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Tuesday, September 26, 2017

TV: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries


Miss Phryne Fisher (Davis) is a wealthy and unconventional woman in the 1920s.  She is bored with life in England and moves to Australia for an adventure.  She loves a mystery and after aiding Detective Inspector Jack Robinson (Page) with a case, she decides to become a lady detective.

She purchases a home in Melbourne and hires Mr. Butler (Blight) to keep her life in order, and Dorothy Williams (Cummings) to be her companion.  They also strike up a friendship with taxi drivers Bert Johnson (McMahon) and Cec Yates (Sharpe) to help with investigations.

With encouragement from her friend Dr. Elizabeth "Mac" Macmillan (MacIntosh) and her aunt Prudence Stanley (Margolyes), along with help from Constable Hugh Collins (Johnstone-Burt), Phryne dives into the detective world.


A friend recommended this show and I was hooked after the first episode.

The show is based on Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher Mysteries.  The show's pilot is based on the first book in the series, "Cocaine Blues," which was published in 1989.  Deb Cox and Fiona Eagger came across the series and wanted to adapt for TV.  They served as the shows creators and producers, and consulted with Greenwood on the first series.

While the show, especially the first series, is based on the books, they made numerous changes to the characters and the plot.  I discovered the show before I knew about the books, so I didn't know about the changes.  I am just about finished with "Cocaine Blues" now, and it is different from the show, but I enjoy both versions.

The show is fun.  It has incredible, and award-winning, costumes, by Marion Boyce.  The costumes are gorgeous and clearly set the stage for the time period of the series.  The cast is great, especially Essie Davis in the lead.  She is dynamic and you can't wait to see what she will do next.  And she has sizzling chemistry with Nathan Page as Detective Inspector Jack Robinson.  While the show focuses on Davis' Phryne, the side characters are also entertaining.

It is a fun and jazzy murder mystery, with a great lead.  It is a fun and suspenseful show.

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (2012-2015)
Creator: Deb Cox & Fiona Eagger
Starring: Essie Davis as Phryne Fisher
Nathan Page as Detective Inspector Jack Robinson
Ashleigh Cummings as Dorothy Williams
Hugo Johnstone-Burt as Constable Hugh Collins
Richard Blight as Mr. Butler
Travis McMahon as Bert Johnson
Anthony Sharpe as Cec Yates
Tammy MacIntosh as Dr. Elizabeth "Mac" Macmillan
Miriam Margolyes as Prudence Stanley
Ruby Rees-Wemyss as Jane Ross

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