I have had a lot of different television obsessions over the years - MuchMusic, then Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and then, more recently, The Office. Television viewers have, for the last decade, been collectively obsessed with detective/police/crime shows, (or have we been forced into it - the chicken and the egg?), and although I have watched them now and then, only in the past few months have I, myself, become infatuated with mysteries.
This fixation, however, is focused solely on the mysteries presented by the BBC, namely: Masterpiece Mystery, shown every Sunday night on PBS. While being not only of an obviously higher quality (as pertaining to the writing, acting, story line) than network series, these mysteries captivate me with their locations, their wit, and the nuances of the relationships between the characters.
Whether it be Zen in Rome, Wallander in Sweden, Poirot on the Orient Express, Jackson Brodie in Edinburgh, Sherlock in London, or Inspector Lewis in Oxford, I want to know each and every one of them (especially Lewis). I want to be a first-hand witness to their intelligence, to their bravado in the face of danger, and to their assurance that there will always be a truth to be found. And, more than anything, I want to drink at the pub with them (or maybe just with Detective Sargent James Hathaway).
Thanks, BBC.
