Jonathan Creek

I never miss an episode of Jonathan Creek. This is one show that captures your attention from start to finish. It is brilliantly written, and equally brilliantly acted by both actors playing Jonathan and Maddie. I hope that this mystery is around for a long, long time. It would be a shame for it to end. It is better than any show made in the U. S., and the only one that comes close to it as far as total entertainment is CSI.

LONG LIVE JONATHAN CREEK!!!!!!

I loved this series with Carolyn Quentin as Maddy. However, after she left, it simply wasn't as charming. Maddy provided comic relief and believability in her character as unique and "real folkes". I watched the entire series. I am American and we seldom see really Smart TV series. Unlike most UK Series that I watch repeatedly, (on my 5th viewing of New Tricks & Dalziel) for their character driven shows, JC sold out after Maddy was replaced with a different type of female lead. Maddy and Jonathan were quirky and unique. As the show progressed it became "a sell-out" to American type-casting, pretty blondes all in a row. The following UK Series illustrate the wonderful beauty of realistic, "non-blonde stereotyping" and/or "pretty people" characters that I love. You can't beat Warren Clarke as Andy Dalziel in Dalziel & Pascoe, truly rare and beautiful in my eyes. Alum Armstrong as Brian in New Tricks. New Tricks, an older mature character driven series gives us a real Blonde role model. (America has only come close in The Closer and Major Crimes). Blonde Amanda Redman as Sandra was not at all typical, she was a real tough, non apologetic, non whinning, non flirting, character. Endeavor, Morse, Lewis, Frost, George Gently and more...all of these intelligent series have flawed real people as characters as real people. Jonathan Creek lost that when Maddy left the show. Jonathan turned into an odd unrealistic sham of a character after that and the show suffered. I finished the series only in hope that Maddy would return and Jonathan would return to his original "nerdiness" Maddy made the series and required me to research her SWEET choices in life.

I agree whole-heartedly with our other reviewer. This is an excellent series, and the chemistry between the lead characters is subtle and tangible. As of this writing, the series is currently airing on BBCA, and I would encourage viewers to check it out.

Yes, I admit it, all my comments here are coloured by the fact that I loved this high quality, well written, funny, intelligent, crime-drama-comedy show since the pilot episode (The Wrestler's Tomb).

Jonathan Creek is one great show: seemingly impossible murder mysteries combined with an interesting sexual tension between the two leads (at least, it was in the first 3 series when we had Maddy, not that I disapprove of Julia Sawalha) and some good comedy. The writing was great, the acting was likewise, and the show saw Alan Davies become a new "thinking woman's sex symbol" almost overnight. :P

But seriously, Jonathan Creek deserves not only its BAFTA but also a place in the UKTV hall of fame.

Starting watching this after being gifted a Britbox subscription, and the first three seasons are excellent. Well-thought out problems/plots, interesting, 3 dimensional characters with an odd but palpable chemistry between the main 2, great acting, humor, etc. Season 4, not only is the chemistry between the 2 leads odd, but the mysteries are further out there. What I liked about the first 3 seasons is that you could actually figure out the mysteries - you might not know the why, but you could sometimes figure out the how. Fair mysteries, where the viewer really was given most of the pertinent information. This starts to ebb as we hit season 4. I just watched the first episode of season 5, and yeah, so far, it's the worst. I guess it just jumped the shark.