16 Awesome British Mysteries You Can Stream Right Now
By Lacy Baugher
Essie Davis as Phryne Fisher (Photo: ABC TV)
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries
(Yes, technically, Miss Fisher is an Australian series. But I’m going to use Australia’s status as a Commonwealth nation to co-opt it for this list. It’s that good!)
Based on the best-selling books by Kerry Greenwood, this series revolves around the escapades of Miss Phryne Fisher. She’s a glamorous private detective with the best name ever in 1920s Melbourne. She has some of the most amazing outfits on television. And she solves a variety of intriguing cases. In short: This show is so much fun.
But what’s most important about Miss Fisher is that it’s SO. INCREDIBLY. FEMINIST. Phryne is exactly the sort of female character we need more of in shows like this. She’s smart, confident, sexually liberated, and handy with a gun. She’s a real trailblazer and her character feels utterly unique in this genre. Additionally, the stories within each episode frequently highlight women’s issues and their struggles during this period, such as access to birth control or medical care.
You may remember star Essie Davis from her brief appearance on Game of Thrones, where she played the woman in the acting troupe who performed the role of Cersei. (Otherwise known as the only redeemable part of Arya’s Braavos storyline.) Davis is about ten thousand times more amazing in this role. And her great chemistry with co-star Nathan Page has launched a thousand fanfics – their will-they/won’t-they courtship is positively agonizing in all the right ways.
Number of Seasons: 3