Midsomer Murders - General Discussion

[AnnA]

The above post looks like it quoted me but it did not.   Nothing in that post is from any of my messages.   I don't know why the forum software does that but I've seen it quite a few times.

[scorpio1031]

25 minutes ago, AnnA said:

The above post looks like it quoted me but it did not.   Nothing in that post is from any of my messages.   I don't know why the forum software does that but I've seen it quite a few times.

It's usually just an attempt to quote or a copy/paste that went wrong.  The poster probably tried to quote what you said, and then cleared the quote but not your name.

[VCRTracking]

Just watching the series starting with the first few seasons. I like DCI Barnaby and his wife and aughter. Troy's pretty homophobic(which I get the show doesn't agree with his attitude) but it gets a little much. I'm glad Barnaby doesn't and is more progressive Orlando Bloom is an asshole in one with Tobias Menzies as his friend. Emily Mortimer and Colin Firth's brother is in the first one.

[dgpolo]

1 minute ago, VCRTracking said:

Orlando Bloom is an asshole in one with Tobias Menzies as his friend

What I never understood was why he didn't get a credit for that role, it wasn't like a one line walk on, it was pretty substantive but he's not listed on the episodes credits. I had to look at IMDB to make sure that was him.

[BlackberryJam]

Rewatching here as well.

So in S6, there is an episode where Troy and Cully kiss and then find a body. They later appear to have a date at a fete. It seems to get dropped after that episode. Anyway, the killer in that one is

Spoiler

Higgins on the new Magnum PI.

I’m watching S7 and a young Henry Cavill/Superman was just caught by David Bradley/Walder Frey having sex in a car. Good times.

[scorpio1031]

6 minutes ago, BlackberryJam said:

Rewatching here as well.

So in S6, there is an episode where Troy and Cully kiss and then find a body. They later appear to have a date at a fete. It seems to get dropped after that episode. Anyway, the killer in that one is

  Reveal spoiler

Higgins on the new Magnum PI.

I’m watching S7 and a young Henry Cavill/Superman was just caught by David Bradley/Walder Frey having sex in a car. Good times.

Seriously!?  That was a good ep with a surprising ending, and it's always nice to see someone go on to other successes.  I used to be so much better at recognizing faces.  I still can't believe what the murderer from the "Small Mercies" ep has been up to in recent years.

[BlackberryJam]

Midsomer Murders is always good for spotting current stars in their early roles. If I recognize a face, I always turn to IMDb.

Edited September 9, 2019 by BlackberryJam

[LisaM]

I'm now in the middle of Series 8. Cully not only has a new hair style but a new job: travel agent. I enjoyed the episode which was set at the regatta club. 

EDITED TO ADD: I've just started Season 9 and Scott is gone without a word other than he was out for a sick day. Was there some backstage reason why the actor was suddenly gone? 

Edited September 13, 2019 by LisaM

[ratgirlagogo]

On 9/4/2019 at 1:51 AM, Hyacinth B said:

Anyone who has Ovation on their Comcast system should be able to catch 3 full episodes every Thursday morning, starting at 8AM Eastern, 7AM Central. They're repeating some of the early seasons and just re-ran Series 4's Garden of Death (with Neil Dudgeon as a horny gardener!) and Destroying Angel for at least the second time. Each episode runs 2 1/2 hours with commercials. Ovation MAY be fiddling around with the schedule so check your cable listings, mine from TitanTV are showing 2 new time slots this Sunday AM and one less 2 1/2 hour episode on Thursday AM. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Ovation shows 3 episodes every Thursday morning - and they are always from the first five seasons, never anything later.   This has been true for at least the past year. 

One of my local PBS stations is showing season 15.  Since I'd like to watch the seasons in between five and fifteen and I don't want to pay for Britbox I've been scouring my local public libraries.

Edited September 19, 2019 by ratgirlagogo

[Prevailing Wind]

I've discovered another Neil Dudgeon series - Mrs. Bradley Mysteries; he's her chauffeur. She's Diana Rigg. It's on Britbox.

***

Has a new season of Midsomer begun yet?

[Pathetica]

Does anyone else have to turn on closed captions for the Neil Dudgeon intros to his favorite episodes?

[Prevailing Wind]

I always have the CC on.

[peggy06]

Dang it, looks like Midsomer has disappeared from Netflix. And my Britbox deal has only a few weeks left.

Also: I'm well into the Neil Dudgeon episodes. He's all right, but the show has become so cutesy since his wife came on the scene. They exchange sitcom-like dialogue that makes me yearn for the conversations between Tom and Joyce (and that is saying something). The entire show has a different feel to it, I can't quite put my finger on it. I am up to the Christmas Haunting episode.

[queenbee9b]

On 10/4/2019 at 8:15 PM, peggy06 said:

Dang it, looks like Midsomer has disappeared from Netflix. And my Britbox deal has only a few weeks left.

Also: I'm well into the Neil Dudgeon episodes. He's all right, but the show has become so cutesy since his wife came on the scene. They exchange sitcom-like dialogue that makes me yearn for the conversations between Tom and Joyce (and that is saying something). The entire show has a different feel to it, I can't quite put my finger on it. I am up to the Christmas Haunting episode.

I am on last Troy episode this am.  It moved to Acorn - I never use other people’s accounts, but Acorn was just something I was not adding so I am using my mom’s account. 

[kaygeeret]

Anyone know if it is still on PBS?

[Prevailing Wind]

13 hours ago, kaygeeret said:

Anyone know if it is still on PBS?

Last night, our PBS station showed "The Black Book," so it's still on, if the eleventy-hundredth showing of the same Tom/Ben episodes.

I was watching a procedural from the early 2000s and Jason Hughes was a guest actor (not well-known enough to be a "star") and I was happily surprised by that. After the show was over, I was stomping around the condo crying out, "NOT BEN!"  - he had been the bad guy.

[cinsays]

14 hours ago, kaygeeret said:

Anyone know if it is still on PBS?

It is on PBS and also on another channel, Ovation, and they don't show the same episodes

Only problem with Ovation is there is a commercial every 5 minutes - maddening.

[peggy06]

Well, I finished all of Midsomer Murders. I miss it. Granted that the last couple of seasons weren't as good, but it still had the basic ingredients of setting and premise. I could have done without the emphasis on John Barnaby's home life. I could also have done without the sparring and attempts at UST between the various sidekicks and the female MEs.

Is it me, or did the mysteries become ever more convoluted as the show went on? A bit darker as well, perhaps? There were a few in the last two seasons where the story was so grim that it jarred me when the end theme music came on (too lighthearted.)

Still, I wish there were more episodes. If anyone has a suggestion for a series with this particular vibe - rural or small-town England setting, not too gritty or depressing, some humor - I'd love to hear it. Series I've already watched include Morse, Lewis, Miss Marple and Poirot, Death in Paradise, Agatha Raisin. I've dipped into Grantchester and Father Brown but am not really grabbed by them.

[Hiyo]

Quote

Still, I wish there were more episodes.

Well, series/season 21 is in production...

[LisaM]

9 hours ago, peggy06 said:

Well, I finished all of Midsomer Murders. I miss it. Granted that the last couple of seasons weren't as good, but it still had the basic ingredients of setting and premise. I could have done without the emphasis on John Barnaby's home life. I could also have done without the sparring and attempts at UST between the various sidekicks and the female MEs.

Is it me, or did the mysteries become ever more convoluted as the show went on? A bit darker as well, perhaps? There were a few in the last two seasons where the story was so grim that it jarred me when the end theme music came on (too lighthearted.)

Still, I wish there were more episodes. If anyone has a suggestion for a series with this particular vibe - rural or small-town England setting, not too gritty or depressing, some humor - I'd love to hear it. Series I've already watched include Morse, Lewis, Miss Marple and Poirot, Death in Paradise, Agatha Raisin. I've dipped into Grantchester and Father Brown but am not really grabbed by them.

I have a suggestion but it is not England - rather, it is set in small town New Zealand: The Brokenwood Mysteries on Acorn. It is similar to Midsomer in many ways: humor, quirky local characters, small town and murder. I loved it. The next season is in production now. 

[Prevailing Wind]

The other one on Acorn I really liked was Mr. and Mrs. Murder - a pair whose business is crime scene cleaners who also happen to solve the crimes. (Don't remember if they're NZ or Australia, but it's a southern hemisphere show.)

I dislike John Barnaby; I watch the "home life" scenes for Paddy.

[peggy06]

I just discovered there's a podcast! 

Midsomer Maniacs

I haven't listened yet, so I can't vouch for it. Definitely going to check it out!

[laredhead]

Peggy06, thank you for the link to the Midsomer podcast.  I listened to the first one, The Killings At Badger's Drift, while I cleaned the kitchen and made bread.  The people who are doing this go into great detail - the podcast was 95 minutes long!  Interesting information about some of the actors and their other roles in other British productions, and some other tidbits, including details that I had forgotten about the episode.  They are planning to make podcasts for each episode in chronological order.  Would be a good way to while away time if you are home sick, cooking, gardening, or doing something where you can listen.  

[peggy06]

4 hours ago, laredhead said:

Peggy06, thank you for the link to the Midsomer podcast.  I listened to the first one, The Killings At Badger's Drift, while I cleaned the kitchen and made bread.  The people who are doing this go into great detail - the podcast was 95 minutes long!  Interesting information about some of the actors and their other roles in other British productions, and some other tidbits, including details that I had forgotten about the episode.  They are planning to make podcasts for each episode in chronological order.  Would be a good way to while away time if you are home sick, cooking, gardening, or doing something where you can listen.  

I'm glad you liked it! I also listened to the first episode today.  You can tell they are super fans! Spoilers galore, so for anyone who hasn't watched the show, be aware of that. I thought they were a little hard on Troy, but I have to admit he wasn't the best in that first episode. he grew on me.

I like how they mention the other roles played by some of the guest stars. Supposedly they're going to talk about locations, too, which I would love. The villages are one of my favorite parts of MM.

[LisaM]

Thanks very much for the podcast link! I have been binging MM in order over the past few months - I am in the middle of Season 13 now and haven't really found any review sites which go into detail on each episode. I will have to check out the podcast. 

I know that I am almost at the end of the Tom Barnaby episodes and I'm really going to miss him - and Joyce! 

[YupItsMe]

Seasons 1 - 19 are available free on IMBD TV.

[ouinason]

sweet

[LisaM]

Something interesting I found last evening as I was watching the final episode of Series 13: John Nettles' last show. On Britbox, the episode ended with a birthday party. Cousin John was listed in the credits but only visible through the window. I had read somewhere that Tom makes a retirement speech but this was not in the Britbox episode. I then turned on the same episode on Acorn and - lo and behold - there is a whole scene with Tom announcing his retirement and stating that Cousin John had just transferred to Midsomer. 

I later read someone online that they had filmed two endings for this episode so that international stations which played MM over and over without any sense of continuity would not have to worry that their viewers would be confused by Tom's retirement. 

I found it interesting that Britbox had one version and Acorn had the other. If I had not known that Nettles/Tom was retiring, Series 13 would have just ended the same way that the other ones did. 

[scorpio1031]

7 hours ago, LisaM said:

Something interesting I found last evening as I was watching the final episode of Series 13: John Nettles' last show. On Britbox, the episode ended with a birthday party. Cousin John was listed in the credits but only visible through the window. I had read somewhere that Tom makes a retirement speech but this was not in the Britbox episode. I then turned on the same episode on Acorn and - lo and behold - there is a whole scene with Tom announcing his retirement and stating that Cousin John had just transferred to Midsomer. 

I later read someone online that they had filmed two endings for this episode so that international stations which played MM over and over without any sense of continuity would not have to worry that their viewers would be confused by Tom's retirement. 

I found it interesting that Britbox had one version and Acorn had the other. If I had not known that Nettles/Tom was retiring, Series 13 would have just ended the same way that the other ones did. 

The Midsomer Murders channel on Pluto.tv doesn't show the retirement party either, but they only go up to Series 13 before starting over at 1.

[LisaM]

On 4/15/2019 at 3:56 PM, Thumper82003 said:

I’ve been a long time viewer of Midsommer Murders on PBS. So far I don’t like the John Barnaby episodes. Both the coroner and Ben are written as dumb and dummer to prop up John. They could have easily kept their characters with John, but they didn’t chose to write it as such.

I'm in the middle of Series 14 - been watching them in order from the beginning over the past few months. By watching so closely together, you definitely see some actors who have been in previous episodes. For example, the "dead" sister in Dark Secrets was also in one of the Tom Barnaby episodes playing the older sister in a strange family who was eventually killed via a rigged shotgun during a hunt. 

I've noticed that TPTB changed Ben Jones' character just a bit - for the worse. Now he is used to toss out some incorrect murder assumptions in every episode - which John Barnaby is able to shoot down in favor of the real murderer. With Tom, Jones functioned as more of a true assistant and seemed to be much smarter. With John, Jones is more of a lackey and reminds me of Troy in his willingness to go off on tangents. 

[peggy06]

On 10/30/2019 at 7:20 AM, LisaM said:

Something interesting I found last evening as I was watching the final episode of Series 13: John Nettles' last show. On Britbox, the episode ended with a birthday party. Cousin John was listed in the credits but only visible through the window. I had read somewhere that Tom makes a retirement speech but this was not in the Britbox episode. I then turned on the same episode on Acorn and - lo and behold - there is a whole scene with Tom announcing his retirement and stating that Cousin John had just transferred to Midsomer. 

I later read someone online that they had filmed two endings for this episode so that international stations which played MM over and over without any sense of continuity would not have to worry that their viewers would be confused by Tom's retirement. 

I found it interesting that Britbox had one version and Acorn had the other. If I had not known that Nettles/Tom was retiring, Series 13 would have just ended the same way that the other ones did. 

That was a weird episode, with Tom seeming to go into a fugue state or something every so often. I get that they were setting up his retirement, but it was unsettling. At first I thought he was having a stroke or something.

[LisaM]

I am up to Season 15's episode, "Written in the Stars" which starred two Indian characters. I recall reading that Brian True-May, the producer of all of the other seasons, was fired for commenting that MM needed to be all white to preserve the English character and appeal of the show. I think this was one of the first episode with any ethnic minorities in the main cast. Edited to add: I'm watching the prior episode, "Death and the Divas" which I somehow skipped and there is a black man as one of the suspects -- again, a first. 

Edited November 11, 2019 by LisaM

[scorpio1031]

I apologize if this has been mentioned, but The Roku Channel has Seasons 1-20

[Prevailing Wind]

I've been watching S6 and decided that putting Cully in a mobile library was a clever way to get her involved at each & every little village in Midsomer. Not that I WANTED her involved, but apparently the producers did. There's only so many fetes & exhibitions the Barnaby women can go to. The library was a good idea.

[VCRTracking]

So watching the series for the first time and enjoying it. The most shocking thing besides the murders is the amount of infidelity and adultery that goes on in quaint-looking English villages! Wow.  Also, Barnaby's wife has a lot of hobbies.

Edited November 27, 2019 by VCRTracking

[Hiyo]

Those quaint-looking English villages are full of lust, passion, desire...and murder! lol

[LisaM]

Wherever Joyce went, murder followed. I miss that about Sarah; I half expect to see her in the crowd at an event - followed by a dead body.

ETA: Season 21 drops on Acorn on December 1. 

ETA again: Watched Winter's first episode tonight. Not thrilled. I really liked Nelson, who seemed competent. Also - RIP Sykes! 

Edited December 2, 2019 by LisaM

[krankydoodle]

Season 21's on BritBox now. I thought the new pathologist was a bit over the top when she was introduced, but I liked her more in the first two episodes of this season.

[Grundoon59]

Season 21 just showed up on Acorn. Haven't dived in yet - want to savor them.

[HollyG]

13 hours ago, Grundoon59 said:

Season 21 just showed up on Acorn. Haven't dived in yet - want to savor them.

I just started episode 2. So far I'm happy with the new series and glad that it's back. 

[Prevailing Wind]

I've watched the first four. Does anyone know when Acorn's releasing the next round?

I liked Fleur from the start and now she's just becoming more endearing. I enjoy quirky people and John & Winter are just boring. At least Tom frequently had a twinkle in his eye.

[krankydoodle]

18 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I've watched the first four. Does anyone know when Acorn's releasing the next round?

I just figured there were only going to be 4 this season. Are more episodes supposed to come out? I couldn't find anything about the episode count online.

[statsgirl]

For anyone who lives in Ontario, or who has access to TVO

Quote

Join us on December 15th at 8 pm for the Midsomer Murders 20th Anniversary Special. Presented by John Nettles, the original DCI Barnaby, this anniversary special features stars past and present discussing the peculiar quirks of the delightful yet deadly Midsomer county. The special will be followed by the premiere of Midsomer Murders - Series 21 at 9 pm.

[scorpio1031]

On 11/28/2019 at 7:00 AM, LisaM said:

Wherever Joyce went, murder followed. I miss that about Sarah; I half expect to see her in the crowd at an event - followed by a dead body.

Sarah seems to be showing up where there is a murder, or getting friendly with suspects.  And does anyone else think that their daughter, Betty, will turn out just like Cully when she's older?  Poor thing:)

[Enigma X]

The latest season of Midsomer’s Murders has been a yawn fest for me.

[Prevailing Wind]

2 hours ago, krankydoodle said:

I just figured there were only going to be 4 this season. Are more episodes supposed to come out? I couldn't find anything about the episode count online.

I reluctantly agree. I can't find anything, either, beyond 4 episodes. I liked the bee one. Learned something about beekeeping!

[kassygreene]

According to IMDB and to epguides.com, Season 21 is only 4 episodes.

[Writing Wrongs]

Neil Dudgeon gives good expression face.

That kid grew up fast. And Paddy is still adorable.

Midsomer Murders always delivers on the most bizarre ways to kill people.

[dariafan]

I think Imogen Stubbs has aged well

[LisaM]

Just watched the first episode of Season 21 - the ballroom dancing one. What happened to Winter's hair? I thought the dancing was great but the overall ending was a miss. Fleur is still wonderful. 

ETA: Watched the second episode with the miniature dollhouses. Fleur and her motorcycle! I think she is the best pathologist of all. 

Edited December 18, 2019 by LisaM