I misteri di Brokenwood

/refers to Seasons 1 and 2/

Being an admirer of British and Scandinavian crime dramas, from time to time, I "look around" to realise what is going on regarding related field in other countries. As far I can recall, The Brokenwood Mysteries is my first watch of series coming from and depicting New Zealand - a country so far away, but with lots of interest and praise.

In spite of evident similarities and benchmarks with particularly UK series, I liked The Brokenwood Mysteries from the beginning: realistic characters, beautiful landscape, often black humour making you giggle... True, in and "old" fashion, one episode is dedicated to a single case and a small township in a safe country cannot be a venue of frequent felonies, but the story, characters and environment is so pleasing (at least to me residing tens of thousands miles away) that I just followed all the 8 cases continuously, often "forgetting" the commonness of the case or its solution/ending. Besides, the viewers can obtain additional information about wines, rugby and other areas or branches as each case deals basically with a certain activity.

So, all in all, I liked the series and might recommend it to our local TV stations to be screened. But I am sure that NZ and neighbouring viewers might have their reservations on the series and its originality...

PS Seasons 3-10 are still pleasant, including with several characters reappearing in other circumstances and functions. That is why it is recommended to watch seasons and episodes in sequence although one has to dedicate some time and energy - the net duration of an episode is approx. 1.5 hours...

At first I was skeptical of Brokenwood mysteries. I enjoy murder mysteries, I'm quite fussy. Yes it seems to have some similarities with Midsommer murders, however this show has a distinctively kiwi feel to it. The writers and actors have managed to incorporate a good amount of humor without overshadowing the mysteries. I thought it might put me off as there are a lot of ex shortland street actors in this show, it hasn't.

Worth a watch if you enjoy murder mysteries. This show is a breath of fresh air for NZ TV, amongst some very stale offerings. A worthy recipient of NZ on air funding. I hope this show will be a good spring board for emerging actors. Great choice of characters and actors.

Midsommer murders can sometimes get confusing and require a lot of concentration to follow. The 3 episodes I have seen on Brokenwood have been very well put together, kept me guessing and taken me along for the ride with out loosing me on the way.

I have read some scathing unfair reviews online. I have talked to several people of various ages who have had nothing but positive comments about this show. I am keen to see more of this show and really hope there will be many more seasons. I would like to see it get a good following overseas also.

Really enjoyed seeing a program in NZ that wasn't trying to portray either Auckland as "Little Sydney" all glam and international or South Auckland as "Little Harlem", for the 1.5mil that live in Auckland, there are stories from the other 3 million outside of the city.

The settings were real without LOTR CGI, the characters were not over the top, the stories had their twists and turns without relying on overnight DNA tests.

Similar to other cop shows, probably, different and standing on its own, yes it does that too.

Really though, how many police shows are all that unique nowadays anyway (CSI and NCIS franchises) or the formulaic UK shows: Two unusual surnames for the title, a male/female lead, one of the two has some disturbing past that troubles them.......doesn't make them bad watching.

It's perfectly fine to watch TV for entertainment and not to be educated or enlightened, that's what real life is for. Brokenwood does that from an NZ viewpoint with a bit of brain engagement and if you don't think this sort of thing happens, you haven't read the papers for 40 years.

I stumbled across this series just out of curiosity and for some exposure to New Zealand and its culture. What I got was a quirky light-hearted show that combines solving murder mysteries with a dose of humor, and none of the dark, disturbing plots and atmosphere that most shows today seem to favor.

Acting is excellent. I particularly love Gina and her interaction with Mike, and others. She steals the show with her one liners. It's also has a great format that introduces many recurring characters from previous episodes to truly give the feeling that you're watching stories that take place in a community, not just a series of unrelated stories that could take place anywhere.

As a foreign viewer, I don't recognize any of the actors. In most of these crime solving procedural shows I watch in the US, the murderer is always the guest star with the top billing, usually a recognizable face, and that spoils the mystery. In Brokenwood, it's more difficult to pick out the murderer, so extra entertaining for me.

It's nice to watch a wholesome show like this once in a while, without all the gun violence. And being a long-running show, you can be invested in it without being disappointed.

As Gina would say, in Russia, they would not like this show. They do not like humor. And not enough people die.

I don't know why people are comparing this to Midsomer Murders. It is not trying to be anything other than what it is. I love the characters especially the lead and his sidekick. The thing that I really enjoy about this show is that each episode shows an aspect that is typically Kiwi. Golfing, Hunting, and Wine are part of everyday life in New Zealand , so I think this makes Brokenwood Mysteries quite unique. I even prefer it to Top of the Lake which tended to be a little out there at times. Yes, the plot is generally straightforward and not mind bending, but it doesn't need to be. I just liked the Kiwi slant and was really impressed with the acting and cinematography. We are a small country, and I think it was a job well done. Maybe I feel like this because I am an expat living abroad, so this reminds me of home and makes me rather sentimental. Anyway, I loved every moment of it.