Murder Call

I enjoyed this series (two seasons) and admired the crisp direction and technical aspects. The characters are well defined and the acting is serviceable. However, the dialog seems to be written at a grade-four level, lacking both grown-up wit and any sophistication or dynamics in the vocal interplay that distinguish these murder shows from one another. That's probably the result of the scripts being written solely to advance the plot; the characters sometimes act in a ridiculous manner, making logic-defying choices that no trained cop would make. But it is reservedly wonderful to see a series where the female plays Sherlock, solving crimes while her Watson partner scratches his head.

I liked 'Murder Call'.It was a well crafted,workaday police procedural,except it had one flaw that drove me MAD.Each week Detective Tessa Vance (Lucy Bell) & Detective Steve Hayden(Peter Mochrie) would join forces to solve a grisly murder. Trouble was,the writers seemed to forget that the mark of any good TV police duo is balance- that each should have strengths and weaknesses that contribute to solving the case.Poor old Det.Steve NEVER got to solve the case.Instead of the two of them compiling the clues into a solid block of evidence,each case seemed to be solved by the same maddening plot device: in the final 10 minutes of the show Tessa would stare out to middle distance,have a flash of inspiration and then run to tell Steve of her brainstorm.I watched 2 series of this infuriating show and waited in vain for a single episode in which Steve would be the one to crack the case:he never did.The device got so bad,that every week at 10.20 pm(the show began at 9.30) I would say,"Only 10 minutes to go.Time for Lucy's puzzled expression." I knew it wasn't just me seeing this when a local comedy show parodied it for the very same reason.Clearly 'Murder Call' was in dire need of a good script editor to pick up on these things. A shame,as Mochrie,Bell & cast all gave charming,confident performances.It's too bad it's format wasn't re-tooled to iron out this issue.A good show killed by a lazy plot device.

It's a shame Murder Call lasted for only two series. The lead actors were great, the stories enthralling, the locales and production values fantastic. And the theme song was very catchy!!! It was, at the time, the Nine Network's most-expensive program (if my memory serves me correctly).

Why it didn't last any longer than two years is beyond me. But then again, it was in a difficult time-slot on Tuesday nights. Ratings, schmatings!

Australians have a knack for producing quality dramas. Think, Flying Doctors, Police Rescue, Water Rats, A Country Practice, All Saints.

It's a pity our sitcoms aren't as well-made!

Love the haunting music. Very Australian feel to the series.

This show is an actual police procedural, not a soap opera starring cops, like _NYPD Blue_. Very occasionally, the case will have something to do with one of the characters, but it was infrequent enough that it did not seem contrived, the way it does on most shows. And even then, it often, although not always, is implied rather than explicitly stated. It's not considered necessary to parade each and every detail of the characters' personal lives, past and present, in front of the camera.

I did take a couple points off because the look of the show diminshed in the second season. It became less film noir and more American-network-TV-ish. As an example, the lead's going blonde took away the framing of her face, making the edge fade into the background and giving her a less intense and thoughtful look, less the intuitive detective and more a fashion plate. I found it very distracting, like watching the series in a funhouse mirror.

ON EDIT: About halfway through season 2 (as Prime Video reckons it), the plots start getting histrionic and stupid. Too many of the plots link directly to the running cast's lives, and the rest are just ridiculous. It does become a soap opera about police officers at that point. From "Cold Comfort" (S02E16) on, go find another real procedural, such as _Homicide_.

So I took away another point.

So that the reader may try to correct for my biases, I am an autistic, asexual American woman in my late fifties who watches a lot of British Commonwealth TV.