Miss Fisher's murder mysteries

[Ava6]

This TV show is an absolute feminist delight (and the book series it's adapted from). There's also a very good (and fun) podcast analysis of it on . Watch it, support it, help fund the upcoming movies (on Kickstarter). We desperately need more female-centric entertainment like this - it's been helping me keep my sanity lately.

Thanks for the tip. Will give it a go. What age is it suitable from?

I'd say pretty young - I can't think there's any gore - my 7 year old was watching fine until someone chased someone and shot towards them, but he's really sensitive on this stuff (he can't even watch power rangers - finds it to distressing). My 4 year old isn't interested and didn't care at all about the same scene.

Perhaps fast forward through just to check - I think there's one that involves Egyptian mummies that might frighten kids.

There's a lot of sex and also a lot of bad acting from a Police Inspector.

It is great but the books are far better.

I quite enjoy the books. I don't know how they are filming it but there's a fair bit of sex in the book. Where can I watch it?

The sex is VERY tame in the show - it all cuts to before and after and there are far fewer seductions.

Which police inspector is guilty of bad acting? The 2 main ones are both pretty brilliant (Jack can do eye sex like no actor I've ever seen ). Their acting is shaky in the first 4 eps but is great from there on.

Phryne is the most liberated female character I've ever seen. She's a female Bond

Can't believe this isn't more popular! Have just discovered the show after hearing about it on twitter. I suppose the advantage of getting into something late is that there's plenty to binge on - just getting to the end of series one, and still got two to go!

It's so much fun, am loving the costumes and the period detail. Also the 'will they won't they' of Phryne and Jack is very good, and the supporting cast is great. Thanks OP for mentioning the podcast, have been enjoying that too, though there's more gushing about the costumes and less analysis than I'd like. Oh well, can't be too picky I suppose seeing as the show is so unknown here. Thank god for Netflix!

The visuals and acting are so lovely, but the books are even better! Thoroughly researched and absolutely fascinating. Lovely feminist bits.

Once I've got through the TV series I think I'll move on to the books, I hear they're quite different?

Ahem, if you like Miss Fisher, can I STRONGLY recommend the Mrs Bradley Mysteries series with Diana Rigg? They're a few years old now, but frigging wonderful. £6 quid on Amazon. Just a shame they didn't make more.

Oh i love this too.

I have gone from:

"I need something a bit shit to watch on TV while I hang the washing out/file paperwork/sew buttons on"

to:

"Hmm, this is really rather good"

to:

"I am obsessed and think it's one of the best things I've seen in ages".

It's fantasy - 1920s Australia, and there's a surprising number of open-minded people about - but I could do with a bit of feel-good fantasy at the moment. It's also a fairly cosy murder mystery series, which I am also in the mood for at the mo.

The lead is just WONDERFUL. I adore her. She is a private investigator who is entirely undomestic (has no interest in children and has a lover-of-the-week, who she then discards) and yet has established a "found family" by episode 2. She's reckless, intelligent, pushy and will not be controlled.

The supports are also wonderful - I particularly love Mac, the lead's (very clearly lesbian) best friend, who is a Lady Doctor working in a women's hospital.

There's UST with a police inspector, which has some of the best chemistry I've seen on screen in a while. It's an incredibly unusual portrait of a fairly conventional, monogamous man gradually falling in love with a very unconventional, non-monogamous woman, and it's done incredibly well, with very little possessiveness or jealously. There's an episode in series 2 (the one with the racecar, for those that have already seen it) where the first five minutes has some of the best acting I've seen in a while, and which is worth the price of admission alone.

Also I normally don't give a shit about clothes, but the clothes in this are fantastic.

Ooh, this sounds just my cup of tea! I don't have Netflix, do you know if it's on any other channels?

I don't know! I am tempted by the DVDs as they've got extras, I believe.

I keep seeing this flash up and haven't watched it at all. I will now on this recommendation.

It's on Alibi I think. My DH is a big fan and put me on to it. Funny and stylish and Phrynne is such a good character.
YY to Mrs Bradley as well. Great strong female roles.

I've got it on Netflix - just checked. I had already added it to my list. I have some mundane tasks to do today after I've finished some work so I think I'll start watching it.

That's my evening's watching sorted then.
Thank you OP.

Thank you Howyoualldoworkme, I've got Alibi and it's on TODAY (and weekdays) at 12pm, then repeated 7pm . It seems to be half way through Series 1. Series link set and ready to record!

Mrs Bradley

just bumping this in case i'm not the only person in the world who hadn't caught onto the wonderful Phryne. It's such good fun and truly feminist. also clearly created by women. there's an episode in series 3 where part of the story line is a woman having mastitis. which shouldn't be revolutionary, but is.

I stumbled on this series a while ago and loved it. I watched some of them with DS, which was great from a social issues POV and led to some great discussion, but the murders were a bit too detailed for him so we had to stop watching together.

I only found Miss Fisher a couple of weeks ago & hadn't been able to figure out her first name, so thanks for the clarification.

Also loved Mrs Bradley and Zoe Wannamaker playing the apple-munching sleuth, whose name escapes me, in some Agatha Christie adaptations.

Zoe W played Ariadne Oliver in some Poirots. Looked it up, should have before posting, not after. Duh.

I particularly liked the episode where Phryne found a poisonous spider in her bedroom and trapped it under the first object that came to hand....a diaphragm. Cue blushing young policeman attempting to take a statement ;-)