L'agence n°1 des dames détectives

I rarely watch anything more than once, but this series is so precious!!! I was in the Peace Corps in Lesotho, near to Botswana, and I feel like I am back there, in an environment that I loved. The stories ring true, though a few are a bit far-fetched. It saddens me that it was discontinued....for once I loved a series and it ended abruptly!!

When one is fond of a book it can be with a certain amount of trepidation to watch that story be turned into film.

This transformation was of epic proportion. The production is beautifully filmed, very well acted and the stories are fantastic. The series is being filmed in Botswana which adds immeasurably to the visual 'feel' of the story.

I don't want to spoil one millimeter of film by telling what happens, all I can say is WATCH or you will miss the boat! Watch this with your kids, your mom, your grandma and your bestest ever friends.

I look forward with great anticipation to the rest of the series.

I really didn't think I'd like this show, but wow, was I wrong. We all love this series in my house - old & young alike. It's one of the best kept secrets on TV. Now I want to buy some Bush Tea! It's "Feel Good Television" for sure....even when it deals with some very difficult topics. Jill Scott is just delectable as an actress; well, we just love everyone on the show, actually. You want something to make you smile?....watch "The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency"! I really hope they extend the series into more seasons. Oh, and the photography of Botswana - it's absolutely breath-taking. I never knew male giraffes behaved like that!....as they said in the show, it's just like males everywhere. It's a wonderful view of a place and people we know little about here in my little town in the middle of Canada.

After watching three episodes, I am already disappointed that there will be no second season.

A relaxing and charming program to watch. Likable characters portrayed by a lot of well cast actors.

The photography, editing and scenery are a major part of what makes this good. No fast clip, jumpy editing. Smooth transitions. The camera stays on someone's face long enough for the viewer to focus (and appreciate the acting), apparently a difficult feat based on how few directors seem to be able to do that.

I am certainly not prudish, been around way too long for that. But I find gratuitous and frequent use of "F" and other vulgarities to be annoying, and IMO proof that writers can't construct decent dialog; substituting coarseness instead. This program manages to work pleasantly well without any swearing, resorting to the novel approach of using real adverbs and adjectives to convey the message.

If you want high speed, non stop action with jumpy editing and constant swearing, don't waste your time watching this. Otherwise, sit back and have a nice, relaxing hour of quality entertainment.

A BBC & HBO co-production TV series based on the series of books by Alexander McCall Smith of the same title. Each episode is based on the events of one of each of the books. The shooting of the series was Anthony Minghella's project, who was executive producer and director of the pilot episode. However, after his sudden and unexpected death, his project was taken over and directed by other directors.

The novels tell the story of Mme Ramostwe, an independent traditionally-built woman who decides to open a detective agency to solve daily-life mysteries in her community. She counts with the help of her diligent but blunt secretary Grace Makutsy, and the constant help, support of love of master mechanic JLB Matekoni's. The story not only focuses on the mysteries the agency gets and resolves, but in the personal lives of the main characters.

I have read the books, and I can say that the series is not only a faithful adaptation of the novels, but better than they are. Although Smith books are extremely charming, with great characters and original settings and storyline, their poor literary value made them repetitive and soapy. The TV series, however, focus on the facts narrated in the book, with the same charm and freshness, but with the extra of the real Botswana in it and without any of the unnecessary repetitions and simplistic literary approach.

It is a pity that the main characters are not played by local actors, although, to be fair, the leading actors are all great in their respective roles. Jill Scott plays Mma Ramotswe convincingly, with great lightness and charm sometimes and with heartfelt dramatic feelings when required; moreover, she is a big gorgeous woman, comfortable with her size and curves, which is perfect for her character, who is just the same. Also stupendous in her role of secretary is Anika Nonie Rose, who gives the character a great comic twist beyond the nerve that the character has in the books. Zimbawaean Lucian Msamati is also great as the grounded soft-hearted Matekoni's; I have to confess that I expected him to be younger and thinner.

A refreshing highly entertaining series, with wonderful cinematography, insight into Botswana way of life, very good acting, and charming every-day mysteries. A breath of fresh air.