Midsomer Murders is one of the cornerstones of British TV. It’s a series that never seems to age, and viewers can always depend on it. Season 25, now making its US debut on Acorn TV, is more of the same. This is the gold standard of “cozy mystery” shows.

Midsomer Murders season 25 isn’t much different from the previous season. The core cast is still the same, led by Neil Dudgeon as DCI John Barnaby and Nick Hendrix as DS Jamie Winter. Now in their seventh season working together, they’re a well-oiled machine. Dudgeon continues to be a master of dry humor, and it’s entertaining how Hendrix can still play Jamie with the wide-eyed approach of a rookie cop when at this point he’s anything but. Ted Lasso‘s Annette Badland returns as pathologist Fleur Perkins, with Fiona Dolman and Isabel Shaw reprising their roles as Barnaby’s wife Sarah and daughter Betty. Everyone knows their part in the story by now and so the banter between characters flows naturally.

What also hasn’t changed is the short four-episode order, which is the same number of mysteries that were in Season 23 and Season 24. It’s not a lot of time to spend in Midsomer County, but Midsomer Murders has had several four-episode seasons over its lengthy tenure. Less is more in this case, as all four episodes are fine escapes. It never feels like the show is reaching for plot. And part of the charm has always been the premises ranging from quirky to absurd; this is the series in which someone was murdered by a giant wheel of cheese. There’s nothing that weird in Season 25, but the season starts with dueling groups of would-be treasure hunters and also includes a bowling club gone wrong.

Any criticism to be had is simply that Midsomer Murders gets a little too cozy on occasion. The whodunits can be relatively easy to figure out, with the writers relying on a couple of recurring themes, such as hidden secrets from someone’s past coming back to haunt them in the present. Viewers might wish for a little less predictability. But this show has never claimed to be a complex mystery on the level of Line of Duty or more recently the top-notch revivals of Lynley and Maigret. The point of Midsomer Murders is to be a fun adventure that the audience can sit back and enjoy. There’s always a joke or a comedic subplot to be found, even as the bodies pile up.

But the able main cast is what gives the show its longevity. Even if the mysteries aren’t super-complicated, viewers are easily charmed by the adventures of Barnaby and Winter (plus let’s not forget Paddy the dog). It’s remarkable that Midsomer Murders has been so successful when it comes to casting its leads; the combinations have changed numerous times, but the show still works. The actors know the tone of the series so well and are able to keep things moving along. Midsomer Murders Season 25 is another quartet of quirky mysteries that Acorn TV fans won’t want to miss—if only to see how Winter and Barnaby get to the end of them.

Midsomer Murders streams Mondays on Acorn TV. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Acorn TV.

Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.