Republic of Doyle

Canadian actor, Allan Hawco, is a likable PI in this series that ran for six years and can now be seen on Netflix. In partnership with his father, Jake (Hawco) and Malachy Doyle (Sean McGinley) investigate murder, robbery, and other crimes in picturesque St. Johns, Newfoundland. The hour-long show has plenty of action, and lots of humor, a la The Rockford Files with Hawco a younger and studlier version of James Garner. This guy is catnip to women, and skirts the edge of the law to beat the bad guys at their own game. Lots of action, involving the Doyle clan, who are the ultimate crime-solving family. One character, however, consistently strikes a false note and that is Des, a kid who has become part of the family. He's a consistent idiot as a character, highly unfunny simply in the way. Otherwise, this show makes for wonderful binge watching.

If you had said last season that this show was a little cheesy, I would have agreed. I mean, Jake is right out of the 70's in so many ways. He hasn't really grown up but the show has grown up around him this season in my opinion. The characters are deeper, the plots more complex and interesting, and a lot of the lame situations have been benched in favour of better material.

Do Newfoundlanders really talk like that? And what's with the brightly coloured houses? Where can I get a GTO like that? Little glimpses of maritime Canada I suppose.

If you're looking for realism and big-budget effects, you won't find satisfaction here. But this show is good fun and a reliable source of entertainment. Good work!

As a native Newfoundlander, my opinions on this show have to be coloured by that rather important fact, but I have tried to divorce my feelings for my home from my review of the program.

As is plainly written on the Republic of Doyle web site, this show is cut from the same mould as The Rockford Files and Magnum PI. It's mostly a comedy with just enough mystery plot to hold the whole thing together. If you are expecting CSI on the East Coast, you will be disappointed. However, if you are looking for interesting characters that are true Newfoundlanders, with all the irreverence, dry wit and lust for life that the term implies, then this show will definitely entertain you.

Shot in and around St. John's, Nfld, on admittedly the largest number of nice weather days I've seen in a row, Republic takes full advantage of the visual variety of both the city and the surroundings. Dramatic shots of steep hills and brightly coloured houses backdropped by the harbour make even unlikely car chases appear really dramatic. I've driven those streets. Car chases on those hilly, narrow and winding streets is a fast way to a trip to the hospital. Still, they look like a lot of fun, and that's the point of it all, so it works a treat.

The strength of the series, though, is the characters and their interactions. For a brand new series, the recurring characters have a sense of solidity and reality that usually takes several seasons to achieve. The humour is appropriate to the place and people. As a Newfoundlander, I "get" the humour; I can only hope that others find it just as amusing. The other thing that reads very true is the dialogue. Having listened to a great many people butcher both the accent and the common terms of speech, it is refreshing to find dialogue that really could be heard on the streets of the city on any given day.

All-in-all, this is an hour of your life that you will be glad you spent in Newfoundland. If you can't get "Republic of Doyle" where you live, check out the CBC web site where you can watch the episodes online.

I found this lovely gem of a show on Netflix and I must a it's truly excellent! With such a well-balanced, vibrant and stellar cast, I can't figure out why I didn't come across this show sooner.

Allan Hawco does such an amazing job with his portrayal of ex-cop turned private investigator who has an extraordinary knack for solving cases but has more growing up to do when it comes to women. Also, his chemistry with Krystin Pellerin is natural and electric.

This series is loaded with solid plots, great humor, and excellent writing. It's quite frankly a lot better than most American mystery procedural shows that are currently still airing for some reason. If you're looking to binge watch a hidden gem on Netflix then this Canadian produced crime show is definitely worth the time as well as the laughs.

P.S. Look for a few amazing guest star appearances throughout the series run.

I came to this show late, after friends praised it to me.

I'm so sorry I didn't start watching it from the beginning.

The thing with me was that it was a CBC television production. Although I love CBC radio, the majority of CBC TV shows have been ... well ... weak. There have been a few exceptions, of course, but that hasn't been the way to bet.

This show is one of those exceptions. It's light, humorous, well written, and most of all, entertaining. It's just flat out entertaining. The plots are fun and interesting and there are just enough twists to keep us guessing, and to offer a surprise every once in a while.

The actors do a great job and are all very likable. I think that may be one of the main reasons that the show does well. I heard that they scored 1.2 million viewers on the last episode. That's an impressive number.

I'm not a Newfoundler so I don't think I'm biased, although I am from Nova Scotia so I know buckets full of people from The Rock. From my outsider experience, the dialogue and the attitudes they show towards each other are very accurate.

I honestly believe Newfoundlanders are the friendliest people on earth, and you get a taste of that from this series.

Bravo to CBC for putting this on and bravo to the writers and cast for a good, enjoyable, TV show.