It's better if you don't think of this cheeky BBC America-aired English crime series as standard mystery fare—it's really more of a gently satiric comedy. In the best tradition of recent cop shows with a British accent, the detectives charged with investigating murders are a motley duo: “posh” Kate Ashurst (Caroline Catz) and working-class Emma Scribbins (Lisa Faulkner), who root out clues and goad suspects into confessing their evil deeds, while lamenting their single-girl lifestyles and alternatively sighing over and wanting to kill their hot boss (Jeremy Sheffield). As the title suggests, the pair do their job in the secretive realm of suburbia, where tons of illicit sex and the occasional homicide transpire behind well-trimmed hedges and manicured lawns. The burbs may be an easy target, but the six amiable 2004 episodes in this first season set make the most of poking a bit of scandalous fun at wife-swapping, the competition for upscale preschools, and the backbiting intrigue that goes on at golf clubs. Recommended. (M. Johanson)
Murder in Suburbia: Series 1
Acorn, 2 discs, 286 min., not rated, DVD: $39.99 Volume 21, Issue 5
Murder in Suburbia: Series 1
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: