SUMMARY
Charlie and Nicola Buchanan are a happily married couple who also happen to work as crime scene cleaners. Their business allows them to feed their interest in solving crimes as amateur detectives. Aided by their niece Jess, they put their deductive reasoning and observations skills to good use as they work with local detective and friend Peter Vinetti to gather evidence that the police might not otherwise obtain.
MY THOUGHTS
Mr & Mrs Murder was a surprise of the nicest sort. From the opening credits featuring cartoon drawings of our crime solving team, to the unique personalities of our main characters, this Australian series is full of quirky charm.
Though this is a murder mystery show, the crimes take a backseat to the rapport and relationship of the Buchanans. Individually, they are entertaining. With his head of silver hair, Charlie appears distinguished. But when he opens his mouth and starts spouting off random obscure facts, you realize he is really a geek at heart. Nicola’s thirst for mystery isn’t unique to this type of series, but her fashionably classic wardrobe, unknowingly bad cooking skills and her unusual fear of dogs are. But together they are what make this show so entertaining.
Charlie and Nicola also manage to coerce their niece into acting as a distraction or information gatherer as they go about their clandestine snooping. Jess’ reactions and loving acceptance of her weird relatives is rather endearing.
An interesting storyline, is the unexplained relationship between Nicola and Peter. He clearly has a crush on her even though she is married. She simply treats him as a friend but doesn’t hesitate to use their connection to her advantage. Charlie is well aware of Peter’s attraction to his wife, but the men manage to work together in a civil manner. I really wish this particular aspect of the series had a little bit more explanation because I’m very curious about the history between these three. Sadly, with only one season produced, it is never really elaborated on.
As I stated earlier, the highlight of Mr & Mrs Murder is really the relationship between Charlie and Nicola. Their personal/career balance is very much reminiscent of famous sleuths Nick and Nora Charles of The Thin Man film series. It is clear they are deeply in love and their celebration of each others quirks is adorable. Not to mention their pure enjoyment of each other’s company and teasing banter is just downright cute.
Sadly, Mr & Mrs Murder was not renewed after its’ first season, but there are still thirteen episodes to enjoy. If you love intense murder mysteries and psychological dramas, then this series may not be for you. But, if you love character driven cozy mysteries, then by all means, check out Mr & Mrs Murder.
