Rose Gallagher recommends...

Impatient for Rose #4? Here are a few of my favourite period mysteries on TV that might help scratch the itch.

First up, we have The Law According to Lidia Poet (Netflix). Inspired by the real-life story of Italy’s first female lawyer, the show is set in 1890s Turin. It’s a feast for the eyes, with sumptuous costumes and gorgeous sets that take full advantage of Piedmont’s beautiful architecture and scenery. The show follows the traditional murder-of-the-week format, and while it’s a little predictable at times, it makes up for it with a charismatic cast, warm humour, and a sprinkling of romance. If you prefer a dubbed version, you can get it, but I highly recommend watching it in the original Italian. I generally prefer to watch foreign-language shows in the original, but that goes double when the language is as beautiful as Italian!

Next, there’s Canada’s own Murdoch Mysteries (CBC), set in late 19th/early 20th century Toronto. Also a murder-of-the-week format, it has a delightful cast of recurring characters (Inspector Brackenreid being my personal favourite) and occasional cameos from some familiar 19th century luminaries — some of whom Rose readers have already met, including Theodore Roosevelt and Nikola Tesla. This long-running series is a relatively recent discovery for me, and while I wince at the occasional inaccuracy or odd portrayal of a historical figure, it has all the familiar pleasures of a Murder She Wrote and is overall a delightfully cozy watch.

Looking for something New York-based? Try The Alienist (Netflix), based on the bestselling book by Caleb Carr. It’s a lot darker than the Rose Gallagher series (or the other entries on this list), but the mystery is meatier, unfolding over the course of an entire season rather than episode by episode. The show follows the titular alienist (psychologist), Dr. Kreisler, along with a newspaper illustrator (a Burrows-esque John Moore), a secretary (played by Dakota Fanning) and a police commissioner (meant to be Theodore Roosevelt, but I have notes) as they search for a serial killer in 1896 New York.

Finally, and darkest of all, we have Ripper Street (BBC), a police procedural set in Whitechapel a few years after the grisly ‘Jack the Ripper’ murders. Detective Inspector Edmund Reid (an even-broodier-than-usual Matthew Macfadyen), reeling from a personal tragedy and still haunted by his failure to catch the demon of Whitechapel, does his best to keep the seedy streets of Whitechapel safe — and to maintain his own strict moral code, which threatens every day to corrode in the miasma of corruption and violence that pollute 1890s London. My favourite character in this series is Captain Homer Jackson, another Burrows-esque character whose roguish charm and sparkling wit are an excellent foil for Reid’s gothic broodiness and occasionally Shakespearian soliloquys.

Does anyone else enjoy these series? What are some of your favourites! Drop a line in the comments and help us all find our new favourite show!