i've been completely taken with foyle's war and now that i'm approaching the end of the series to date, can anyone recommend some other historical crime mystery programs on par with foyle's war?
shareMurdoch Mysteries and The Inspector Lynley Mysteries are two highly enjoyable shows. Sherlock is marvellous
Miss Marple and the short lived Mrs Bradley Mysteries are fun. I can't remember if the Inspector Allen Mysteries are any good or not, but, I was recently reminded of them
The Inspector Morse preguel Endeavour has turned out far better than I expected and has been a great replacement (if another too short series) for Foyle's Cold War on a Sunday Evening
And the Bletchley Circle was a murder mystery set during the war and a second one is due on this year
ALl of the above and.
Because:
on the british mystery /thriller front, i've enjoyed the more creepy contemporary programs like wire in the blood (wow!)but i haven't found something to fill either the gap left without new foyle's war or witb to watch.
I forgot about George Gently. Enjoyed that.
Enjoyed Mr Whicher too and love Vera.
Watched Ripper Street because of Matthew MacFadyen, but, I didn't really like it at all
The recent two parter Murder on the Home Front was good and like a companion piece to Foyle's War. Some reviews say that Patrick Kennedy was like a young Michael Kitchen
If you like Wire in the Blood, have you tried Touching Evil with Robson Green, Nicola Walker and Shaun Dingwall?. I enjoyed it better than Wire in the Blood
Actually, dblack, but for the very first scene, Bletchley Circle, which I quite enjoyed, is set about a decade after WWII.
I have seen enough to know I have seen too much. -- ALOTOshare
Give a try for "Danger: UXB" (q.v.)
A young British lieutenant is assigned to a UXB unit during the Germany bombing raids over London of World War II. UXB (UneXploded Bomb) means that an aerial bomb has not exploded. His job is to deactivate the bombs, some of which have fuses specifically designed to take-out the technician. The series goes through his appointment as an officer and a love story, but mostly the stresses and strains of wartime on the civilians and military in England.
I'd like to go Canadian and recommend "Da Vinci's Inquest " as a change of pace to those who like these crime shows.
It's modern, not historical, but I really enjoyed it. He's a coroner, not police, but you learn a lot about how their system is set up differently than the US's, w/the coroner playing a much larger role.
And if you end up not liking it, it's still got a great jazz-ish theme song you can buy if you like it!
If you want something a little lighter, try "Pie in the Sky". Richard Griffiths (Harry Potter's mean old Uncle Vernon)is a detective who wants to retire and open a restaurant in his small town. However, he screws up a case involving a master criminal, Michael Kitchen, and his boss holds this over him to keep him working since he's got the best solve record on the force.
The scenes switch from the restaurant, the kitchen (the man loves to cook), and the crime of the week as he tries to juggle both jobs (and sometimes there is a bit of an overlap.)
We got it from Netflix.
Rexamillion, I completely agree about "Da Vinci's Inquest"! And about the main theme; I'm going to pass your comment along to the guy who wrote it.
Mtevens, I recently subscribed to Acorn TV, and "Pie in the Sky" is one of their offerings. I'll give it a go!
Thanks! If you know the theme, it's the piano in the background on the slower opening theme (the closing is similar but faster)
that I love so much, especially the final note!
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If we aren't restricting this to British shows, I'd say "Copper" has been pretty good, perhaps a notch below Foyle. It's set in New York City during the Civil War. And FWIW, it's one of the few shows around these days with good opening titles theme music.
I have seen enough to know I have seen too much. -- ALOTOshare
The Bletchly Circle has been airing in the US this past summer and is like a mini-series (4 episodes if I remember correctly). I think you would like it.
The era is post WWII and the main characters are women who worked at intelligence gathering facilities at Bletchly Park which has been mentioned in one of the recent Foyle's War Series VII episodes. Some worked as cryptographers and in this series the women have gotten on with their lives but get back together when one of them suspects that a recent spate of killings appear to follow a pattern which the press and police aren't aware of and she brings her cohorts attention to the facts as she knows them. I can't give you more without spoiling the plot line.
Anyway, Enjoy!
The Bletchley Circle was very good.
Try out Monsignor Renard. WWII, set in occupied France. It's an English speaking cast though, staring John Thaw.
Wish Me Luck. It's not a crime mystery per se, but rather a recounting of British espionage during the Second World War, conducted by British civilians able to pass as French natives sent into occupied France. There is a factual basis to this series. The scripts and acting are excellent. Pounce!
shareTry Endeavour, set in the 60s. There's a pilot & 4 eps. More eps on the way.
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