Wednesday Trivia Question

Who starred in the US version of PRIME SUSPECT?

PRIME SUSPECT was a critically-acclaimed drama series that aired across seven series from 1991 to 2006. Created by Lynda La Plante, the show was a police procedural in which the lead character was a a female DCI confronting institutionalized sexism within the force. Helen Mirren starred as DCI Jane Tennison, a role that made her a household name for many in the US after the series ran on PBS on MYSTERY (and later MASTERPIECE).

As any regular viewer of commercial television knows, a successful program on British telly is bound to be considered for an American adaptation. Sometimes the show doesn’t make it pass the initial discussion or pilot stage (RED DWARF, BEANE’S OF BOSTON, THE IT CROWD), sometimes it becomes as successful, if not more so, than its British counterpart (ALL IN THE FAMILY, GHOSTS, WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY?). Quite often, the show can make it to series but end after one season (or less) because the same magic wasn’t quite there (GRACEPOINT, AMANDA’S BY THE SEA, LIFE ON MARS).

Wednesday Trivia Question

Where was John Barnaby stationed before transferring to Midsomer’s Causton CID?

MIDSOMER MURDERS is a Saturday night staple ’round these parts. PBS NC has been airing the UK import since the summer of 2014. It’s proven to be very popular with viewers and so far we’ve broadcast 21 seasons. The show initially followed DCI Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) but when he left after series 13 his cousin John stepped in to fill his shoes. So DCI John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon) is the current detective on duty when the quaint county of Midsomer falls victim to the odd case of manslaughter.

The character of John Barnaby first appeared in Nettles’ last season when the copper cousins joined forces. It seemed a natural fit then for the DCI to move to Midsomer when Tom retired.

So the question concerns John’s original posting (original as seen in the series). Where was it? Where was DCI John Barnaby stationed before transferring to Midsomer’s Causton CID on MIDSOMER MURDERS?

My Top Five: Favorite Mystery! Series

In the beginning, there was MASTERPIECE THEATRE. When that anthology program proved successful, PBS premiered its sister series MYSTERY! Over the years, MYSTERY! (and, yes, I will include that exclamation point every single time) has given us loads of exceptional detectives and amazing sleuths and introduced many viewers to great stories from Agatha Christie, P.D. James, Colin Dexter and others. With so many to chose from, it’s difficult to pick a handful of faves. But I knew the job was dangerous when I took it. So I set out to make that difficult choice.

For starters, I kept it old school. I’m speaking strictly of the original MYSTERY! series, pre-merger with MASTERPIECE THEATRE in 2007. That means gems like SHERLOCK, ENDEAVOUR and MISS SCARLET AND THE DUKE were ineligible (however, series that spanned both like INSPECTOR LEWIS were fair game). I also kept it solely, as this exercise in opinion suggests, in the realm of what I’ve personally viewed and what I personally liked. This is not a “best of” list or a ranking of the critically acclaimed.

Simply put, this is MY favorite Top Five. At best, it’s a starting point for a discussion, as are all lists of this nature.

So here we go. MY TOP FIVE FAVORITE MYSTERY! SERIES…

5) POIROT. Agatha Christie’s Belgian sleuth with his little grey cells has been portrayed on radio, film and television by a variety of actors including Kenneth Branagh, Peter Ustinov, Alfred Molina, John Malkovich, Tony Randall, Orson Welles, Albert Finney and Ian Holm. But PBS viewers know the definitive portrayal is none other than David Suchet. He truly embodied Christie’s eccentric investigator for over two decades.