Disclaimer:
I grew up on the sleuthing shows of the 1970s and 1980s. From Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew and Rumpole to Magnum P.I., Remington Steele, and Moonlighting, I grew fond of private detectives, romantic comedy,
and their long-suffering friends. Thus, I'm pleased that the subgenre has
bounced back after the wave of grim-faced police procedurals — and related forensics,
legal, and medical dramas — of the past two decades.
At
the moment, Castle is the best
example, with an eccentric but brilliant amateur detective, hard-working
police, and bizarre crimes following the template established at least since
the writings of Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie. I'm also a big fan of Psych, which adds pop culture silliness
to the mix and just ended for the season.
I
already miss the caper series Leverage,
which is in a related subgenre and on hiatus, but spy spoof Chuck will soon be returning. I do enjoy
serious detective dramas, such as Inspector
Lewis (a spin-off of Inspector Morse)
on BBC/PBS's Masterpiece Mystery. Of
course, many of the paranormal conspiracy and horror programs I mentioned in my
previous blog post overlap with murder mysteries. What are your favorites?
Coming
soon:
Space opera and superheroes!
Gene's Worlds 