The series is based on the Detective Murdoch novels by Maureen Jennings (first published in 1997). The protagonist, Detective William Murdoch (played by Yannick Bisson), is a devout Catholic, a man of quiet integrity, and a brilliant, self-taught inventor. His unorthodox methods—using fingerprinting, blood testing, ballistics analysis, and rudimentary forensics—are often met with skepticism by his superiors but are grudgingly respected for their results.
The show excels at weaving real historical figures into its fictional plots. Murdoch has encountered a staggering roster, including:
Murdoch Mysteries is a charming, intelligent, and remarkably durable series that uses its historical setting not as a limitation but as a playground for ideas. It is a show about progress—scientific, social, and personal—wrapped in the comforting formula of a classic whodunit. For over a decade, it has proven that sometimes the best way to look to the future is to visit the past.
