Likable mysteries
Murdoch Mysteries is an island of stability in a sea of uncertainty.
Anxiety and confusion have fallen over CBC-TV’s primetime lineup in the wake of the NHL’s broadcasting announcement. Costs are being cut, schedules are being remade and (relatively) pricey programs like Arctic Air and Cracked won’t be back.
Through it all, Murdoch Mysteries has settled into a comfortable, but not complacent rhythm. Its fans are loyal and true. Murdoch is nearing the end of its seventh season, and yet it remains one of CBC’s mostwatched programs.
As Murdoch episodes go, Monday’s hour — a romp through Toronto Chinatown, circa 1901 — is average only, the kind of middle-of-theroad mystery Murdoch is most comfortable with.
A visiting dignitary from China is poisoned at a ceremonial dinner and the case falls to earnest, well-meaning Const. Crabtree (Jonny Harris). Crabtree is not Murdoch Mysteries’ most vibrant character, though, and there are moments in Monday’s hour when the series’ penchant for lightweight humour and lighthearted hijinks comes across as stiff and condescending.
At its heart, Murdoch Mysteries is about Murdoch, after all, and Yannick Bisson’s dry, understated performance. (CBC — 8 p.m.) ❚ Coldplay frontman Chris Martin is guest mentor for all four coaches’ teams this week on The Voice, a first. (NBC, CTV Two — 9 p.m.)