We’re always observing genres as they grow and mutate – geek culture stands at the forefront of the new and different, and smart heads plug in early to get ahead of the curve. So it’s not unusual that we’ve been picking up a lot of chatter about a group of TV shows that combine binge-watching addictiveness with a soothing low-stress atmosphere.
They’re called cozy mysteries, and they take the twisty plots and evil schemes of crime fiction with a genial, non-threatening atmosphere. Even though murder is afoot, there’s rarely any sense of imminent danger towards our protagonists, who are often amateur sleuths or other non-tough figures. Instead, each story is constructed as a little puzzle that you, the viewer solves at the same time the detectives do. And it’s important that the writers play fair – all of the information available to the characters should also be available to the viewer, and you should be able to figure out the true culprit. Of course, the best mysteries are clever enough to trick you into false accusations, and that’s part of the fun as well.
Because these shows typically dispense with overarching plotlines and complex character drama, it’s easy to dip in and out of them without feeling like you’re missing something. They demand focused attention while you’re watching them, but unfold at a leisurely pace that isn’t taxing. Sex and violence are dialed down to a minimum, leaving just the sheer mental pleasure of wrapping your brain around the puzzle while being entertained by colorful supporting characters.
And they’re big business, with new shows hitting all the time. The airwaves are loaded with cozies that draw a dedicated fan base. Let’s dig in and see if we can solve the mystery of why.
Where Did They Come From?
The coiner of the term “cozy mystery” is lost to time, but most fans think that it first popped up in the mid-1980s as part of a reactionary movement to trends in crime fiction. As modern media became more lurid and explicit, murder mysteries followed suit. Crime writers started taking inspiration from serial killers and real-world grisly predators, and their books became less about the pleasure of deduction and more about atrocity tourism.
A loosely-connected group of authors decided to turn back the clock, looking to the work of writers like Agatha Christie and J. Jefferson Farjeon to create mystery novels that focused on deduction and deception rather than dismemberment and forensics. Authors like Marion Chesney and Joanne Fluke created popular series that used murder as a contrivance to get their sleuths moving, rather than the be-all and end-all.
It took a little while for the books to build up steam, but they’ve become a solid-selling subgenre. The concept didn’t come out of nowhere – Murder, She Wrote ran from 1984 to 1996 and is in many ways the prototypical TV cozy mystery. Jessica Fletcher is a great cozy protagonist as a retired English teacher turned mystery writer who solves a seemingly endless string of deaths in her small town of Cabot Cove.
You’ll also find that a good number of cozy mystery authors are female. Not saying that distaff authors don’t also excel at the hard-boiled, because many do, but this particular genre seems to thrive under a woman’s pen. We’re not going to make any guesses as to why, just wanted to put it out there.
Cozies To Check Out
The success of Rian Johnson’s Knives Out, which definitely shares a lot of DNA with Agatha Christie, might be a bridge to the genre for many people. Although that flick had a more violent death scene than most cozies, the structure was classic: a locked room, a quirky bunch of suspects and a bemused detective working his way through it. If you liked that movie, here are a few TV shows to check next.
First, let’s talk about a few “bridge shows” – if you’re not sure you’re willing to go Full Cozy, these are series that employ some of the elements and dispense with others. A little more traditional in presentation, but still with cozy flair.
Midsomer Murders is one of the longest-running British mystery shows, clocking in at a whopping 21 seasons and more to come. Taking place in a fictional British county filled with bucolic villages and a ridiculous amount of crime, the protagonist is a police inspector who contends with a different crime each episode. The body count in Midsomer, but the culprits aren’t demented serial murderers but rather most often ordinary people in over their heads and making bad decisions. Dark humor and a nostalgic bent make this one an easy starting point.
Set in the 1920s, Australian show Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries also features a protagonist who is in the crime-solving game full-time, but it absolutely has the same spirit. The protagonist uses her skills and wits to unravel murder cases, and although it’s a little more urban (and urbane) than the average cozy, it packs the satisfaction of solving the puzzle before anyone else does.
Now that you’ve gotten your feet wet, here are some more traditional cozy mystery shows to binge.
Rosemary & Thyme ran from 2003 to 2007 and is one of the most absurd setups in the game. Rosemary Boxer and Laura Thyme are gardening detectives, and the two sixtysomething women get hired to fix people’s plantings and end up solving murders along the way. This show is known for its gorgeous scenery, often a selling point for cozy mysteries, but the interplay between the two leads and the clever cases they get embroiled in are worth tuning in for.
Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, which aired in England in the mid-90s, is a solid venture into the genre. The titular Mrs. Wainthropp is a brilliantly nosy retiree who decides to pursue a second career as a detective when she turns 60. Patricia Routledge is great as the lead character, and her relationship with her husband and young assistant is brilliantly written.
Agatha Raisin is an slightly unusual protagonist for cozies, but a fun one. As played by Ashley Jensen, she’s a successful PR agent who gives it all up for a quiet life in the country, only to find herself a murder suspect when a quiche she entered into the town cooking contest seemingly kills one of the judges. Now she has to clear her name while adapting to the different rhythms of small-town living.
Finally, Queens Of Mystery has not one but three old lady protagonists, a trio of mystery writers in the Jessica Fletcher mold who find themselves meddling in the affairs of their niece, an actual working detective. This is a relatively new show, with just a season under its belt, but it’s witty and charming.
How To Get Cozy
Netflix used to have a pretty solid slate of cozies, including the bulk of Midsomer Murders, but they lost the rights to many back in October. But there are a few Anglophile subscription services that will hook you up.
If you’re a hardcore cozy fan (and, let’s be frank, it’s very easy to become one), the absolute best streaming service is Acorn. Offering programming from the UK as well as Australia, New Zealand and a few other countries, this AMC-owned platform has a dedicated mystery section that is absolutely overflowing with shows. Nearly everything on the above lists is here, along with tons of other series that you won’t find anywhere else. Some solid picks include New Zealand’s The Brokenwood Mysteries and the aforementioned Agatha Raisin.
If you’re looking to add another streaming service to your arsenal, BritBox is also a solid destination for cozy mysteries. Shows like Death In Paradise, Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, and Shakespeare & Hathaway can be found with a subscription (or you can pay per episode on Vudu or Amazon Prime).
Amazon Prime has a wad of different cozy shows, but very few of them stream for free. You’ll have to pay per episode, which can get pricey when you’re dealing with shows that have over a dozen seasons.
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