Review of The Brokenwood Mysteries

The first episode had some bad acting in minor roles, but this production has significant merit, I hope it continues. Neill Rea does a brilliant job with Shepard and is well supported by Fern and Pana. In drawing comparisons with other detective series, it is astronomically higher than 'Midsomer', and probably on a par with 'Lewis'. The writing is good, and we look forward to more. We have watched the first four episodes now, and we have been truly hooked in the normal detective 'who dunnit' dynamic. Brokenwood doesn't do anything new, but it doesn't have to, you don't have to fight against a genre to create entertaining television. Some nice engaging stories with a bit of intelligence and a local flavour are well needed on our screens.