Frankie Drake Mysteries

I tuned in with real hopes for this series, having been a great fan of Miss Fisher and Murdoch Mysteries, but two episodes in I'm wondering whether to continue recording and watching it. It's the heroine... Just irritating and not convincing as an actress, sorry. Maybe if there was someone with more charisma and oomph playing the main lead we might be in for a treat, but at the moment I'm hard pressed to carry on. Reading other reviews it doesn't seem that it does improve, but I'll persevere for a bit and live in hope. I understand that the interracial friendships, which presumably would've been incredibly difficult in the era are good for the show, and I can suspend disbelief for these as I do on Murdoch, which at least does show some discrimination and problems for women, but the main character really does lack any get up and go, and some of the other actors also seem a bit wooden.

I read Carless' review... I would disagree ... This is a great series, first of all if we were to watch period inspired TV shows with script based upon language and slang of the times... Well I am afraid most of our entertainment TV and movies would have to be re-written! I reference Victoria, Father Brown, George Gently, Downtown Abby... and many others... All shows depicting a specific period but written for today... Now for the show itself, if you actually pay attention in EVERY show there is a character or subject that is fact based... check google! Not unlike Murdoch Mysteries, you can find similar trends. We actually enjoy this series, the main characters are all women, so for some viewers, they will not or cannot appreciate any woman as the main character... This is another great Canadian production, great costume, great sets, and great stories. At the end of the day this is after all just entertainment, so maybe spend less time nit picking and more time just relaxing and enjoy the show for what it is, entertainment!

If you are looking for something lighthearted that you don't have to think to hard to follow then this is spot on. The music and clothes and scenery are fun. However the acting of the main character, Frankie, is lacking most of the time. Her detective partner, Trudy, is a bit better and improves a bit through the series. Loved the secondary characters of Mary and Flo...they improve the acting level immensely and have a great repartee with the rest of the cast...I think a show with just the two of them would be a lovely bit of fun. A few things that bothered me was the lack of historical accuracy...both in the modern language used by many of the characters and the costumes worn by Frankie. The other characters costumes while perhaps not totally accurate for the period at least aren't glaringly modern like those that Frankie wears most of the time. There was also a glaring pushiness with "girl power" and interracial relationships which while I'm all for these in a modern setting, they are inaccurate for the 1920s. I think it would be better to teach people the way things really were and learn from them, rather than rewrite history to reflect where we are today (or at least where we would like things to be). Mary and Flo's work situations reflect these historical struggles better than the other two characters. Again, if you are looking for a bit of fun this fits the bill if you are able to suspend your disbelief a bit.

I was looking forward to the premiere of this series, having recently started watching the similarly lightweight but still enjoyable Murdoch Mysteries, but I have to admit to switching channels before episode one was half-way through. Regrettably, despite a solid period set and convincing performances by members of the supporting cast (Chantel Riley, for one), I found "Frankie" herself (the main character), a little too hard to believe. She appeared to act and be coiffed, tinted and dressed as a modern woman who somehow finds herself in the 1920s, rather than an ahead-of-her-time 1920s sleuth. Matching the appearance and performance of Lauren Lee Smith's character more closely to the rest of the cast would certainly help this become a solid ensemble series.

I read the synopsis on IMDb, and I thought this could be a worthy Canadian answer to the very successful and enjoyable Australian series Miss Fischer's -same premise of a female private detective in the 1920s. Unfortunately, Frankie ain't no Phryne. The main character lacks the drive and personality one would expect from a female detective in an 1920s male dominated environment. Indeed, aside from very soft references to prohibition and slavery (in that order) the series appears to ignore the social references and culture of the times, and the aforementioned 1920s female detective appears to glide through unencumbered, except for the very soft and predictable love interest from the local news hack. Hardly believable, and only suitable for a kid's series. It's a shame, the period locations, sets and costumes were enjoyable, and the supporting cast was OK. But if the script and the main character are not up to scratch, then you can only produce a mediocre piece. CBC wasted their money on this one. Don't waste your time.