Sherlock Holmes Meets Doctor Who In This 330-Episode Murder Mystery Series
El is a Junior TV Features Editor for ScreenRant, with previous experience as The Mary Sue's UK and Weekend Editor. She holds a Bachelor's in International Media and Entertainment Management, as well as an MA and Ph.D. in Creative Writing. There is little she loves more than discussing her favorite TV shows with fellow fans. One day, she hopes to publish an original fantasy novel.
Sherlock Holmes meets Doctor Who in this hit, long-running murder mystery series. Every murder mystery has its own hook. Some mysteries are defined by their leading characters; audiences love watching Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Columbo, Miss Marple, Inspector Maigret, or Benoit Blanc solve seemingly impossible puzzles. Some focus on specific types of crime, like Unforgotten's or New Tricks' cold case angle, while others are set in immersive, unusual locations. Netflix's The Residence features the White House. Midsomer Murders' titular fictional county is famously deadly.
Then there are those murder mysteries that mix different genres. One of the longest ongoing murder mystery series cleverly combines historical fiction and procedural tropes, offering an undeniably fun, compelling look at Canadian and wider world history. Set in late 19th and early 20th-century Toronto, Murdoch Mysteries follows Detective William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) and the other officers of Station House No. 4 as they solve the most confounding murders in a rapidly evolving city.
Based on the Detective Murdoch books by Maureen Jennings, CBC's Murdoch Mysteries is heading into its landmark 20th season, adding 21 more episodes to its already impressive 330-episode run. World War I is just around the corner, creating more opportunities for Murdoch Mysteries' trademark "what if?" historical storytelling and the chance for Murdoch and his friends to meet even more impressive real-world inventors, scientists, authors, artists, politicians, and other notable figures — all without the help of the TARDIS.
Murdoch Mysteries Has A Lot In Common With Doctor Who's Historical Episodes
While Doctor Who is first and foremost a sci-fi show, as the Doctor explores distant planets, parallel universes, and alien species, many of its most memorable episodes see the Doctor and his current companion travel back in time and meet and work alongside some of the world's most important, influential people. In the NuWho era alone, the Doctor has met William Shakespeare, Agatha Christie, Rosa Parks, Vincent van Gogh, Charles Dickens, Elizabeth I, Mary Shelley, and more, saving (and sometimes slightly changing) history.
Detective Murdoch has met just as many historical figures — all alive during Murdoch's time, of course — including Nikola Tesla, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Mark Twain, Henry Ford, Theodore Roosevelt, Helen Keller, Mary Pickford, Alexander Graham Bell, Winston Churchill, and even Sherlock Holmes' creator himself, Arthur Conan Doyle. Watching one of these episodes genuinely feels like watching Doctor Who; these characters aren't just fleeting cameos. They're integral players in the story, helping Murdoch and his colleagues solve murders and learn more about themselves and their place in the world.
Most importantly, like Doctor Who, Murdoch Mysteries knows how to have fun with history, respecting and acknowledging real-world events without ever feeling like a docuseries. There may not be any massive wasps or alien chicken monsters, but it's no less entertaining. If anything, Murdoch's alternate, anachronistic version of history makes audiences want to learn more about what really happened during events like the Great Fire of Toronto or better understand Canada's political relationships with other nations in the British Empire.
Detective Murdoch Is Like A Cross Between Sherlock Holmes & The Doctor
At the center of all this historical fun is Detective William Murdoch, a curious, polite, scientific-minded investigator always ready to fight for justice and the truth. His keen observational skills and track record are second to none. He understands people's desires and motivations, and he really loves solving puzzles. He's a fascinating Sherlockian detective, though he's certainly not a carbon copy of Sherlock Holmes, either.
Murdoch is also a master inventor, responsible for creating this reality's early versions of technological advancements like the lie detector test, night vision goggles, and sonar. His sheer enthusiasm for science and engineering is infectious; watching him invent some new contraption is like watching the Doctor giddily waving his sonic screwdriver while exploring a fancy technological gizmo or an interesting alien world. Murdoch's office, or "lab," is his very own TARDIS. He feels most at home at a crime scene or while changing the world (though sadly, he rarely patents his inventions).
Murdoch represents everything that makes Murdoch Mysteries so compelling. History told through a modern lens, science combined with sleuthing. Murdoch Mysteries has been on the air since 2008 for a reason. There's nothing else quite like it on TV.
Murdoch Mysteries season 20 premieres October 5 on CBC in Canada and Ovation TV in the US. All other episodes are available to stream on Acorn TV.
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