Sure, the TV world is sputtering now. Summer line-ups are winding down; the fall ones are patchwork.
But let’s note an upside: This is a great time to watch mysteries.
A funny one (“Only Murders in the Building,” shown here) just started its season; a serious one (“Dark Winds”) began a week earlier. Another (“Justified: City Primeval”) is funny AND serious and violent..
Then there’s “The Lincoln Lawyer,” which just finished its split season. And “The Chelsea Detective,” which starts a new season on Aug. 28. Six days later, three shows – “Unforgiven,” “Professor T” and “Van der Valk” – all start their seasons on PBS.
These shows vary widely in mood and in length. Some wrap a single story through the entire season – six episodes for “Dark Winds” and “Unforgiven,” eight for “Justified,” 10 for “Only Murders” and “Lincoln Lawyer.” Others solve a case each time – in a TV hour (“Professor T”) or in a movie length of almost two hours (“The Chelsea Detective,” “Van der Valk”).
Still, most have key things in common: Their characters might be pretty (“Van der Valk,” “Lincoln Lawyer”) or regular, but they are deep and interesting. Their stories have some flaws – especially in the “Van der Valk” opener – but they’re cleverly constructed. Let’s take a look:
— “Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu) started with three fans of true-crime podcasts. When they came across a real case, they decided to start their own show. They’ll only probe murders in their apartment building – a place full of secrets and suspicions.
Two of these people are long past their peak: Charles-Haden (Steve Martin) is a former TV star; Oliver (Martin Short) is a failed stage director. The third, Mabel (Selena Gomez), hasn’t even started; at 29, she’s jobless and about to be homeless.
The first two seasons offered surprises and fun. As the second ended, Oliver was directing a play when its star (Paul Rudd) dropped dead; a new mystery was ready.
But what about the only-in-the-building rule? And how can Rudd star, what with being dead?
Those questions were settled in the Aug. 8 opener, which also introduced Meryl Streep in a delightful role as an old actress, finally getting her break. The second episode (also Aug. 8) was Streepless. It also had an opening bit – a faux talk show – that went on too long; “Only Murders” is like that sometimes.
But there are eight more episodes coming (Tuesdays on Hulu), through Oct. 3. A surprise emerged at the end of the second episode that will give Streep and friends plenty to do.
— “Dark Winds” has an imposing set of producers, including Robert Redford, George R.R. Martin, Chris Eyre and Graham Roland, who is adapting Tony Hillerman novels set in the Navajo Nation.
Only Eyre is Native-American, but he directs beautifully and has a superb cast. Zahn McClarnon is Joe Leaphorn, a solemn cop, worn down by life and (especially) by his son’s death in a mining accident.
That was his only child because, the show says, doctors sterilized Native women after they gave birth. Now his wife, a nurse, nudges women toward home births.
Joe also had two young deputies. Bernadette dreams of going elsewhere; Chee did, became a detective … and now has a case that brought him back to Joe’s turf.
That’s where the third episode starts. (It’s 9 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13, on AMC, but each arrives three days earlier on AMC+.) Chee is in the hospital … where a killer has disguised as a doctor. The result is intense, violent and well-crafted. There are three more episodes, through Sept. 3.
— That day, Sept. 3, is also when PBS gets off to an early start, with three season-openers.
The centerpiece is “Unforgotten” (9 p.m.), with a compelling, six-week story and a big change; Nicola Walker has left – she now stars in “Annika,” which returns to PBS on Oct. 15 – and the show made a bold choice: Her character, Cassie, was killed at the end of last season; her replacement, Jessica James, arrives on the worst day of her life. She’s grim, lonely, bitter … and tackling a complex case.
That’s surrounded by two more mysteries. “Professor T” (8 p.m.) has a lead character who is as brilliant as Dr. House or Sheldon Cooper, with none of their charm; its season-opening hour stretches credibility, but has great moments.
“Van der Valk” (10 p.m.) has an Amsterdam cop, lots of action, occasional flaws and two-hour stories that, unfortunately, PBS is splitting over two weeks.
— “The Chelsea Detective” is also movie-length, but gets to run in one chunk. The Acorn streamer is airing one a week for four Mondays, starting Aug. 28.
Adrian Scarborough plays a guy who is (like most TV crimesolvers) is lonely and solemn. Divorced, he lives on a houseboat, alongside a rich and arty chunk of West London..
This year, he has a new assistant who’s a much bigger part of the stories. She even disagrees with him about the proper snacks for a stake-out.
— “Justified: City Primeval” started with bursts of humor, but has turned serious lately,.
A valuable notebook, filled with information about bribes, is in the hands of the menacing Mansell. Raylan Givens – a U.S. marshal from Kentucky, suddenly transplanted to Detroit – is perplexed; he’s also sleeping with Mansell’s lawyer.
Filled with great characters from novelist Elmore Leonard, the story continues at 10 p.m. Tuesdays, through Aug. 29, with episodes reaching Hulu the next day.
— And yes, there’s much more. You can go to:
… The Ovation cable channel, which has shows from Canada or England at 7 and 8 p.m. ET Saturdays. Currently, “Shakespeare & Hathaway” tends to have so-so mysteries, partly redeemed by the amiable settings (at Stratford-upon-Avon) and quirky characters.
… Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, which is fond of gentle tales about likable crimesolvers.
… Netflix. “Florida Man” and the second “Lincoln Lawyer” are both elaborate, entertaining tales, with a few flaws – the case against the Lincoln-lawyer’s client is quite flimsy – and lots of sharp twists. Then there’s “Glass Onion,” Riann Johnson’s brilliant “Knives Out” sequel. (The original “Knives Out” is on Roku; Johnson’s delightful “Poker Face” series is on Peacock.)
… Or the CW Network. It has “Nancy Drew” at 8 p.m. Wednesdays, ending Aug. 23. On Oct. 4, it starts “The Sullivan Sisters,” with Lea Thompson on a tale of mother-daughter crimesolvers.