Women's Murder Club

This is a police crime procedural. The special thing here is that all the main characters are female friends. They work together to solve crimes. Cindy Thomas (Aubrey Dollar) is a newspaper cub reporter trying to break in. Lindsay Boxer (Angie Harmon) is the hard nosed homicide detective. Claire Washburn (Paula Newsome) is the medical examiner. Jill Bernhardt (Laura Harris) is a young assistant district attorney. The four form the Women's Murder Club.

As a police procedural, it has the all the prerequisites. The actresses do a great job. All of them fit their characters very well. There isn't anything especially memorable. There is something odd about relating murder investigations like a weeknight book club. That aspect is a little bit unfortunate.

I have read all the Women's Murder Club books and like them but I think this show is even better than the books. Am I the only one who does not care for Laura Harris' acting? She seems so stilted and uncomfortable. Always putting her hands in her pockets like she doesn't know what to do with them, smiling at inappropriate moments as though she's uncomfortable with the camera on her. I love the other characters and even though it seems like Lindsey was a blond in the books...Angie Harmon is perfect for the part. She is great. Hope this show stays on for seasons. This and Boston Legal are the only reasons I ever watch ABC.

I thought there were more than enough murder shows on TV with all the CSIs and Law & Orders, etc.. But I like Angie Harmon, so I gave this new show a shot. I was really impressed with the twist of the "women's club" -- A basic stereotype is that men are more emotionally detached, so they can better deal with the horrifying nature of this kind of police work. This show places women in these hard roles, with all their emotions still running. That causes a different dynamic, allows for a new twist on the homicide scene. WMC ends most episodes with these 4 women gathering to check in with one another, to deal with the emotional difficulties of the job and life in general. It adds a soft touch, shows the harsh reality of the homicide beat, and makes the characters more real and likable.

First off there's a lot to like about this show. Good cast, decent acting, enough action but not over the top. When it comes to the stories though, it's just the same old thing. No surprises. I liked it because I could just turn off my brain and just go with the flow, but that's also where the problem comes from. When I want something that's going to challenge me this isn't where I'd go. That's why I gave it a 7. It could've been more.

Women's Murder Club was the good surprise of the season.

it's well-written, well-acted, has beautiful cinematography and engages the viewer intelligently.

In other words, it's a far cry from the umpteen bad shows that the networks introduced this year.

Sadly, it was never promoted heavily by ABC and thus still hasn't reached its full commercial potential. Regardless, it's been doing extremely well in the ratings and won its night regularly. What more can a network want? The characters are all very real and engaging and while the personal stories have a danger to fall into soapy, they've so far remained engaging and have been balanced very well with the "crime of the week".

The creators have all been fired by the network, and I hope the new people ABC will bring in won't turn this into another unwatchable soap opera.