Darby and Joan

This show is set in the cinematically gorgeous Australia. It has the feel of a Cotswold set village mystery show. Joan and Darby starts with an out of water English woman piecing together The W's of her husband's death thousands of miles from where he was supposed to be. Of course through a timely by chance situation/encounter she connects with a retired detective who had gone "walk about" for several reasons I won't spoil.

Set in an RV instead of some cottage we get a love letter to the beauty of the Aussie landscape. Nothing is major or truly sinister about the mysteries. They're episodic adventures as we are taken along the journey with Joan and Darby as they piece together her husband's hidden story.

This isn't an edgy show but it does touch on a few subjects especially grief, forgiveness and making amends. There are many familiar faces of great Aussie actors to be found in this season and I hope to see more in a season 2. There are some acting misses in the supporting cast but I don't believe it was designed to sweep up awards.

I would like to commend the show for not being artificially woke. It is naturally inclusive and contemporary without detracting from the story telling. It represents people as people in a manner of fact way with no explanations necessary(as it should be) unless relevant to the story.

Australia is vast country with so much more to explore. This first season only scratched the surface of the culture and country. Hopefully we get more seasons and we get to explore everything from Sydney to Perth and First Peoples to Bogans.

Darby And Joan is a heartwarming series with two likeable and intelligent leads doing some amateur sleuthing while trying to solve the mystery surrounding Joan's husband who was found dead in Australia when he was ostensibly in Spain. Joan is English, a nurse and, while there a few "fish out of water" tropes these are few and she's no fool. Jack Darby is the laconic, emotionally stunted Aussie bloke, but there is more to him than that. He just doesn't want to overshare. Some great cameos from familiar Aussie actors and fantastic scenery to boot. If you want some light viewing with an overarching engaging narrative I can highly recommend this series. I hope there is a season 2.

Not blood, gore and sex ... but GREAT chemistry. Absolutely LOVE the interaction between Greta & Bryan. Beautiful and handsome - NOT the fake beauty on American TV. We love it. Each show is good and builds towards the conclusion but also, THANKFULLY, toward another season. Takes advantage of the scenery and culture of Australia and Queensland. Interesting supporting characters in each episode. PLEASE keep the seasons coming. I can see these two characters together for many seasons and it would not be boring watching the relationship grow. LOVE LOVE LOVE Bryan Brown and the REAL mature Greta Scacchi! THANK YOU.

Just what we need after the graphic sex and violence over-excess of 'Outlander' and 'Game of Dragons" A gentle romantic comedy with two late middle aged retirees trekking through rural Australia solving simple ethically ambiguous crimes as they go, with gently bickering witty repartee. Darby and Joan being the perfect title. Bryan Brown and Greta Scacchi show that over 60's have still got it and make a very attractive couple without resorting to full frontal nudity and waggling bare bottoms. The two of them are so perfectly matched one would think they had 'been together now for 40 years and it don't seem a day too much'. OK, the plots are simple, but if we need violent crime all we have to do is read tody's papers. I loved the line "My sister was married to Darby a few wives back!"

Although many reviews have placed the setting in the outback, it is set in the Queensland costal area.

The pace of this series is amazing - there's plenty of intrigue to keep you watching but the beautiful scenery calms things down again. I prefer mysteries like this ie without (much) death but there aren't many around - the main other being 'Signed, Sealed, Delivered' (AKA kLost Letter Mysteries'). My only gripe with D&J is that for much of the season, there's a 'straight marriage is crap but gay marriage's always perfect' vibe, which is obv v unrealistic. I hope they go ahead with S2 as set up in the S1 finale - TV needs more cross-generational shows, especially where the older characters take the lead.