Brokenwood: Mord in Neuseeland

Came across this well done series from the "you may like " section and was pleasantly entertained. The show built the characters quickly and the result was a wonderful mix of personalities with a nice mix of serious and humour ,especially from Fern and Neill. The Medical Examiner is like someone everyone knows, and the banter between all the cast is the strongest part of the show.

At first I was skeptical of Brokenwood mysteries. I enjoy murder mysteries, I'm quite fussy. Yes it seems to have some similarities with Midsommer murders, however this show has a distinctively kiwi feel to it. The writers and actors have managed to incorporate a good amount of humor without overshadowing the mysteries. I thought it might put me off as there are a lot of ex shortland street actors in this show, it hasn't.

Worth a watch if you enjoy murder mysteries. This show is a breath of fresh air for NZ TV, amongst some very stale offerings. A worthy recipient of NZ on air funding. I hope this show will be a good spring board for emerging actors. Great choice of characters and actors.

Midsommer murders can sometimes get confusing and require a lot of concentration to follow. The 3 episodes I have seen on Brokenwood have been very well put together, kept me guessing and taken me along for the ride with out loosing me on the way.

I have read some scathing unfair reviews online. I have talked to several people of various ages who have had nothing but positive comments about this show. I am keen to see more of this show and really hope there will be many more seasons. I would like to see it get a good following overseas also.

I quite enjoyed this little romp in the countryside - not an intellectual pursuit (you can usually work out "whodunit" about halfway through) but still fun. I saw a review saying it was derivative and unoriginal and they disliked the overtly individualistic detective - well yes, he does seem to be a little "try hard" but what do you want - a guy in a nice suit and Ford Focus? How boring would that be - I think some people miss the idea of "entertainment". So good stories, interesting characters, beautiful scenery and enough to keep you entertained for 90 minutes. I hope they make more with perhaps a little more oomph but not so much that it looses it's quaint country feel. I'd give it a B with a comment of "could do a little better". But well done anyway - enjoy

Nicely produced, lighthearted detective murder show from New Zealand. The principal actors are really good and funny and the plots, although uneven from show to show, are usually very engaging. They run out of top acting talent pretty quickly as you move down the credits, but the show has a charm and look that carries it along. Great scenery and, for us Northern Hemisphere viewers, a fun look into how folks in the Antipodes do it.

The photography, in particular, is really nice and gives the show a great sense of place. The two principal actors, Neill Rea and Fern Sutherland, are very good and the supporting cast, if a bit one dimension, are fun to watch as well.

A fun 90 minutes of engaging Kiwi cops.

I enjoyed the first season of Brokenwood. No, it does not have big name actors, a big budget, heavy sex and swearing but it keeps your interest and is entertaining.

If you want all the hype, hoopla and jabberwocky of US based shows this is not for you.

I agree that some of the acting in the first episode was below par but it picked up in future episodes.

Some of it is hokey and there is also quite a bit of subtle humour from DI Mike Shepherd which can easily pass by the viewer. No, he is not suave, sophisticated and debonair but I like the character.

The episodes are up and down so you must be a patient viewer. In season 1 I enjoyed 2 of the 4 episodes. The first and last episodes in my opinion were below par.

I also liked the quirky country music in the background. It is a bit different from the norm.

I watched it on DVD so I could use the captions to help understand some of the kiwi accent (eg the "chicks" in the mail).

Try it out and see if you like the show. Don't try to compare it to some of the pommie shows just take it on its own merits.

POSTSCRIPT I am now into the third season of this series and each season is better than its predecessor. I have now upped my rating of the show to a 8.25 from a 7. The only real criticism I have about season 3 is the new background music they used. It is not as good as the music in the first two seasons.