Customer Reviews

Midsomer Murders: Set 11

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've just received "set 11" of the MIdSomer Murders series. Unfortunately, I believed it was "series 11" -- turns out it is only "series 9" which was filmed in 2005. Series 11 aired this past year.
I would think that you would match your SET Numbers with the Series Numbers. I've waited all this time to receive these DVD's only to find out that I've already seen them 3 years ago...

So many of our friends and family regret the decision of A & E and the Biography channels not to renew this classic British series. It is pure escapism and deliciously photographed in the wonderful English countryside. John Nettles is everyman's hard working police inspector - cynical, darkly humourous and wholly believable. The cast and characters are comprised of true eccentrics (as only the Brits can be) and one never knows what lies around the next corner in one of the charming Midsomer Counties villages. If anyone of the powers that be in the programing offices of any network are reading this, please reconsider returning Inspector Barnaby and his confreres to their rightful place on our side of the Pond. They are sorely missed!

This is a great British crime/mystery series. The murders are always bizarre and are committed amidst a fantasy present day English countryside that we all wish we lived in. The plots are thick and get thicker and I am always pleased when I cannot guess the culprits, at least not too readily. This series used to run on the Biography Channel but for some reason, they have decided to deprive us.

Big changes in Set Eleven; relatively speaking of course. Barnaby ditches the Rover in favor of a new baby Jag* and we bid goodbye to DS Scott. This series hit a rough patch commencing with Set 7 and not just because the affable DS Troy left the show. His replacement, Scott, never seemed to mesh with the carefully crafted ambience of the cast and tended to project an overall negativity to the scripts. The writers tried to add some tension between Barnaby and his new DS, but it didn't come off particularly well. Scott remained the petulant and selfish "bad boy" always looking for a way back to his city job and never embracing the Midsomer ambiance. Perhaps to compensate the writers injected an ill advised sense of modernity with fewer cast members per episode and more yuppy centered story lines. Lot's of 3 series BMW's zipping around driven by generally unlikable characters had the show in danger of turning into an English Murder She Wrote.

All improved with this set as DC Ben Jones joins up in "The House in the Woods". Scott is briefly mentioned by a clearly disgruntled Barnaby in the opening scenes, but there is no farewell episode to commemorate his leaving like we had with Troy in Series Seven ("The Green Man"). Jones is an inspired synthesis of the two previous sidekicks; smarter than the former but more loyal and appreciative of his mentor than the latter. Ambience returns as does larger casts of quirky town folk. Essentially this set does much to restore the series to it's former glory, though I still feel the first six collections are the best. Not one to start with, but highly recommended for fans of this venerable series.

* One can draw many humorous explanations at the expense of legendary Jaguar durability, but inexplicably the Jag in "The House in the Woods" is silver, while in the balance of the episodes it's the more trendy black.

My father passed in 2006 and to divert my mother and myself, I purchased all of the sets of this series. We had seen it on television when it was on PBS but had not seen them all. It kept us going through a terrible time and when my mother unexpectedly passed ten months later, I pulled them again. I have them all. They not only entertain but they ensure with their beauty, solid plots and performances and general all around enjoyment level that the world is still going to go on. They have saved me and I recommend them to anyone who loves mystery, beauty and the feeling that tomorrow will be better because the Midsommer lands exist.

I have purchased all of the DVD's of the Midsomer Mysteries as I got hooked watching them when A&E as well as the BIO Channels was showing them in the states. Nobody does murder mysteries better than British Television...but my heart belongs to DCI Barnaby and his DS or DC sidekicks...Due in part because he (JN)looks so much like my late father who was our local Chief of Police for 42 years and secondly..everyone in my family are police officers. This series is done magnificently...from the music to the cinemetography to the outstanding story telling. Take the time to unwind and get lost in the always gruesome yet idyllic countryside known as Midsomer. Deb Korutz (Tootallbadgesmom)

Mysteries have been my television favorites since the days of Perry Mason! Seeing the British series through A & E and/or The Biography Channel has taught me that the English countryside and the dry British wit are perfectly suited to an outstanding mystery. John Nettles is one of the best actors ever. In watching the man work, he becomes DSI Barnaby. The series was superb in every way. The series was smart, intelligent, and authentic. It always had side stories of interest. The Barnaby family, Cully's growing thespian career, and Joyce's interest in the arts made us care about the characters, especially Tom Barnaby. It was never easy figuring "who did the dastardly deed," or if we were allowed to see who did it, it was pure fun seeing DSI Barnaby find his man (or woman). What a shame we don't get to see this particulary series any longer. Reruns would be better than nothing at all.

This series is so superb that it is difficult to give words to explain why it is so entertaining. It reminds me of the MI-5 series, but not quite so youth-and-technology-oriented. At least with our own sets of the shows, we can watch them over and enjoy them almost as much the second, or third, or fourth time. It gives one a great thrill to introduce the series to new mystery fans via the DVD's.

British Murder Mystery Series: Well written, and engaging plots. Mentally, more challenging than most American television fare. Good acting. Good photography. It's duration of run is a good benchmark of how popular it is.

Nobody can do detective or ghost stories like the British!
These series are great! No extreme graphic violence & great work in every possible way.
The characters are always likeable. Though I must say "Troy" was my favorite!

The sights in these series are breathtaking!
England is so beautiful.
And if you like Victorian houses , estates, or castles these series have plenty of the most beautiful in the world.
That's another thing nobody can build houses like the British . Absolutely beautiful works of art!

As a British fan I recommend these series. Each & every single one of these series is absolutely perfectly done.

This is a great British tv series. We used to watch it all the time on Directv until it was taken off. From what I now know it is only shown in europe. There is a lot of action in this series with a lot of twists and turns that will keep your attention.