Midsomer Murders (1997) Review: Story, Verdict & Where to Watch

A Quaint Façade Hiding Dark Secrets

Creating a niche for itself in the crime drama genre since 1997, Midsomer Murders transports audiences to the bucolic English countryside. Behind its picturesque farms, roaming livestock, and friendly villagers, is a violent secret of a startlingly high murder rate. The series follows various Detective Chief Inspectors (first Tom Barnaby, and later John Barnaby, portrayed by Neil Dudgeon), as they uncover the secrets hidden behind Midsomer’s quaint villages. Each morning, they join their companion Sergeant (currently DS Jamie Winter, played by Nick Hendrix), who is often mystified by the complexity of the crimes. The Inspectors must rely on careful, thorough work to slowly piece together the clues and answer the mysterious crime of the day. Each episode of this calm, methodical whodunit spans a lengthy 90 minutes. The depiction of gorgeous, bucolic landscapes in sharp contrast to the repulsive, violent acts which become more and more common, has kept this series entertaining for nearly a quarter of a century. The series’ longstanding success has been attributed to audience appreciation of Midsomer Murders’ unique portrayal of murder and violence.

The premise is simple, but the execution is the key to the success of each episode. The methodical approach in this series takes us back to watch the detective’s deduction rather than seeing a crime scene forensic analysis. Fiona Dolman as Sarah Barnaby is the main cast member, and the rest of the guest stars who appear in the episodes as diverse characters, create an entertaining and engaging new crime drama. This series does a great job delivering how a traditional crime drama should be to the classic crime drama genre with a reassuring formula that they can predict.

The Enduring Appeal of the English Mystery Formula

What accounts for Midsomer Murders' unique staying power and distinguishes it from other crime shows is its ability to stick to an established genre format. Audiences declare the show is a "pastiche of police shows," and is a show that is "not a comedy," yet “turns it on its head a little." This is largely because of the high body count (with one common observation being "about three murders per episode)." While the body count in Midsomer Murders are certainly murders, they are rarely the work of a serial killer. In fact, many times, multiple murders happen because of a single plot line or convoluted web of a story. For audiences, the high body count in Midsomer Murders is surprising. It provides an entertaining contrast to the show's overall peaceful backdrop.

Each season beautifully weaves plots full of elaborate red herrings that often include secret societies and conflicts between various villages and feuds. More often than not, the audience is more interested in the hows and whys rather than who did it. The series works to build a case for its characters and shows that more often than not, criminal motives are borne out of jealousy, passion, and anger. The series balances the serious nature of each crime with witty and dry character-based humor and a signature style of writing that is elevated by the backdrop of the English countryside. The surroundings are more than the backdrop; they become co-stars in their own right to the stories that are told. The series' approach to its drama has been equally as successful. This blend of drama and mystery is what brings its devoted audiences back season after season.

Beneath the Surface: Repetition and Predicaments

Many audiences appreciate consistency. However, for a series that's more than two decades old, that consistency can create a stale pattern. Walker et al. describe an audience who has, “sort of formula the episode,” and this observation is not always a compliment. An episode's structure with multiple murders is unique but can also become a predictable pattern. Even the most die-hard Midsomer fan has spent hundreds of hours watching the show, and they can easily recognize the pattern of the investigation and how the episodes unfold. This predictability can ruin the intrigue of a mystery.

More critically, some audience members are concerned about perceived trends in the depiction of culprits. One example of feedback mentions a problematic observation of possibly having a pattern of character types that he calls perpetrator formulas, which people perceive as either insensitive or old and stale. They have noticed a disparate representation of certain religious or cultural groups as part of the cast of villains. The series means to represent and show a variety of people, but in the eyes of this segment of the audience, the story formulas have made it easier to recognize a culprit. This kind of constant character template construction can lead to audience members alike feeling that the show has no originality and becomes stale. It’s a problem many long-running series have to deal with in how one can mix it up in a new way without falling into old and tired clichés that some plots have. It becomes at this point a problem in how one can be original in story construction how to refrain from being predictable.

Is Midsomer Worth the Long-Haul?

For fans of classic British crime dramas, ‘Midsomer Murders’ is a relaxing slow burn. The captivating combination of British country mystery paired with some truly offensive crimes will keep you wanting more episode after episode, season after season. Barnaby becomes a hero to many a detective fantasy enthusiast. Every episode just gets better as the show develops it’s characters of interest. The latest season was a welcomed addition to the ever growing roster of rural village weirdness. New addition DCI Gilmore is destined to join the Barnaby legacy of former partners and assistants.

For viewers who like nothing more than a procedural of the character driven variety, ‘Midsomer Murders’ is guaranteed to scratch that itch. You will especially love this show if you enjoy puzzles because you will definitely get a kick out of unwrapping all of the mysteries of this quaint English countryside detective show.

Some people won’t like this. For people who prefer fast-paced, gritty or hyper-realistic crime dramas, the somewhat formal theatrical nature of this show’s murder cases, and the slow, methodical, paced-out nature of this show will surely be a turn off. There are also fair points of concern raised in some audience members for potentially stereotypical and/or formulaic types of culprit portrayals. With the audience rating of 7.5, it is safe to say this show has been positively received by a majority of people. However, that also means there are valid critiques to be made about this show for its issue of striving to be innovative and original within murder case narratives as this show is seemingly long-winded, resulting in a loss of originality and an even greater loss in audience engagement. However, this show is appealing to many. The charm and draw of the show is its consistency in a beloved genre. The rest of the audience, it is safe to say, will find this show appealing, as it really does try to focus on the culmination of the plot and of each novel in a murder mystery, treating each murder case as a clear and inventive whodunnit, even if the show tries to be indulgent.