Vienna Blood

I have been hugely impressed by Vienna Murders, three episodes of absorbing, exciting, and hugely enjoyable drama.

This show was bound to draw comparisons with Sherlock, given the associations that's understandable, but that is no bad thing, Sherlock in its heyday was thrilling viewing, this had the same vibe.

Think Murder Rooms crossed with Sherlock to get an idea of the tone. The actual crimes are very dark and macabre, the crime fighting duo are superb, the pair play off one another incredibly well, and are well supported by all.

Production values are superb, it has a lavish, big budget feel, the first episode in particular looks incredible.

I loved all three, but perhaps favoured the second one, it was a wonderful story, but the other two were excellent also.

A shame we only had three, but I understand why, it's obvious that these cost a lot to make, and took a long time. Well worth it though, I just hope we get some more in the future.

Gripping and utterly entertaining. 9/10

I really enjoyed the first episode of this new BBC1 one detective series. Bringing a young doctor who has studied Freud to help the detective solve a bizarre string of murders makes for an exciting beginning! I didn't know any of the actors but the wonderful cast and settings around Vienna circa 1900 made for an excellent production. Can't wait to see the rest of this compelling series.

First to say, it's not Sherlock & Watson. It's more of a team player effort. Of course, Both main characters, Lieberman and the inspector, have to come together from very diametrical positions of how a case should be solved. The term of 'profiler' is used, and I'm quite sure that's for the audience only, and wasn't known then. But they may have had a similiar name for a killer's extrapolated personality. Acting is really very good, and Mathew Beard is just optimal for Liebermann, exploring new methods of deduction and investigation. Very high production values, meticulously catching the flair of the young 20th century during the short time when Vienna was the capital of a huge empire, where the Jews tried to find their place by assimilating themselves. There is always some dry humor present, which makes the show a very pleasant watch. Directing by Robert Dornhelm in the first episode is great. Tension is built very well until the case is solved in a nice finale. Of course Vienna is the third main Character, as it is shown in most of it's remaining Glory from the old days. There are some small references to the famous 'Third Man', or I thought to recognise them. In this first episode most of the secondary characters did not get much attention, but I hope this will change in later episodes. I hope the coming episodes are equally high in quality to the first one.

I loved the setting in Vienna which highlighted the beautiful architecture which was a setting that held and supported the characters incredibly well. Each episode was a slow burner composed of many layers which, little by little, kept the viewer captivated and drawn deeper into each episode as it unfolded. I loved each of the three storylines and really warmed to the two main characters.

I sincerely hope that there will be further episodes?

Yes this is a Holmes type mystery and cannot be totally historically accurate, but as entertainment it is hard to beat.