Streaming series review - Murder in ... Season 16

Murder in…: Season 16 ***1/2 (average out of 5) The word "average" is included because this season – like the others – is an anthology of eight 90-minute French telefilms, with each having a different cast and location. There's no need to have seen the earlier productions, or to watch these in any order, since there's no overlap among them. They're all quite good, with some appealing to me more than others. But there's not a clunker in the seven made available for review as I write this.

Each title is Murder In (that film's location). The common threads among them are lovely, sometimes stunning exteriors; a satisfyingly complex murder (or murders) mystery du jour; police protagonists that are easy to root for. The process is invariably mixed with an assortment of personal issues and backstories for characters on both sides of the law. Suspense is sustained until reaching resolutions that make sense from the well-written scripts. As usual for such Eurofare, there's not a lot of action; no naughty bits shown. We do see the victims in situ and on the morgue tables, but hardly anthing looks particularly gruesome.

Subscribe

The first is in Nimes. A dude in a gladiator costume is found with an antique sword stuck in his midsection. He's dressed for a historical play being staged in the local Roman arena that's being restored. Juliette Plumecocq-Mech stands out as a grizzled veteran detective on the verge of retirement due to lasting emotional wounds from a family tragedy.

The next occurs in Puy-en-Velay. A woman is found in a cathedral, apparently having died simply from fright, raising questions as to whether it was due to her frail health, or an intentional act. The real star here is Gaelle Bona, playing one of the lead detectives who is going blind from diabetes, and struggling with that even more than with the case.

The next is set in the port city of Honfleur. The local member of parliament is hauled in by some surprised fisherman whofind the stiff wrapped in a tarp and covered with salt, consistent with the procedure of a regional legend. The case goes to Captain Justine, who is pissed off by a politico imposing a retired cop-turned-professor (Bernard Farcy) on her. Her anger comes from their shared history that we learn during the episode. Another treat is a plum supporting role for one of my favorite character actors – Dominique Pinon. You may not know his name, but you'll recognize his face.

Next we move to the city of Caudry in the Dentelles region. It's France's lace manufacturing center, and the stiff of the week is a member of the family owning one of the biggest companies. He's found dead in their factory. The main subplot here involves the local top cop being surprised when his daughter turns up to take the lead. She's angry as heck; he's remorseful about whatever happened before they became estranged.

For an idyllic change of pace, the next takes us far away to tropical Marquises in French Polynesia. A distraught cop from France (Sara Mortensen) is there for the wedding of her bestie. Unfortunately, on the morning of the ceremony, Sara goes snorkeling and finds her floating over the coral in her bridal gown. The local top cop tries to write it off as suicide, but Sara persists, and they eventually realize it was murder. The investigation dives deeply into local legends, rituals and superstitions, with a nod to the music of Jacques Brel. (digression: Mortensen is a lithe blond with very fair skin. I wonder if they named her character Alba as an inside joke because she contrasts considerably with the sunbaked populace?)

Murder in Chartres takes us to the city of that famous cathedral, and another interrupted wedding. This time the Best Man is displayed in the crypt in a Christlike pose, again evoking ritual of regional lore. This one stars another lovely and familiar face – Alexia Barlier -forced to partner with her husband (Gil Almo). They're both competing for an imminent promotion to Commander, and the rivalry and machinations between them gives this one the most comic relief of the lot.

Family schisms again rule in the murder of the guy who runs Millau's bird sanctuary. This one features the most spectacular landscapes from soaring cliffs surrounding the town. The lead detective sneaks her disgraced-cop father-in-law into town for the case, hoping to heal the long-standing rift between him and her hubby, and give their son a chance to finally meet his grandpa. This one plays out with more of a soap opera tenor than the others, but not enough to annoy your curmudgeonly correspondent.

Considerable credit goes to all the location scouts and directors for making these do double duty as travelogs for the featured areas. As to the stories, my favorites were the first and the fifth (Nimes and Marquises), but your mileage may vary.

(Murder in … Season 16, in French with subtitles, streams on MHz Choice as of 9/1/26)