‘Brokenwood Mysteries’ Is Back As New Zealand’s Answer To ‘Midsomer Murders’

The crime-fighting crew is back in the small town of Brokenwood for Brokenwood Mysteries Season 4 featuring Detectives Mike Shepherd and Kristin Sims. And per usual, in Brokenwood Mysteries Season 4, everything is not well, and citizens of Brokenwood are dying in some crazy ways.

But for those who haven’t checked out Brokenwood Mysteries on Acorn TV, just think of it as New Zealand’s answer to Midsomer Murders. Like Midsomer Murders, Brokenwood Mysteries balances the right amount of deviant homicide with quirky humor, which takes fans back to the days of DS Tom Barnaby.

Acorn TV continues to bring a mixture of classic British shows from everywhere from the U.K., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, combined with new shows like Ashley Jensen’s Agatha Raisin, Love, Lies, and Records, and Very British Problems, in which some of your favorite British actors share their tongue-in-cheek views on what it’s like to live in the United Kingdom.

“The hilarious celebratory talking heads show returns with Britain’s most famous faces sharing the struggle against the endless capacity of social awkwardness which comes with being British. Originating from a Twitter account and narrated by Julie Walters, the show features contributions from James Corden (The Late Late Show), David Tennant (Doctor Who), Catherine Tate, and more.”

Welcome Back To Brokenwood!

Brokenwood Mysteries has converted even lead actors Neill Rea and Fern Sutherland into believers that murder can be amusing, says Stuff New Zealand.

Sutherland says that before she got the gig on Brokenwood Mysteries, she wasn’t a big fan of the mystery genre, but now she thinks about interesting ways to kill people.

“I never used to watch that much murder until I started this job and now, I’m so into it, I cannot get enough. I watch a lot of the true-life crime stories, and that is messed up, but I have to say, with Brokenwood, there’s not a lot of gore. It’s tasteful murder.”

Neill Rea was surprised that like Midsomer Murders, Brokenwood Mysteries has caught on around the world. Of course, Brokenwood Mysteries is popular in New Zealand, but it’s also a hit in France, Denmark, and Bulgaria, as well as the U.K., U.S., and Australia. Let’s just say that Brokenwood might edge out Midsomer, England, and Cabot Cove, Maine, as murder capitals of the world per capita.

This #NewZealand dream team is back on your screens in the US & Canada! Catch episode one of The Brokenwood Mysteries season 4, streaming now, only on Acorn TV: https://t.co/WuTXtnYPVZ. @FernSutherland @NicSampson pic.twitter.com/f6sDWf2Onr

— Acorn TV (@AcornTV) December 6, 2017

Also, like Midsomer Murders, a variety of actors appear in each Brokenwood Mysteries episode to change things up and enhance the core cast. In Week 1 of Brokenwood Mysteries Season 4, one of the cast members of The Real Housewives of Auckland makes an appearance.

One Of The Stars From The Real Housewives Of Auckland Visits Brokenwood Mysteries

New Zealand actor Louise Wallace makes an appearance in the opening episode of Brokenwood Mysteries Season 4 playing a suspect from Detective Kristin Sims; past. Wallace is expressing gratitude to the Real Housewives franchise for kicking her television career back into gear, and she’s happy that she got through the first season of The Real Housewives of Auckland relatively unscathed.

“It wasn’t easy but at the end of the day, you’ve got to take responsibility for what comes out of your mouth as it’s very difficult to say afterward, ‘I didn’t mean to say that’ or ‘I didn’t mean it like that’. Quite frankly, if I’d come out like a couple of the others, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now. I’d be ostracised. Actually, I’d go and live in Australia or Siberia. I’d just be horrified.”

Wallace says that her role on Brokenwood Mysteries fits into the mold of the way she’s been typecast in the past.

“I do get typecast a little, but normally it’s as a pill-popping, drunken cougar. The only thing that’s missing from this role (Brokenwood Mysteries) is that I’m not a cougar but I am a pill-popping drunkard and I am affluent.”

The first episode of Brokenwood Mysteries Season 4 (featuring Louise Wallace) is streaming now on Acorn TV.