I've been watching Midsomer Murders since the beginning and I wrote a review several years ago which rated this show 5 stars. I based that rating on John Nettles' performance in the lead role. I deleted that review so I could write an updated opinion since the lead actors have changed as have some other things. I now consider this a 9-star series, mainly because of Neil Dudgeon.
Many viewers were big fans of Nettles, but I always felt his performances were flat and one dimensional. I was hooked more by the mysteries and how they were solved. Now the tables have turned and I am more engaged by Neil Dudgeon. As Dudgeon's character is a cousin to Nettles' Tom Barnaby, he bears some slight resemblance but his portrayal of John Barnaby is so much more enjoyable. Casting him in this takeover role was brilliant. He brings a range of emotion, a wry sense of humor, and a confident intelligence to the character merely with a subtle facial expression or change in body language. I found Nettles' performances quite wooden. Home life is now quite different, too. The original Tom Barnaby barely reacted in conversations with his wife and he looked almost uncomfortable when hugging his daughter. With Dudgen we immediately sense a relaxed and deep relationship with his wife and newborn daughter.
Since the departure of producer Brian True-May, I've noticed some other changes which, though not entirely earth shattering, are somewhat disheartening. During his leadership, the scripts were more clever and the depiction of the rural English villages in the county of Midsomer were more what I imagined from reading some of the books. I think preserving these principles is a worthy goal because the Midsomer series can eventually be a time capsule reflecting a unique culture and mores as well as enthralling entertainment.
One other note is on the departure of Jason Hughes. I truly loved his character, Ben Jones, and hated to see him go but it was time for him to get a promotion. Hughes' performances were often one of the highlights of the show. His replacement, Gwilym Lee as DS Nelson, is doing a good job, but I think the scripts can back off a bit on his dating activities. It looks like filler. We saw only a few romantic overtones with Ben Jones and it was usually part of the larger plot or it was treated with brief humor, mainly because the mystery was fully developed with details taking up time. Now we see less of the investigative part of crime solving. Most of it is showing up at the crime scene and then communications from the morgue. Here, the new medical examiner is given a time to shine and she does, but the scripts are deliberately avoiding defining a potential relationship between her and DS Nelson. This is an unnecessary manipulation of the audience. And is it my imagination or are more scripts relying on musical themes as a substitute for meaningful dialogue?
All in all I look forward to every new episode but I wish Brian True-May would come back to oversee it's future now that Neil Dudgeon has brought a bright new & invigorating spark to the show. This series deserves the best.
Many viewers were big fans of Nettles, but I always felt his performances were flat and one dimensional. I was hooked more by the mysteries and how they were solved. Now the tables have turned and I am more engaged by Neil Dudgeon. As Dudgeon's character is a cousin to Nettles' Tom Barnaby, he bears some slight resemblance but his portrayal of John Barnaby is so much more enjoyable. Casting him in this takeover role was brilliant. He brings a range of emotion, a wry sense of humor, and a confident intelligence to the character merely with a subtle facial expression or change in body language. I found Nettles' performances quite wooden. Home life is now quite different, too. The original Tom Barnaby barely reacted in conversations with his wife and he looked almost uncomfortable when hugging his daughter. With Dudgen we immediately sense a relaxed and deep relationship with his wife and newborn daughter.
Since the departure of producer Brian True-May, I've noticed some other changes which, though not entirely earth shattering, are somewhat disheartening. During his leadership, the scripts were more clever and the depiction of the rural English villages in the county of Midsomer were more what I imagined from reading some of the books. I think preserving these principles is a worthy goal because the Midsomer series can eventually be a time capsule reflecting a unique culture and mores as well as enthralling entertainment.
One other note is on the departure of Jason Hughes. I truly loved his character, Ben Jones, and hated to see him go but it was time for him to get a promotion. Hughes' performances were often one of the highlights of the show. His replacement, Gwilym Lee as DS Nelson, is doing a good job, but I think the scripts can back off a bit on his dating activities. It looks like filler. We saw only a few romantic overtones with Ben Jones and it was usually part of the larger plot or it was treated with brief humor, mainly because the mystery was fully developed with details taking up time. Now we see less of the investigative part of crime solving. Most of it is showing up at the crime scene and then communications from the morgue. Here, the new medical examiner is given a time to shine and she does, but the scripts are deliberately avoiding defining a potential relationship between her and DS Nelson. This is an unnecessary manipulation of the audience. And is it my imagination or are more scripts relying on musical themes as a substitute for meaningful dialogue?
All in all I look forward to every new episode but I wish Brian True-May would come back to oversee it's future now that Neil Dudgeon has brought a bright new & invigorating spark to the show. This series deserves the best.