Murdoch Mysteries is a Canadian drama television series produced by Shaftesbury Films that premièred in January 2008 and was broadcast on Citytv in Canada and on Alibi in the UK. It was picked up by CBC Television for its sixth season. The show follows the titular character William Murdoch, a police detective working in Toronto, Ontario, through the turn of the 19th century into the 20th, who makes use of what was, in the late Victorian era, the latest in forensic science to solve crimes. The show was developed for television by Cal Coons and Alexandra Zarowny based on the characters in the Detective Murdoch series of novels written by Maureen Jennings.
Characters
ActorCharacterSeasons1234567891011121314151617181920 Yannick Bisson Detective William Murdoch colspan=20 Hélène Joy Dr. Julia Ogden colspan=17 colspan=1 colspan=1 Thomas Craig Inspector (later Chief Constable) Thomas Brackenreid colspan=20 Jonny Harris Constable George Crabtree colspan=18 colspan=1 Georgina Reilly Dr. Emily Grace colspan=4 colspan=2 colspan=3 colspan=12 Paul Sun-Hyung Lee Inspector Albert Choi colspan=17 colspan=3 Daniel Maslany Detective Llewellyn Watts colspan=9 colspan=11 Lachlan Murdoch Constable Henry Higgins colspan=20 Peter Keleghan Terrence Meyerscolspan=19 Arwen Humphreys Margaret Brackenreidcolspan=20 Mouna Traoré Rebecca James colspan=8 colspan=3 colspan=10 Peter Stebbings James Pendrick colspan=2 colspan=3 colspan=3 colspan=4 colspan=3 Shanice Banton Violet Hart colspan=10 colspan=10 Michael Seater James Gillies colspan=2 colspan=2 colspan=2 colspan=6 colspan=2 Daiva Johnston Eva Pearce colspan=5 colspan=4 colspan=11 Cyrus Lane Roger Newsome colspan=6 colspan=4 colspan=11 Rupert Newsome colspan=10 colspan=6 colspan=2 colspan=2 Kristian Bruun Augustus "Gus" Jackson colspan=4 colspan=6 colspan=10 Erin Agostino Nina Bloom colspan=8 colspan=2 colspan=4 colspan=5 Clare McConnell Effie Newsome colspan=11 colspan=10 John Fleming (Season 1) John Brackenreid rowspan=2 rowspan=2 colspan=4 rowspan=2 rowspan=2 colspan=4 rowspan=2 colspan=2 rowspan=2 rowspan=2 rowspan=2 rowspan=2 colspan=6 Charles Vandervaart (Season 6–) Nigel Bennett Percival Giles colspan=3 colspan=2 colspan=2 colspan=3 colspan=6 Siobhan Murphy Ruth Newsome colspan=9 colspan=6 colspan=2 colspan=2 colspan=2 Sarah Swire Amelia Ernst colspan=12 colspan=6 Dorothy Ernst colspan=13 colspan=2 colspan=1 colspan=4 Alex Paxton-Beesley Winifred "Freddie" Pink colspan=8 colspan=2 colspan=4 colspan=6 Giacomo Gianniotti Leslie Garland colspan=6 colspan=7 colspan=5 Brian Paul Sir Wilfrid Laurier (Later Prime Minister) colspan=3 colspan=4 colspan=3 colspan=2 colspan=5 Colin Mochrie Ralph Fellows colspan=10 colspan=5 colspan=1 colspan=2 Matthew Bennett Allen Clegg colspan=3 colspan=4 colspan=2 colspan=5 Patrick McKenna Inspector Hamish Slorach colspan=2 colspan=4 colspan=3 colspan=2 colspan=5 John Tench Alexander Graham Bell colspan=4 colspan=5 colspan=2 colspan=5 Dmitry Chepovetsky Nikola Tesla colspan=8 colspan=2 colspan=8 Christine Horne Svetlana Tsiolkovsky colspan=8 colspan=3 colspan=3 colspan=3 Bea Santos Louise Cherry colspan=9 colspan=12 Kira Guloien Lucinda Helmsworthy-Newsome colspan=12 colspan=3 colspan=3 colspan=2 Shailene Garnett Nomi Johnston colspan=11 colspan=3 colspan=6 James Graham Arthur Carmichael colspan=11 colspan=3 colspan=4 Jesse LaVercombe Jack Walker colspan=12 colspan=4 colspan=5 Jonelle Gunderson Goldie Huckabee colspan=12 colspan=2 colspan=7 Samantha Walkes Cassiopeia Bright colspan=14 colspan=3 colspan=4 Mark Taylor Isaiah Buchanan colspan=14 colspan=4 colspan=2 Kataem O'Connor Constable Teddy Roberts colspan=17 colspan=4 Kenzie Delo Constable Tucker colspan=15 colspan=3 colspan=3 Neil Crone Crown Attorney Allister Gordon colspan=5 colspan=1 colspan=1 colspan=2 colspan=5 colspan=4 colspan=3 Stephanie Belding Nurse Kate Sullivan colspan=11 colspan=1 colspan=1 colspan=3 colspan=4 James McGowanDr. Forbescolspan=11 colspan=2 colspan=1 colspan=1 colspan=1 colspan=1 colspan=4 Nathan Hoppe Constable McNabb colspan=9 colspan=1 colspan=1 colspan=1 colspan=1 colspan=2 colspan=1 colspan=2 colspan=3 Craig Brown Eddie Crawford colspan=7 colspan=2 colspan=1 colspan=2 colspan=4 colspan=1 colspan=5 Lucy Hill Iona Berger colspan=17 colspan=4
Main
William Henry Murdoch
Detective Murdoch, who is portrayed by Peter Outerbridge in the TV movies and by Yannick Bisson in the series, is an intelligent, observant detective who uses unusual (for the time) techniques such as blood testing and fingerprinting. It is revealed he comes from Nova Scotia, is a devout Roman Catholic who was educated by the Jesuits and is fluent in French. In one episode, it is revealed that he believes that his father beat his mother and may have indirectly caused her death, although this was proven incorrect. Following that incident, he was taken to live in an orphanage for a time.
Murdoch is also a polymath: Although very logical, sceptical, observant, scientific and clear-headed with a photographic memory (possibly Hyperthymesia) and working memory, these become an issue when he needs to connect with people on an emotional level, something he finds difficult. Often his unusual techniques and unbiased opinions of people lead him to clash with Brackenreid (even though they work together well). In season 9, episode 11, Murdoch takes up golf and does quite well till a machine he invents ruins his "swing". Julia plays well and Murdoch is told all he has to do is empty his mind to again play well. This is something he cannot do and he ends up angrily throwing his clubs in the lake, one by one.
Murdoch often consults on cases with Dr. Julia Ogden, with whom he is infatuated, although he did not attempt a relationship with her until the first half of season 2. As the season progressed, an argument over beliefs and past decisions made by Ogden split up the couple for a time, during which time Murdoch pursued a relationship with Enid Jones. However, he and Ogden rekindled their relationship during the season 2 finale on the advice of his half-brother (see below), and it becomes "public" (despite everyone already knowing about it) in the first episode of season 3. Ogden and Murdoch become engaged in the finale of season 7 and are married in episode 4 of season 8.
In the season 2 finale, it is revealed his father had another son, Jasper Linney (of whom Murdoch knew nothing) out of wedlock, before marrying Murdoch's mother. Jasper is a sergeant in the North-West Mounted Police and his mannerisms, interests and investigative techniques are similar to those of Murdoch's own (mentioned above), and the two prove successful in working together to solve a gold mining scam case. In the season 4 episode Voices, it is revealed that Murdoch has a younger sister, Susannah, who is a nun living in Toronto briefly before returning to her convent in Montreal when it is revealed she is terminally ill. Their conversations reveal that they had an aunt, whose home he left at seventeen, to work at a logging camp. This episode also mentions that Murdoch's father was still alive two years prior and lives in Western Canada.
In season 1, episode 4, it is revealed that Murdoch once had a fiancée, Liza Milner; she died a year prior of consumption.
In season 9, episode 10, "Raised on Robbery", he and Julia have adopted a son, Roland, the orphaned son of the bank-robber couple; however, in episode 14, "Wild Child", when they find out that the couple were not Roland's biological parents, Murdoch and Julia make the heart-breaking decision to give up Roland and reunite him with his real father (the mother having died in childbirth.) Murdoch later learns he has a son, Harry, from his relationship with Anna Fulford. In season 15, William and Julia welcome a daughter of their own, named Susannah after William's late sister.
In a crossover with fellow CBC show Republic of Doyle, called "If the Shoe Fits", a modern-day version of Murdoch appears in the form of "Bill Murdoch", who is the great-great-great-grandson of William.
SeasonEpisodes123456789101112131415161718192021222324 1 colspan=13 2 colspan=13 3 colspan=13 4 colspan=13 5 colspan=13 6 colspan=13 7 colspan=18 8 colspan=18 9 colspan=18 10 colspan=18 11 colspan=18 12 colspan=18 13 colspan=18 14 colspan=11 15 colspan=24 16 colspan=24 17 colspan=24 18 colspan=22 19 colspan=21
Thomas Charles Brackenreid
Inspector (later Chief Constable) Thomas Brackenreid (portrayed by Colm Meaney in the TV movies and in the TV series by Thomas Craig) is a middle aged married man, fond of the theatre and a good drink. He is the head of the stationhouse and does most of the interrogating, often forming opinions of a suspect because of personal impressions or their social standing. Quick to anger and tenacious, with a sarcastic sense of humour, he is better at traditional "coppering" and is very proud of his job and what he feels is his duty to protect the city.
While he often disagrees with Murdoch's methods, he uses them when he feels they have merit. He has little time for Crabtree until the second half of the fifth season where he takes him directly under his wing and actually seems to care deeply for him. He is shown to care for Murdoch and knows his mannerisms well enough to know when he is pining and advises him to do something about it.
Throughout the second season Brackenreid is forced to hide his drinking habits from his wife, who has joined the temperance movement.
In the third season, it is revealed that Brackenreid is a Freemason, as is Constable Crabtree (who happens to be of higher rank, as he can watch his language, etc., better than Brackenreid can).
At the end of the seventh season Brackenreid suffered a severe beating from a gang of thugs that was controlling the harbour. The first two episodes of season eight detailed that, although he had physically recovered, he was initially adamant about leaving his job, fearing that his family might be endangered. After being convinced by his wife that being a policeman was his life, he began a lone and almost maniacal search for the person responsible for the attack and other crimes, proving willing to eschew the "rules" to achieve his objective. Although he came close to killing the culprit, in the end he abided by the law he had served for years and returned to his job as Inspector.
At the end of Season 17 Brackenreid is appointed as the new Chief Constable.
Brackenreid paints as a hobby. Although his colleagues and family don't always appreciate his work. His style greatly resembles Canadian painter Tom Thomson.
Brackenreid is from Yorkshire, England and has two sons with his wife Margaret, John and Bobby. John, the elder son, would become a Constable under his father at Station House 4 in season 11. Before he became a policeman, Brackenreid served in the British Army and fought in Afghanistan. He is a supporter of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club.
In season 12, "Secrets and Lies", he discovers that he has an adult daughter, named Nomi Johnson (played by Shailene Garnett), as the result of a relationship with a Black woman before he married Margaret. He loves Nomi and feels she is part of his family, but initially is reluctant to admit to being her father due to her mixed race. Eventually he publicly acknowledges her in Season 14, "The .38 Murdoch Special".