Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Murdoch Mysteries: Season 17 Blu-ray Movie Review

Canadian TV delivers again!

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown January 16, 2025

Take Doctor Who. Yank out the aliens. Jettison the Tardis. Since you're at it, ditch the rest of the known and unknown universe. Drop any hint of time travel, but keep the famous historical figures. Now add in four companions and a dour Doctor, but call him Murdoch. Welcome to Murdoch Mysteries, one of Canada's best kept television secrets. While most crime series like Mysteries top off at a whopping eight to ten episodes per season, Murdoch's world keeps growing. Season 17 offers twenty-four episodes, a true king's bounty of serialized murder detective-ing from our neighbor to the north, and though it can be a touch hit or miss (read surprising or predictable), it never ceases to be fun, engaging and one of the finer bits of fictionalized period crime drama Canada has to offer.

Don't worry if you've never seen an episode. The series is one of the easiest shows I've seen in a long time where you can just sort of hop on at any point and quickly acclimate to the characters and stories. It's more rewarding to start from scratch, but most people don't have the time to binge a hundred-plus mysteries (other than when it's flu season and TNT decides to run a Law and Order marathon). But if you want to catch up, you can at least peruse Michael Reuben's thorough reviews of the first ten seasons of Murdoch Mysteries below (seasons 11-16 have yet to be reviewed by our site):

• Season 1
• Season 2
• Season 3
• Season 4
• Season 5
• Season 6
• Season 7
• Season 8
• Season 9
• Season 10

So. Many. Muuuurders. Murders most foul. Set in Ontario at the turn of the 20th century (a time ripe with unsolved killings apparently), Murdoch Mysteries follows Detective William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) of the Toronto Constabulary, a dashing investigator who uses inventive, newly emerging forensic techniques like fingerprinting, ultraviolet lighting, and trace evidence to solve crimes as he tackles two dozen new head-scratchers. Can Murdoch catch 'em all? Three guesses, ending in an "absolutely." Helping the dear detective is stuffy Constable George Crabtree (Jonny Harris), sharp-witted city coroner Dr. Julia Ogden (Hélène Joy) and Inspector Thomas Brackenreid (Thomas Craig, manifesting David Tenant to good effect). And my God, the guest stars and familiar faces. This season features Kristen Thomson, Michael Seater, RH Thomson, Ian D. Clark, Colm Feore (returning as George Crabtree Sr), Sarah Swire, Margaret Atwood (yes, that Margaret Atwood), Ted Atherton, Peter Keleghan, Robert Borden, Lean Pinset, Colin Mochrie, Sharron Matthews, and many more.

And character rules the day in Murdoch Mysteries. Like the best seasons of any crime procedural -- Law and Order, CSI, NCIS, you name it -- it all comes down to the investigators. If you like 'em, spending hours upon hours watching them home in on the latest killer, pushing past red herring after red herring, becomes oh so easy. Delightful even. Find just one of the team annoying and it becomes a slog. Murdoch Mysteries has a fine cast of characters, each one a perfect rock-paper-scissors contrast to the next. The interplay between the investigators works wonders, which is a boon because not all mysteries are created equal. Some are downright silly, but the writing and performances elevate even the most bizarre, strained plot device (not that there are too many). After seventeen seasons, it's amazing the showrunners continue to find so many new and unusual ways to off an average joe, and part of the joy of Murdoch Mysteries is seeing what oddity they'll come up with next. So sit back, enjoy, don't peer too closely, and follow Murdoch and his associates into deeper and deeper waters.

The episode counts only seem to increase for each delicious season of Murdoch Mysteries. Season 17 includes twenty-four(!) episodes spread across six BD-50 discs. Mysteries include:

• 1. Do the Right Thing Part I - When Murdoch and Ogden are abducted, newly appointed Inspector Crabtree's first order of business is finding them.

• 2. Do the Right Thing Part II - Conflicted about exonerating a murderer to save their daughter, Murdoch and Ogden abduct the socialite to face justice.

• 3. Murdoch and the Mona Lisa - When the suspect in the theft of the Mona Lisa is murdered, Murdoch's investigation leads to artist Emily Carr.

• 4. Bottom of the Barrel - Murdoch suspects the stabbing of a man at an oyster bar is linked to a former case involving harlots sold into marriage.

• 5. Station House of Horror - After wishing on a mechanical soothsayer Ogden descends into a house of horrors where psychopath James Gillies is alive.

• 6. Dying to Be Enlightened - Odgen, Watts and Effie attend a health retreat run by a charismatic leader where a fellow guest dies mysteriously.

• 7. Cool Million - Days before a major horse race, Murdoch investigates the intentional killing of a champion horse favored to win.

• 8. The Cottage in the Woods - In the woods, Ogden, Hart, Effie and Louise encounter a troop of girl adventurers whose leader was killed by a madman.

• 9. The Christmas List - Murdoch investigates the murder of a slum landlord found in Santa's toy sack at a department store Christmas parade.

• 10. Mrs. Crabtree's Neighborhood - Murdoch investigates the shooting of a local construction company owner who was executed in a barbershop.

• 11. A Heavy Event - Murdoch's investigation into the stabbing of a Scottish dancer at the Highland Games reveals old clan rivalries.

• 12. Wheel of Bad Fortune - When a body is found in an alley with the Death tarot card, Murdoch suspects it's linked to a contested psychic event.

• 13. Train to Nowhere - When Crabtree journeys north to intercept his fugitive father, he finds a dead policeman and community of scallywags.

• 14. The Smell of Alarm - When Murdoch investigates the bizarre death of a science professor, it appears the weapon may have been a swarm of bees.

• 15. Murdoch and the Treasure of Lima - Watts is abducted after he and Murdoch go north on a treasure hunt to find stolen Incan gold and a murder.

• 16. Preacher Jimmy Wilde - Murdoch suspects the sudden death of a man at a gospel revival is connected to a fiery charlatan preacher and nun.

• 17. The Fantastic Mr. Fawkes - Murdoch and Brackenreid are enlisted by spy Terrence Meyers to protect a prime ministerial candidate from assassins.

• 18. Spirits in the Night - When Murdoch investigates a murder near a graveyard, witness accounts suggest the killer was a bloody female apparition.

• 19. A Most Surprising Bond - When a mysterious illness appears at her newly opened women's hospital, Odgen is forced to enlist a quarantine.

• 20. Rhapsody in Blood - Murdoch suspects the murder of a fledgling musical composer may have been motivated by one of the deadliest forces: jealousy.

• 21. Engaged to Be Murdered - After a woman is stabbed to death in her own university dorm room, Crabtree and Watts suspect another student is responsible.

• 22. Why Is Everybody Singing? - After a shooting lands poor Murdoch in a deep coma, his world suddenly and inexplicably becomes a full-blown musical.

• 23. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - After a man dies in a drunken brawl at the Starbright Lounge, Murdoch's attention turns to an unusual suspect: another detective.

• 24. For the Greater Good - Now an acting inspector, Murdoch investigates the killing of a prominent scientist who, for some reason, staged his own death.

Murdoch Mysteries: Season 17 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Murdoch Mysteries looks great, defying its budget to create a series whose period trappings are quite convincing, even under the scrutiny of high definition. Acorn's 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation sings (literally in one episode this season), with rich, beautiful colors, vibrant contrast, eye-popping primaries, and incredibly rich, inky blacks. Unlike many television series from Canada, the UK and other destinations, Murdoch Mysteries has a flair for the cinematic, and the luxuriousness of its palette flies in the face of its sometimes less-than-extraordinary photography. Detail is excellent too, with precisely defined edges free of any ringing or halos, strikingly resolved fine textures (particularly in close-ups), and no sign of banding, significant blocking or errant noise. There is a hint of compression artifacts strewn across the six-disc, twenty-four-episode run, but they are so infrequent and hard to spot that I hesitate to even mention them. Otherwise, the encoding is sound and well worth a high score.

Murdoch Mysteries: Season 17 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Murdoch's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track isn't quite as exciting as its video presentation, but it is a solid sonic offering. Dialogue is clean and clear, nicely grounded in the mix, and prioritized flawlessly. LFE output is sturdy and reliable, despite fewer chances to prove itself than one might expect. The rear speakers also deliver a welcome array of street noise, crowd chatter and environmental ambience, all of which helps make the soundfield that much more immersive. This isn't a whiz-bang mix that "takes you there" -- I was always fairly aware of the television nature of the production -- but it does a decent job transporting your imagination, which is good enough for me.

Murdoch Mysteries: Season 17 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Season 17 doesn't include any extras.

Murdoch Mysteries: Season 17 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Murdoch Mysteries may be in its seventeenth season, but there's no time like the present. An easy show to jump into really anywhere, it's all about the titular mysteries, and Murdoch and his associates make it a breeze to hop on board and enjoy. Acorn's Blu-ray release of Season 17 is terrific, if you're willing to look past the lack of extras. With a top notch video presentation and solid lossless audio offering, you won't be distracted by anything while trying to solve the latest muuuurrrrddder. Say it. It's fun. Muuuuurrrdddder.