This is the first of three televised versions of Maureen Jennings' original books, produced 4 years before the premiere of the current TV series. The current series has always been a little more lightweight than the books ever were, and has gotten more so over the years. (For example, watch a few early episodes and you'll notice Dr Ogden was gradually glammed up a bit over the years; in the early episodes she more closely resembled this version of Dr Ogden). I happen to like both, but the current series has drifted pretty far from the original books; some reviews here make it sound almost like it's the other way around.
This version is also more serious, without the slight tongue-in-cheek quality of the later series. If you're looking for humor you won't find much here. Each series has its share of anachronisms; they're pretty much built into the premise of the detective ahead of his time. But they're a little easier to ignore in this series, whereas in the current series they're almost a running joke between the characters and the viewer. This Murdoch is interested in "criminology" (microscopic evidence, for example) but he's not a Canadian Holmes with 19th-century James Bond gadgets as he is in the current series.
I very much like Peter Outerbridge's version of Murdoch. Intelligent, kind but not sentimental. I think anyone who's not looking for some sort of "prequel" to the current series and who judges this series on its merits (and the book's) will find them intelligent and enjoyable.
