The Brokenwood Mysteries (TV show REVIEW) -- Quirky little cozy-ish Kiwi mystery series

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My latest streaming recommendation is—not surprisingly (if you know me)—international, but—more surprisingly—not from Great Britain or any of the Nordic countries. Instead, this enthusiastic pick is from a land Down Under (hint: the one associated with a lovely, fuzzy fruit, not the one with adorable-fluffy eucalyptus-munchers).

The Brokenwood Mysteries might be described as the antipodean second-cousin of Midsomer Murders (the looooong-running mystery series set in the British countryside)… but if so, it’s the charming, wry, witty, non-uptight cousin. As in MM, TBM is set in a small (New Zealand) town which also covers the rest of the county, wherein a shocking number of murders (and other shenanigans) occur. Both shows also share a light touch; there’s always at least one murder—and usually more—but the tone is never grim, because the focus is always strongly on the personalities.

And for me, that’s where TBM really shines. First, there’s a fantastic main cast—Neill Rea as the middle-aged, country-music-lovin’, detective inspector, is a delightful everyman; Fern Sutherland as his younger detective partner, brings all sorts of smarts and sass; and Nic Sampson as their younger subordinate, delivers bon mots with impeccable timing—all of whom share fantastic chemistry together. TBM also boasts a wonderfully-offbeat set of recurring characters… but not just the sort who are sort of always in the background; here, characters from previous seasons are often brought back—to great effect—when you least expect it.

While the very-British MM skews more to the “cozy” side of mysteries, TBM goes full-on quirky (and to me, irresistibly-likable)… while still retaining believability. Packaging this much sheer charm and humor with intelligent stories in ways that never come across as cloying or hackneyed is a feat… one that those Kiwis have mastered brilliantly, with this one. :) 
~GlamKitty

(The Brokenwood Mysteries currently streams on AcornTV, either as a standalone or through Amazon.)


Update: Unfortunately, as the series goes on, I find it has worn out its welcome. Part of this is due to a casting change—Nic Samson left the show in 2021, to be replaced by the rather stiff and unamusing Jarod Rawiri—and partly to less-engaging storylines and dialogue. So, while I still stand by my positive assessment of the first seven seasons being a cute, cozy bit of fun... I can't say the same for the latter seasons, which now feel mostly tired. 

[Updated March 2026.]

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