Jonathan Creek: Season One

While covering the murder of a famous artist, investigative journalist Maddy Magellan (Caroline Quentin) meets a shy, quiet, but brilliant young man named Jonathan Creek (Alan Davies), who makes his living devising illusions for renowned magician Adam Klaus (Stuart Milligan). Relishing any opportunity to solve difficult puzzles—and what is a murder mystery if not a puzzle?—Jonathan teams up with Maddy to expose the killer, and their unlikely partnership forms the center of the five episodes compiled here from this cult favorite's 1997 first season. The mysteries take the classic form, posing seemingly unanswerable questions and involving elaborate schemes that require Jonathan's unusual talents to eventually unravel each episode's tangled plot threads, but what makes the series so delightful is the understated but omnipresent attraction between Maddy and Jonathan. While contemporary in style and tone, the shows have a pleasantly cozy, old-fashioned aura that suggests curling up in a chair before the fireplace with an Agatha Christie novel in hand. DVD extras include interviews with cast and crew, an audio commentary on one episode, and the leads' screen test. Highly recommended. (E. Hulse)