★★★★★ 0/5

Mr. & Mrs. Murder

Light on procedural but playful with its characters, TEN's new drama wants to tickle your funny bone.

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2013-02-17_2237The first time you see Shaun Micallef and Kat Stewart in Mr. & Mrs. Murder you’d swear they were super-heroes.

They step out of their crime-scene van at a hotel and pose audaciously, with a light wind blowing Kat Stewart’s hair in slow-mo. There’s a sly glance between them and a whimsical soundtrack.

Fasten your seat belts. This obviously isn’t meant to be taken seriously…

Not unlike Dexter, these two are crime-scene professionals, except they’re not here as blood-splatter forensics, but cleaning experts. Of all the entry points into a procedural set-up, this one is cheekily novel.

We quickly learn that Nicola (Stewart) has a penchant for solving mysteries and her cheerful husband Charlie (Micallef) obliges her curiosity with questions and gentle encouragement while they are on the job.

The job, in episode one, is the murder of a sports star in a hotel suite. There’s a room service attendant found at the scene of the crime (holding a bloody knife no less) a female escort and a short-tempered hotel manager.

An overly relaxed Detective Peter Vinetti (Jonny Pasvolsky) is mulling over some of the clues in the room when our unassuming heroes quickly come up with more questions and inconsistencies than he can ever muster. As law and order goes, this bloke isn’t very sharp.

It isn’t long before Charlie and Nicola are digging deeper quizzing suspects and checking into the hotel where a “mind melding” conference is underway. Nicola’s niece Jess (Lucy Honigman) is soon enlisted as a hotel maid to go deep undercover.

Soon there are suspicions and theories about who killed the dead star. Was it the wheelchair bound wife, the hotel maid (Alison Bell), the conference delegate (Anthony Hayes) or the service room attendant (Hugo Johnstone-Burt)? Even Ruby Rose has a cameo.

The show’s best moments are the chemistry between Micallef and Stewart. There’s a spark between them as they finish each other’s sentences, and play with a domestic dialogue all of their own. Rather than laugh out loud at their relationship, you’ll chuckle at their rapport. Stewart is particularly likeable, in a role that contrasts her more overt roles in Offspring and Tangle.

But the plotting of the procedural elements is less successful. The set-up is too theatrical (with some supporting cast giving very large performances) without enough investment in the victim. The plot by writer Kirsty Fisher moves through the detective work, but it would benefit from grander stakes.

If this is serious drama, why are the police so ineffectual? If it’s whimsy, should the gags be funnier?

Most concerningly, there is a lack of jeopardy for our central characters, too often kept on the periphery of the action rather than ever being in genuine peril.

With this in mind Mr and Mrs Murder doesn’t burst out of the gates, and in the current TV it arguably needs to.

That said, I’m all for more Micallef and Stewart on screen together and look forward to peeling back the layers.

Mr. & Mrs. Murder premieres 8:30pm Wednesday on TEN.

13 Responses

  2. I liked it. Too many Aussie shows are dark and serious, an excuse for sex and violence, or are about girly family kind of stuff.

    Though it arguably has a violence-based premise, this has a light and breezy approach that has been sorely lacking in local productions for too long, and I heartily embrace it.

  3. My hopes weren’t high for this, but i really liked it. It is a bit quaint and odd but Micallef is all that. He has lovely chemistry with Kat, and although she is Billie Proudman larger than life, i ‘bought’ her in this role within seconds of it. Music score was instrumental in giving it the breezy vibe it has, and great repartee between the leads. A little bit ‘Monk’ a little bit SVU/CSI/Bones – but quintessentially Aussie. I’ll be back for Ep 2.

  4. Just finished watching and thought it was one of the best Aussie drama comedy’s I’ve seen. Micallef and Stuart just work so well together about on-screen chemistry is great. The right balance of humour and drama, as others have said and I can’t wait for next week’s episode. I know it will get Puberty Blues ratings just because it’s on ten but this has the ability to maybe become a sleeper hit.

  5. @Ronnie – well, that’s even more bizarre. I don’t think actors should refuse work because you might be confused about which program you’re watching them on.

  6. @ Secret Squirrel I’m referring to the only sure thing Ten has on their sked in 2013/2014 – two more seasons of the brilliant Offspring and if I was John Edwards I would be more than furious. My point is Ten’s management of this key property has been undermined by allowing Kat Stewart to do this (extremely risky) series as well as Offspring. Makes me wonder what the future holds for Billie Proudman.

  7. Really looking forward to this – mainly cause it is a fresh concept and god help us – we need something fresh on Oz TV. This is the only new program TEN has bought to the table in 2013 so it has to work for them…There is alot riding on this one!

    If its good – its the type of program that ail bring viewers back to TEN.

  8. @Ronnie – if you’re referring to Tangle on Foxtel, I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect an FTA network to program defensively against 140 Pay TV channels.

  9. I kinda get why Seven is making a bigger deal of Last Resort than it probably deserves but I’m getting sick of the ads and right now I can see it lasting 2-3 weeks before being bumped to a later night of 7MATE were it should have been all along…

    But to get back on topic here I hope Mr. & Mrs. Murder is as good as the promos look, if it’s anything like Offspring (quality wise) I’ll be happy.

  10. Beyond belief the Ten Network has sanctioned the casting of Kat Stewart in two prime time dramas targeting the same audience in the same timeslot in different roles. Confusing enough to have Micallef step out of hosting duties into acting again. Very dangerous decisions all around IMHO.

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