Murder in Provence (TV Series) Episode #1.1 (2022) User Reviews

A good start.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 12 March 2022]

Who killed Professor Georges Moutte that's the question facing Antoine and Marine, and the reason why their vacation has been cancelled.

Another Britbox exclusive, it's good to see productions like this arriving there.

Overall, this was a good watch, for me it felt like a modern day Maigret, a glorious location, an interesting crime, and some well realised characters.

Both Roger Allam and Nancy Carroll are incredibly well known for crime dramas, Endeavour and Father Brown respectively, this was altogether a different kettle of fish. Both were excellent here.

I thought it started and ended very well, I thought the middle section was a little slow in parts. There is definitely some quality here, and I look forward to seeing the other two. An engaging enough mystery to begin the series.

Solid, 7/10.

Marmite

[xmasdaybaby1966 · 7/10 · 5 April 2022]

I love Roger Allam.

Obviously known as being Fred Thursday, a lot of that character can be seen here alongside his character from the Radio 4 series Conversations From A Long Marriage.

There is a mention of Morse (code) and a ring road (something Oxford is well known for) so maybe there is a nod to Endeavour here.

Unfortunately, thee is also a mention of Marmite and, for me, there is a mixture of love and hate here It's great to see the views and some well known faces. Patricia Hodge is making a name for herself as the new Mrs Pumphrey in the channel 5 remake of All Creatures Great And Small and I hadn't seen Jeremy Clyde on screen for a long time; previously being the officer and gentleman in many a TV show.

The story introduces the main characters well but I hope that in future the murder happens sooner than the 10 minutes it took for this one to happen.

There seems a good rapport between the two main characters but I get the feeling that it really should have been Joanna Lumley in the role as the chemistry in the aforementioned Radio show that Roger Allam is phenomenal.

Now the downside.

Why did it have to be in Provence?. It reminds me of the original Morse, John Thaw in one of his most unsuitable roles in A Year In Provence.

Like Van Der Valk, the characters are native but everyone has British accents.

Ok, French accents would be off-putting and if French was the language used then there would be fewer viewers.

Why not set it in the UK and use British names?

I assume it's to do with tax breaks despite us leaving the EU.

It would be a great daytime show on BBC but with the length of the show, I suspect it will end up on ITV on a Sunday night in a few months time.

Watchable for the one liners but it did seem to drag a bit at times. More incidental music might help.

I suspect Provence is not going to resonate as a backdrop for many viewers.

It's probably on a par with MacDonald And Dodds but at least a fair amount of UK viewers will have been to Bath. Provence does seem rather grand. If it had to be set abroad then perhaps Costa Blanca or Gibraltar would be better options.

Will continue watching and hope for improvement.

Easy watching

[Vindelander · 7/10 · 27 July 2022]

The location filming and cast are excellent but that's the best I can say about it. Plot very thin as is the overall storyline of the series. A husband and wife team of investigators - what are the chances ?!

Great fan of Roger Allam but this is well below his capabilities.

Episode 1

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 13 June 2022]

The first episode of Murder in Provence places more emphasis in the scenery and a leisurely pace than the mystery itself.

Antoine Verlaque (Roger Allam) is an investigative judge in the jurisdiction of Aix-en-Provence where he lives with his partner Marnie Bonnet (Nancy Carroll.)

Both had gone through unhappy marriages and prefer living together, they even have their own homes.

Antoine plans a romantic getaway but is disturbed by the murder of a retiring fine art professor at his plush apartment that came with the job.

Antoine and Deputy Inspector Hélène Paulik (Keala Settle) work well together as they try to piece together what had happened.

It seems the professor planned to retire but had changed his mind. Maybe one of the rivals for his post is a suspect. Then there might have been financial fraud going on, his secretary is acting suspiciously.

Antione finds out that Marnie's communist mother Florence (Patricia Hodge) was at the leaving party the night before, where he announced his change of mind.

The role of an investigative judge who acts as a detective might be novel. There is wonderful rapport by the actors as Antoine and Marnie spend their time cooking, dining and discussing the case.

It is just too sedate and has to rely on a long confession at the end to wrap up the mystery.

Going by the first story, Murder in Provence aims to be warm, fuzzy and aimed at a mature audience.

Good pace

[dmeech · 9/10 · 13 July 2022]

The pace of the show is such that you have time to think about who did what and when. There are some quirky characters and you don't lose interest. Have seen many of the actors before and they don't disappoint.

It is what it is

[safenoe · 5/10 · 18 December 2023]

I really had high hopes for Murder in Provence, especially as it stars Nancy Carroll of Father Brown, but maybe I found it slightly jarring that there was no attempt for the actors to have French accents in any way at all. I know, I know, perhaps we don't want to have an 'Allo 'Allo situation where English actors put on parodies of French (or German) accents but I still had trouble getting used to it post-Brexit and all init.

Anyway, if Murder in Provence had been set in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland with its English breakfasts and all, then I probably would have appreciated Murder in Provence.

Standard mystery

[coltras35 · 5/10 · 25 July 2022]

A standard mystery that has the benefit of a nice location, and has some interesting suspects, however it can be slow and low-key. But the main problem is Antoine, a judge ( Roger Allan), who is looks at everyone with a bit of contempt, is overly cynical and sarcastic, plus he looks like he's reading from an autocue. In contrast, his partner, Marine is much more likeable and lively. In this episode, they put their weekend getaway plans aside when there's a murder at the local university.

Nobody expects ..............

[DoctorStrabismus · 4/10 · 8 August 2022]

Many of us understand that through the 'Inquisitorial System' of justice in France, the investigating judge (juge d'instruction) works closely with the police in examining evidence. We also understand that 'inquisitorial' is not the same as The Spanish Inquisition. But NOBODY EXPECTS the judge to be going up on a high roof parapet, nor indeed to be anywhere near as 'hands on' as good old Fred Thursday was in this one. Maybe he simply can't help himself. They really do need Mister Bright in there to keep him on the straight and narrow.

It is probably as well that they do not put on silly French accents, and this benefits the acting, but the plot appeared subsidiary to the provençale scenery, architecture and gastronomy.

I expect that I will watch number 2, and hope for better.

4/10.