Murder in Provence

It's an OK show, a little slow for me, But what I find most distracting is that the characters are supposed to be French. They have French last names, they live in a town in Provence, the signs are French, the police are supposed to be french but they are all English actors using English accents. It's just a misfit I find hard to get around.

With Roger Allam (Endeavour) and Nancy Carroll (Father Brown) in the lead roles, I was expecting this series to be a bit more engaging, but the plot wasn't anything special. This show is kind of a slightly swearier, less quirky version of The Madame Blanc Mysteries, but without the 'will-they-won't-they' romance as here the couple are already established, which works just as fine. There's nothing majorly wrong with MiP, but storywise I felt like I'd seen it all before. The best thing about both of these French-set detective series is having 50+ leads female and male, as that hasn't been done enough.

Slow cooking, slow investigation, rather a pretext than the real thing. Beauty of life, places food, wine, what not to enjoy. Do not expect a real criminal story, although it is there. Just relax and admire the location. Ang if you ever watched Father Brown, you will be happy to see Lady Felicia (Nancy Caroll) at her best.

Okay, so it's not real heavy and the stories are simple instead of complicated but Provence is undoubtedly the star of the show and we get that in spades. Some of the characters are not the best actors but there is a certain je ne se quoi between the two main characters (played by Roger Allam and Nancy Carroll) that is believable and since we are in the same demographic, we can definitely relate. An added bonus is the role of Helene played by Keala Settle, who is quite different than the formula cops in most British crime series. Yes, the setting is in France and we have to believe that everyone (mostly) is French even though they are nearly all speaking in their distinctly English dialects and mannerisms. No violence, sex, cursing or gore but with all the prerequisite gays, mixed race relationships, and any other politically correct character necessary for a series today. Just lighthearted, whimsical dry wit and charm. Enjoy.

As usual, the petty, small minded nay-sayers are out in force; "It's too this, it's not like that, too long, too much talking blah blah blah". Well, go and watch something American thing with guns and zombies and car chases.

Imagine "Death in Paradise", but for adults. Words with more than three syllables, red wine, oysters, hand-rolled cigarettes, knowing looks and furtive glances. Roger Allam is perfect, and it's always a pleasure to see the criminally underused Nancy Carroll, Patricia Hodge as wonderful as ever. Some of the supporting cast are a bit iffy, but there you go. I don't know who it is that plays Sylvie, but she looks like she's stepped straight out of a painting by Raphael! And the opening credits are vaguely reminiscent of Caravaggio!

The Art department deserve massive credit and appreciation. Total attention to detail, full of depth, richness and texture, you'd never guess that a lot of the interiors were filmed in an old school in Reading! The whole thing fits together seamlessly.

Note to some reviewers who seem to have missed the point: It's British actors playing French characters, not some expat Brits in France. Honestly!

Looking forward to watching Ep. 3 tomorrow, and I do hope they make more.