Barnaby stumbles upon a nest of bribery, adultery, and secrets kept too long.
The Magician’s Nephew--Barnaby must determine if witchcraft is to blame when several members of a pagan cult are killed in an unusual manner.
Days of Misrule--Christmas comes early for Barnaby and Jones when a suspicious explosion frees them from a dreaded team-building exercise.
Talking to the Dead--Two couples go missing from the sleepy village of Monks Barton; the locals blame ghosts, but Barnaby suspects a more earthly culprit.

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Midsomer Murders: Set 17 (2011) Review

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(More customer reviews)Based on a set of only seven novels by Caroline Graham (beginning with The Killings at Badger's Drift), Midsomer Murders is a long-running and very popular series that debuted in the U.K. in 1997. The series features the likable Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) and is set in the fictional English county of Midsomer which consists of several villages each of which seems to rival Cabot Cove, Maine for their improbably high murder rates.
Agatha Christie, the world's most successful mystery writer, considered plot to be of utmost importance when crafting her stories. Graham, on the other hand, has said that she prefers to start out with interesting characters and allow the plot to form around them. And it is certainly the characters that are the centerpiece of Midsomer Murders. Unusual, odd and memorable are all words that could be used to describe the show's colorful collection of villagers - including the murderers, the victims and the bystanders, very few of whom could be described as "innocent".
Part police procedural, part quirky cozy, part traditional whodunit, Midsomer Murders should appeal to a variety of murder mystery fans. Even after seeing nearly 70 episodes, I find the show remains dependably entertaining with strong writing, intricate plots and uniformly first-rate acting. Episodes exist more or less independent of one another and need not be viewed in broadcast order. However, because of Barnaby's changing Detective Sergeants over the years, viewers might wish to do so.
One of my favorite aspects of the series is the gorgeous glimpses it provides of the English countryside and the picturesque villages, vine covered cottages and grand estates in which the stories are set. For true devotees, the book Midsomer Murders on Location provides information on where each episode was filmed. I'm also inordinately fond of the theme music which seems to suit the quirkiness of Midsomer Murders perfectly.
The following episodes are included in Set 17:
* The Dogleg Murders (Episode 67): After a player is murdered on the course at a prestigious golf club, Barnaby and Jones discover a bevy of crimes, and more murder, among the club's members.
* The Black Book (Episode 68): The sale at auction of a newly discovered masterpiece by a Midsomer painter seems to be the catalyst for a series of murders.
* Secrets and Spies (Episode 69): Barnaby's past as a secret agent comes into play when another former agent is murdered after a cricket match.
* The Glitch (Episode 70): Barnaby suspects that the threat by a local university fellow to reveal a glitch in a new software program mistakenly caused the hit and run killing of a local school teacher.
Because of the somewhat unorthodox behavior of a number of the characters, some rare flashes of nudity and the often gruesome nature of the crimes, I feel Midsomer Murders is best suited to older teens and adults.

Highly recommended.

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THE MYSTERIES
The Dogleg Murders--Members of the swanky Whiteoaks Golf Club keep turning up dead by the 13th hole. The Black Book--The detectives investigate a string of savage murders precipitated by a local art auction. Secrets and Spies--A mysterious creature is killing sheep in Midsomer County, but it soon moves on to larger prey. The Glitch--A local scientist’s determination to stop an American millionaire’s latest business venture has fatal repercussions.

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