Murdoch Mysteries is a Canadian television drama series that premiered on Citytv on January 20, 2008, and currently airs on CBC. The series is based on characters from the Detective Murdoch novels by Maureen Jennings. It stars Yannick Bisson as Detective William Murdoch, a police detective working in Station House Number 4 in Toronto, Ontario, starting in 1890, and including the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The series was titled The Artful Detective on the Ovation cable TV network in the United States, until season twelve.
Synopsis
The series takes place in Toronto starting in 1895 and follows Detective William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) of the Toronto Constabulary, who solves many of his cases using methods of detection that were unusual at the time. These methods include fingerprinting (referred to as "finger marks" in the series), blood testing, surveillance, and trace evidence.
Some episodes feature anachronistic technology whereby Murdoch sometimes uses the existing technology of his time to improvise a crude prototype of a technology that would be more readily recognizable to the show's 21st century audience. In one episode, for instance, he creates a primitive version of sonar to locate a sunken ship in Lake Ontario. In another, a foreign police officer has a photograph that Murdoch needs as evidence, so Murdoch has him send an early example of a fax via telegraph. This aspect of the show has been described as introducing elements of the steampunk genre of science fiction,"Murdoch Mysteries takes the stuffing out of period drama". The Globe and Mail, December 30, 2012. although it is not a standard theme of all episodes.
Detective Murdoch is assisted by the three other main characters: Inspector Thomas Brackenreid (Thomas Craig), Doctor Julia Ogden (Hélène Joy), and the inexperienced but eager Constable George Crabtree (Jonny Harris), who aspires to be a mystery novel writer. Brackenreid, Murdoch's immediate superior, is a blunt and sceptical Yorkshireman with a fondness for whisky who prefers conventional methods of detection over Murdoch's eccentric methods, though he is typically pleased and proud when Murdoch is successful despite the odds. Crabtree is often unable to grasp the more advanced methods, but his enthusiasm and loyalty make him a good assistant. Like Crabtree, Dr. Ogden is a great supporter of Murdoch's methods. Her skill in pathology usually helps by revealing a great deal of useful evidence to aid Murdoch in solving cases. Throughout the series, Murdoch's growing infatuation with her and his inability to express his feelings provide a light subplot. Dr. Ogden says she is reluctant to marry Murdoch because she knows he wants children and was told that her earlier abortion makes her unable to conceive.
In the fifth season, after Dr. Ogden is married to Dr. Darcy Garland (a colleague she met in Buffalo), a new doctor is introduced, Doctor Emily Grace (Georgina Reilly). She and George Crabtree show some romantic interest in each other. Dr. Grace dates the brother of Darcy Garland for a while. Later, Dr. Grace moves to England after a few seasons to pursue the dreams of her deceased female lover.
Dr. Ogden becomes a surgeon and a psychiatrist. She starts and runs a hospital for women. The two coroners who follow her in succession are black women, Dr. Rebecca James and Dr. Violet Hart. This is inconsistent with the Canadian society of the time portrayed. Earlier in the series, a black private detective was denied a position in the Toronto constabulary because of his race and moved to the United States.
Other societal messaging includes an additional detective being placed in the office at the time when it was illegal to be homosexual. Station House 4 is tolerant of Detective Watts, and Inspector Brackenreid risks his own reputation by helping him return from New York City. Detective Watts takes an even greater role in scenes with Murdoch in season 18. In past seasons, he worked with the Constables Crabtree and Higgins. Crabtree was acting inspector a few times. As a guest character in the series Frankie Drake Mysteries George Crabtree appears as a retired constable who has become wealthy.
"Why is everybody singing?" is the title of season 17 episode 22, a musical episode. All of the actors sang and danced. The premise is that Murdoch hears voices as if they are singing while he is in a coma after being shot. Murdoch sings too. It is a possible condition in real life. Crabtree dances around the light pole in a nod to Gene Kelly's dance in Singing in the Rain. Crabtree's is the last face filling the screen at the end of the episode.
In season 18, three main characters that are the crucial of the story line are absent for much of the season. Dr. Ogden only appears in one two-part episode. Crabtree is absent for most of the season. Brackenreid is promoted to Chief Constable of Toronto, more absent, but returns to act as if he is in his old inspector role. Murdoch has been acting inspector in past episodes when Inspector Brackenreid had issues, but does not take the position when it is offered to him after years of being denied because of systemic prejudice against his being Catholic. Albert Choi (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) replaces him as Inspector at Station House No 4, thereby becoming Murdoch's boss.
Dr. Ogden takes her daughter and moves to England to work in a hospital there where she would have more autonomy. This is uncharacteristic because she and Murdoch struggled so long to bear children. She says she knows William would not want to leave his career, even though transferring to England might have been possible at that time. In the 300th episode in two parts, William Murdoch visits England to celebrate their wedding anniversary with their daughter. Murdoch's illegitimate son from season 11 has been raised by his own mother, but has visited with the Murdoch family.
Real history is an important element in most episodes, and the plots, though fictitious, sometimes involve real people, such as Buffalo Bill Cody, Annie Oakley, H. G. Wells, Nikola Tesla, Wilfrid Laurier, Jack London, Arthur Conan Doyle, Queen Victoria, Theodore Roosevelt, Oliver Mowat, Orville and Wilbur Wright, Henry Ford, Sir Winston Churchill, Bat Masterson, Alexander Graham Bell, Emma Goldman, H. P. Lovecraft, Harry Houdini, Thomas Edison, Lucy Maud Montgomery and Helen Keller. In Season 12, Frank Lloyd Wright appears as the architect that Murdoch and Ogden hire to design their customized home, dubbed the Murdoch Mystery Mansion which incorporates many of the stylistic touches such as an open concept layout without doors or walls separating rooms, a low flat roof and stained glass windows with geometric designs evoking nature that Wright was known for.
Future events are often foreshadowed. For example, it is implied that secret British American government co-operation has produced a highly advanced aircraft similar to an airship, and Crabtree and Murdoch allude to the building of a secret government facility in Nevada and New Mexico "at Concession 51" (an allusion to Area 51). Characters also refer to actual inventions of the 19th century and extrapolate from them to future inventions such as microwave ovens, night-vision goggles, computers, the games Cluedo (marketed as Clue in the US) and "hangman", the toy Silly Putty, and a silencer for small arms.
Another underlying theme of the series involves the fact that Murdoch is a Catholic in what was at the time a predominantly Protestant city and the prejudices that he occasionally encounters as a result. Other subplots that overarch multiple episodes include the women's suffrage movement in Canada, a movement that was taking place during the time the series is set in, and the discrimination towards racial minorities in Toronto and same-sex relationships during that time period.
History
The series has its origins in 2004 as a series of three made-for-TV movies, starring Peter Outerbridge in the lead role.Strachan, Alex. "Unusual setting doesn't spoil Murdoch." Regina Leader-Post, January 24, 2008, p. C9. Its original title at that time was Murder 19C: The Detective Murdoch Mysteries.Chow, Jason. "Murder 19C is a Kin to Law and Order." National Post, May 12, 2004, p. AL 3. The supporting cast included Keeley Hawes as Dr. Julia Ogden, Colm Meaney as Inspector Brackenreid and Matthew MacFadzean as Constable Crabtree.
In 2006, a thirteen episode series based on the novels was picked up, but there were questions about Outerbridge's continuing availability, since he was already starring in another series, ReGenesis."Three News Series for CHUM." Toronto Star, March 17, 2006, p. D5. By 2007, Yannick Bisson became the lead in what was now called Murdoch Mysteries,"The Case of the Uncast Lead is Solved." Canada NewsWire, May 8, 2007, p. 1. with the other regular characters also recast.
The series debuted on Citytv on January 20, 2008.Myles, Ruth. "Murdoch Mysteries; Fighting Crime, Old-School Style." Calgary Herald, January 18, 2008, p. SW 18. The program was well received, both by the audience and by the critics: in the summer of 2008, it was nominated for 14 Gemini Awards by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television."The 23rd Annual Gemini Awards Nominees Announced". Canada NewsWire, August 26, 2008, n.p. Critics were surprised, however, that Bisson was not among the nominees.Mudhar, Raju. "Murdoch is on Trail of Something Major." Toronto Star, August 27, 2008, p. E1. The critics were also surprised in November when Murdoch Mysteries won only two Geminis.Strachan, Alex. "The Englishman's Boy, Durham County top winners at Geminis." Ottawa Citizen, November 29, 2008, p. F4.
Meanwhile, Murdoch Mysteries was renewed for four more seasons between 2009 and 2012. In 2010 the program, which had previously been filmed only in Canada, went to Bristol, England, to film an episode.Ahearn, Victoria. "Brits love Canada's Murdoch Mysteries". Moncton Times-Transcript, March 19, 2010, p. ESPN F1. One big fan of the show was Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who agreed to play a small role in one of that season's episodes."Harper has Modest Role in TV Drama." Edmonton (Alberta) Journal, October 16, 2010, p. A2. The episode in which he appeared, playing a "clueless cop who fails to recognize then prime minister Wilfrid Laurier", aired in late July 2011."PM Shows Acting Chops in Murdoch Mysteries." Kamloops Daily News, July 14, 2011, p. B4.
After Rogers Media decided not to continue the series beyond its fifth season, CBC Television picked up the show for its sixth season, which premiered in January 2013. The network has subsequently renewed the series repeatedly on a season-to-season basis. It has been one of the CBC's most highly rated programs, regularly watched by more than 1.4 million viewers as of January 2014.Stinson, Scott. "Sleuth Move; How Murdoch Mysteries Went from Case Closed to One of CBC's Biggest Hits." (Ontario) National Post, January 14, 2014, p. B5. In the US season 12 aired on Ovation starting in April 2019, back under its original title of Murdoch Mysteries. Season 13 started in the US in December 2019, on Acorn TV.
On May 1, 2025, Murdoch Mysteries was renewed for a 19th season of 21 episodes.
Episodes
Guest stars