Dirk Gently

Based on the novels by British author and humorist Douglas Adams (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), this BBC series turns the traditional mystery on its head, with Stephen Mangan starring as Dirk Gently, a self-described Zen detective who bases his method of investigation on the fundamental interconnectedness of all things, and Darren Boyd as his former college buddy turned assistant/partner, Richard MacDuff, the hapless straight man to Dirk's mix of “applied quantum mechanics” and con-man opportunism. Helen Baxendale costars as MacDuff's skeptical girlfriend, Susan, who thinks Dirk is a fraud. Displaying Adams' absurdist humor and mixing classic comedy situations with sci-fi ideas and inexplicable twists, the four mysteries in this series begin with often benign situations (a lost cat, for example) before reaching solutions involving time travel and mind transfer—or at least that's how Dirk explains things. Meanwhile, Dirk pads his expense accounts with seemingly unrelated purchases, vacation trips, and other creature comforts, which he insists are essential to his case. Not actual adaptations of Adams' novels, Dirk Gently develops new narratives around the characters, but series creator Howard Overman never quite captures Adams' particular brand of mad humor. Even so, fans of offbeat British comedies will find much to like in this bizarre show. Compiling four episodes—aired between 2010-12—this is a strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)