The Brokenwood Mysteries, streaming on Acorn, Amazon Prime, Roku and other services, is the very best quirky murder secret police procedural you've never heard of. It's filmed in a small town in the rainy, chilly, uneven, forested Auckland area of New Zealand, that makes it a natural binge for Oregonians.
A killing or strange death is at the heart of each episode, but Brokenwood is mainly nonviolent with little or no gore, and with the death typically occurring mostly or entirely off screen. The series features interesting lead stars, a vast variety of bizarre, funny and idiosyncratic supporting stars, sharp discussion, captivating settings, and the labyrinthine twists and turns the cops group must take to discover the fact.
The odd-ball supporting cast, the sweet yet snarky relationships amongst the police team, and the absence of violence make this a relaxing, enjoyable stream, specifically for viewers turned off by the limitless on-screen bloodlettings and shootings of many current U.S. police programs.
While the main force of the acting is borne by the three lead characters-- Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Shepherd and his 2 assistants-- the recurring supporting cast provide the program much of its buoyancy. These consist of a love-sick Russian pathologist, a shrewish outlaw bar owner, a deer-in-the-headlights coffee cart operator, a gay church pastor and his psychiatrist partner, a gay pharmacist who is also the mayor, and a likable but smarmy defense attorney.
The stars' New Zealand accents are a surprise plus-- both the English as spoken by the white stars and the rather various English accents of the Maori actors, who are native to New Zealand.The series simply celebrated its 10th season, with an 11th on the way. Each season includes 5 to 6 episodes that run for about 2 hours each.
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