A mystery series with lighthearted crime solving

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Friday, March 28th.

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Good morning. I’m Nick Eicher.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It: a new British mystery series making its way across the pond. Arts and culture editor Collin Garbarino now on the show Ludwig.

COLLIN GARBARINO: The novelist Dorothy Sayers—a friend of C.S. Lewis—once said, “Death in particular seems to provide the minds of the Anglo-Saxon race with a greater fund of innocent amusement than any other subject.” Of course Sayers isn’t saying we English speakers are morbid people who enjoy the pain and tragedy of real death. She's actually talking about a fondness for detective fiction. And arguably nobody does murder mystery better than the Brits.

JOHN TAYLOR: Bit awkward really… Uh… I think I might just have solved a murder. I’ll call you back.

The new series Ludwig is now streaming on Britbox. British sketch comedian David Mitchell plays John Taylor, a reclusive genius who publishes word games and logic puzzles under the pen name “Ludwig.” But his solitary life is upended when he receives a phone call from his sister-in-law Lucy.

LUCY TAYLOR: I need a favor. A big one.

JOHN TAYLOR: How big?

LUCY TAYLOR: Pretty big. It’s going to involve you having to leave the house.

John’s twin brother James has vanished. He worked as a police detective in the city of Cambridge, and Lucy thinks his disappearance must have something to do with a case he was working on. She needs John to impersonate his brother, walk into the police station, and look for clues as to why James took off. But there’s a problem. John gets distracted from the task at hand because he keeps getting called upon to solve crimes.

JOHN TAYLOR: That wasn’t a distraction. It was a murder! But what if there’s another one today? How often do people get murdered around here?

While John falls into a routine of acting like a real policeman, Lucy tries to keep him focused on finding his missing brother.

LUCY TAYLOR: John, you’re not attending another crime scene. This time you say no. Tell them you’re busy.

JOHN TAYLOR: But what if they counter that with, “Busy doing what?”

LUCY TAYLOR: Paperwork. Just use the phrase “mountain of.” You’ve seen these crime shows. It's practically their manta.

Ludwig comprises six episodes, and the series follows a murder of the week formula. In each episode John is presented with a case that requires him to exercise his puzzle solving skills. His co-workers aren’t totally oblivious to this change in detection technique from the guy they think of as James.

DCS SHAW: I’m reliably informed you went slightly unorthodox on this one, DCI Taylor. Nonetheless, results speak for themselves, so I suppose congratulations are in order.

This series fits easily into the cozy mystery genre. I haven’t seen all the episodes yet, but so far there’s little onscreen violence and the language isn’t objectionable.

The characters are engaging, and the writing is clever. However, Ludwig isn’t really a whodunnit because the show doesn’t always give the audience enough clues to figure out the mystery for themselves. Instead we get snippets of John using his powers of deduction to race through evidence that we’re only partially acquainted with.

JOHN TAYLOR: There’s hardly any chance of you solving it, is there?

Ludwig possesses that dry British wit that reliably turns mildly awkward moments into comedic gold. The supporting cast have their endearing moments, especially Gerran Howell’s portrayal of an easily impressed junior officer who’s so excited to watch John work. But Mitchell’s performance as the socially inept John anchors the show’s comedy. He’s a ball of anxiety who can barely manage to navigate a parking lot without mishap.

JOHN TAYLOR: I’m impersonating a police officer!

LUCY TAYLOR: Yes, but he’s your brother.

JOHN TAYLOR: That’s really not the legal loophole you think it is.

As Dorothy Sayers noted, the murder mystery is arguably the most popular genre of entertainment in both Britain and America. But with new books, series, and movies coming out all the time, it can be difficult to wade through all the options. If you’re a fan of classic murder mystery TV—shows like David Souchet’s Poirot or Tony Shalhoub’s Monk—then you should probably give Ludwig a try. It checks just about all the boxes for enjoyable family entertainment. The mysteries are inventive. The dialogue is amusing. And the cast is exceedingly likable. All that without indulging in the violence and language that seems to characterize most prestige TV.

The murder-mystery genre might feel overcrowded, but there’s definitely room for this refreshingly funny show.

I’m Collin Garbarino.

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