The New Zealand mystery series The Brokenwood Mysteries, produced by Tim Balme, Chris Bailey, and Sally Campbell, combines just the right amount of senseless crime with a wholesome small-town atmosphere. There are not many shows that manage this balance and while the project is reminiscent of Britain’s Midsomer Murders, Brokenwood Mysteries seems to establish its own genre between murder mystery and casual village drama.
Producer Tim Balme explains to Stuff that with Midsomer Murders you can expect a high body count and nearly a half-hour before someone dies, whereas his show gets it done in the first few minutes and allows “more time for the detectives to do their job.” The Brokenwood Mysteries follows Detective Inspector Mike Shepard, portrayed by Niel Rea, who takes an unconventional approach to solve crimes by getting to know the town of Brokenwood’s quirky, recurring characters. Mike Shepard is assisted by Detective Kristin Sims, played by Fern Sutherland, and Sam Breen, played by New Zealand comedian Nic Sampson.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
The show mixes simple mysteries with casual comedy and breathtaking New Zealand landscapes. Tim Balme tells Stuff that each episode’s goal is to make sure that viewers are actively sorting out the puzzle as they watch and racing to acquire the answer before Detective Shepard does. Balme says that the “TV maker’s challenge is to make sure [they] never do.” The series relies heavily on plot and characters in comparison to American mysteries, which sometimes lean on the action and shock value. The Brokenwood Mysteries is quiet in comparison, but still immensely satisfying and engaging. Here is a look at why Tim Balme’s The Brokenwood Mysteries is one of the best mystery series of the 2010s.
Brokenwood Mysteries’ Setting and Soundtrack
Acorn TV
As mentioned above, Brokenwood Mysteries pays special attention to the environment in which these crimes take place. The community of Brokenwood is situated in the countryside, surrounded by farms, vineyards, sandy shorelines, and small businesses. The landscapes are often sunny and peaceful, or rainy and quiet, but never too dark or dreary. Unlike other murder series that might leave you feeling a bit on edge, Brokenwood lightens the mood with some stunning and cheerful cinematography. Brokenwood’s natural beauty is accompanied by upbeat and sometimes relaxing country music, as the show’s main character, Mike Shepard, prefers to listen to country as he drives around interviewing subjects.
Producer Tim Balme explains to Stuff that he finds in similar series that writers can become “lazy” by overusing curse words and violence, whereas when you are limited to how much shock value you use, Balme says that you find more creative ways to tell the story. The violence and crime are always implied, never scarring, and the New Zealand landscape adds to that.
The Characters in Brokenwood
The personalities in Brokenwood are what makes this series particularly strong. Aside from Mike Shepard, the casually dressed detective who adores country music and has a knack for talking to locals, there are many recurring characters to fall in love with. There is Gina, the Russian coroner with an obvious crush on Mike, Jared Morehu, Mike’s Maori neighbor and friend, and Ms. Marlow, a nosy senior who knows just about everything about everyone in the community. Other characters include Frodo, a coffee cart owner who somehow ends up accidentally involved in most of Brokenwood’s crimes, and Dennis Buchanan, a local lawyer who sometimes works with and against the police.
One particularly beloved character is the Detectives’ young assistant, Sam Breen, (Nic Sampson). When the show debuted, Breen was initially just a glorified extra, but by Season Three, Breen was being sent to speak with particularly odd characters no one else wanted to talk to and regularly accompanying investigations. Alongside Gina and Jared, Breen is some great comedic relief in the series.
The Brokenwood Mysteries
Although Brokenwood follows a similar formula to other mystery series, like everything else, it does things a little differently. In shows like Midsomer Murders, often the culprit is someone the police repeatedly overlook, and the investigation sometimes becomes more complicated than it should be. While that how is nervous to focus on their killer too soon, Brokenwood doesn’t shy away from interacting with the murderer often and sometimes obviously. Surprisingly, this never ruins the Brokenwood puzzles. Although the culprit is sometimes clear, their motive and how they achieved the crime is frequently more complex than we think.
