Murdoch Mysteries and the art of having fun with history

Have you ever had friends recommend you try something, you put it off for a while, and then immediately regret waiting so long after you finally do try it? This was my experience with Murdoch Mysteries… except we’re talking about over a decade of putting it off. I remember when Ovation TV called the series “The Artful Detective” before switching to the name the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and ITV Global used, but I never tuned in. Fast forward to the 2023 WGA/SAG-AFTRA strike. I wanted a new-to-me series that was not affected by the shutdown. I binged the entire series before the strike ended. Whether you’re a period drama or mystery fan, Murdoch Mysteries is a great wintertime binge.

Murdoch Mysteries is set in late 1880’s Toronto and moves into the early 1900’s as the series progresses. Currently there are 18 seasons and World War I has not yet occurred in the canon. The title character is Detective William Murdoch of the Toronto Constabulary. He uses the emerging field of forensic science and also invents new tools to bring the guilty to justice. Many episodes feature the constables, their families, and their friends pursuing hobbies, sports, or attending events around Toronto where they end up encountering names you’ll recognize from the history books. There are also many examples of the writers using original fictional characters to represent real historical events and people. Toronto as a setting allows the series to address events and trends in American history that are often overlooked in our movies and television series. The series also discusses issues like Canada’s position with the British empire pre-independence, and the creation of the Commonwealth. Along the way, viewers can spot familiar guest stars from Downton Abbey and other UK, American and Canadian TV series.

While there are episodes that tackle important historical truths head on, there are just as many that use humor, creative license, and a touch of the fantastical to interpret history. Many people believe Bridgerton set the current trend of presenting “what-if” alternative history scenarios in period dramas, but this isn’t true. Murdoch Mysteries has been inserting characters in the middle of historical trends, events, and controversies since 2008. One can also argue that both modern and classic Doctor Who has consciously or subconsciously influenced the Murdoch Mysteries writers room, especially in regards to the episodes that claim their characters are responsible for inspiring inventions or creative works. There’s even a Halloween themed episode — “Sir, Sir, Sir” — which features an overt Whovian premise. This approach not only balances the severity of some of the crimes Station House 4 investigates, but also allows viewers to absorb new knowledge without feeling like they’re in the middle of a lecture.

Murdoch is often assisted on cases by Constable George Crabtree. Crabtree is a published author of speculative fiction off-shift, and is regularly used to introduce famous literary figures such as Lucy Maud Montgomery, the author of the Anne Of Green Gables series. It’s not clear if socialist and labor rights activist Emma Goldman ever met the banking and railroad tycoon J.P. Morgan in real life, but she punched him in the face in one Murdoch Mysteries episode. This sounds like fanfiction, but you have to admit it’s very on brand for Goldman. Murdoch ends up meeting Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, and other influential scientists of this era through his inventions. Dr. Julia Ogden, the first coroner featured in the series, and her successors are often used to discuss medical advances as well.

Some viewers may be intimidated by the fact Murdoch Mysteries has elements of pre-streaming American network TV in episode and season length, and yes, there’s a lot to watch. But in fact one of the show’s strengths is in the ability to have several Christmas and Halloween themed episodes where the boundaries of genre are frequently broken. Parodies of pop culture or heavy borrowing from horror and science fiction tropes are a priority. Sticklers for history may find it hard to enjoy these episodes, but they’re the backbone of why Murdoch Mysteries has endured in popularity.

A key reason why the fun episodes work is because the writers are just as adept at capturing more sobering histories. During my first time viewing, one of the elements that compelled me to keep going was how effective the early Murdoch Mysteries episodes are at acknowledging racial and ethnic minorities compared to UK TV shows, especially mysteries, that were released around the same time. Murdoch is a practicing Catholic, and he is denied promotion because faith-based job discrimination was still legal. His partial outsider status not only makes him more empathetic to those who receive unequal treatment in society, but is also used as a focal point to discuss the concept of white privilege. Often these plots result in the series critiquing the policing system and society as a whole. Later episodes in the series also feature Black, queer and neurodivergent main characters with nuance and avoidance of tokenism.

Canada’s history is also featured, as the 1890s into the early 1900s was an era of increased immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe, other British colonies, and African Americans moving north to escape the worst of Jim Crow. In addition, this era was marked by conflicts between First Nations peoples and the Canadian government over natural resource extraction and rights of way for railroad lines. It’s only recently that Enola Holmes, The Year of the Rabbit, and Miss Scarlet and the Duke are correcting the whitewashed nature of late Victorian and Edwardian London in period mysteries/procedurals. I was especially fascinated by how much Black Canadian history was represented on Murdoch Mysteries and the fact that so much of it is connected to African-American migration, with characters from the Caribbean and Africa also making appearances. Two episodes deal with the social and political aspects of passing and colorism with a nuance not seen in many UK period productions.

Whether you’re interested in crime solving before the invention of the cell phone, slow burn historical romance, or theorizing about what led to the establishment of Estee Lauder, there’s something for you in Murdoch Mysteries. All you have to do is let go of the urge to point out anachronisms.

Murdoch Mysteries Seasons 1-17 are currently streaming on Acorn TV, Acorn on Prime and the Roku Channel. Seasons 1-13 are available on Hulu, Freevee, and Hoopla. Season 18 of Murdoch Mysteries — plus older episodes — airs on the Ovation Channel Mondays at 8 PM EST.