Mrs. Sidhu is not Miss Marple and Max Arnold is not Endeavour Morse. The unique personalities of current TV detectives keep viewers intrigued. No spoilers.
There are two kinds of TV detective fans, those who want to exercise their thought processes to solve cases as the end credits draw near, and those who care more about the lead characters on the screen than the actual plots of the crime dramas.
For those seeking to discover fascinating new crime solvers and renew their attractions to intriguing detectives from previous seasons, two series are standouts. One is the new series called Mrs. Sidhu Investigates. Another is season two of The Chelsea Detective.
The title character of Mrs. Sidhu Investigates is a widow of around sixty years of age who runs a successful catering business. As of this writing, only the first three 90-minute episodes have been released, so my remarks are based on the facts given to us. Veteran actress, comic, director, and author Meera Syal plays the title role. Syal is so accomplished. Just look up the films and TV work of her past decades. It’s about time she has such a strong and complicated character to demonstrate her charisma and sheer onscreen power.
Mrs. Sidhu is no Miss Marple. Her details are much more expressive of modern life. After only two episodes, we have plenty of information about her. Her father, a formidable policeman it seems, died when she was thirteen. Her husband died after a long and happy marriage. She has a grown son who loses the insignificant jobs he is able to get and prefers pop culture and computer games to a sensible lifestyle. Her mothering skills are questionable.
Mrs. Sidhu lives in Slough, about 20 miles west of London in the Thames Valley. Yes, the Thames Valley, dear friends of Inspectors Morse and Lewis! At this late stage of her life, Mrs. Sidhu is determined to be partnered, as a crime solver, to local DCI Burton, played by Craig Parkinson, who has had roles in many popular TV police procedurals. Burton’s character’s backstory is less laid out, but there are mentions that he has a troubled personal life that will unwrap as the series progresses.
The Chelsea Detective also has lead characters that bring fans back. Season two strikes me as even more engrossing and better organized than the first season. Award-winning actor Adrian Scarborough plays DI Max Arnold, a music-loving, dyslexic, middle-aged guy who rides a bicycle and lives on a somewhat seedy houseboat. This season brings viewers closer to him and his estranged wife. I like that. His private life is moving forward at a faster rate than in season one.
Last season his DS was Priya Shamsie, a character for whom I never cared much. In fairness to actress Sonita Henry, the writers seemed bored with her. Priya was a competent DS with a new baby and loving husband. Not intriguing. And so it is with open arms that I welcome DI Arnold’s new DS, Layla Walsh, played by Vanessa Emme. As season two unfolds, Layla is keeping her private life to herself, but there is much to uncover. Oh boy. Reasons to keep watching. And season three is on its way in 2025!
As for the manners in which the crime dramas unfold on both series, the writers are doing a more than competent job. My one gripe is that sometimes they withhold from viewers key information until close to the ends of the shows. That’s a sneaky way of handling mysteries, but modern viewers are used to this approach. Anyway, from my point of view the opportunity to spend time with interesting, quirky, clever crime solvers outweighs actually solving crimes. I’m content and very entertained!
Audrey Kupferberg is a film and video archivist and retired appraiser. She is lecturer emeritus and the former director of Film Studies at the University at Albany and co-authored several entertainment biographies with her late husband and creative partner, Rob Edelman.
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