DVD Review: Murdoch Mysteries: Season 9

Featuring a special guest appearance by William Shatner (Star Trek) as Mark Twain, MURDOCH MYSTERIES, Season 9, makes its DVD and Blu-ray debut on August 2, 2016 from Acorn, an RLJ Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: RLJE) brand. Winningly clever and playful, this acclaimed Canadian series returns with new mysteries set in Edwardian-era Toronto. Inspired by Maureen Jennings' novels, MURDOCH MYSTERIES airs on the CBC in Canada and in the U.S. on Emmy®-nominated streaming service Acorn TV and on Ovation as The Artful Detective. The series has garnered more than two dozen Gemini® nominations and won the sole 2016 'Fan's Choice Award' at the Canadian Screen Awards for lead Yannick Bisson.

The DVD 5-disc set and the Blu-ray 4-disc set each feature 18 episodes along with bonus Making Murdoch featurettes and a photo gallery ($59.99 each, AcornOnline.com) Also on August 2, Acorn is releasing the Murdoch Mysteries: Seasons 5-8 Collection on DVD and Blu-ray ($149.99 each). Limited copies available to press upon request. Additionally, Murdoch Mysteries: A Merry Murdoch Christmas, a special feature-length Christmas episode, premieres on Acorn TV on Monday, July 25, 2016. The Acorn brand introduced MURDOCH MYSTERIES to U.S. audiences in 2009 on home video and on Acorn TV since its launch in 2011.

In Season 9, Detective William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) and his wife, Dr. Julia Ogden (Gemini® winner Hélène Joy, Durham County), plan their dream home; Constable Crabtree (Jonny Harris, Hatching, Matching & Dispatching) faces dire consequences for his decisions; and Dr. Emily Grace (Georgina Reilly, The L.A. Complex) experiences a personal crisis. Meanwhile, Inspector Brackenreid (Thomas Craig, Where the Heart Is) endures an eccentric houseguest, and a new morgue cleaner turned lab attendant (Mouna Traoré, Carrie) brings fresh blood to the team.

While battling criminals from serial killers to bank robbers, from the darkest opium dens to the atmosphere of outer space, Murdoch and his friends encounter historical figures like Anne of Green Gables author Lucy Maud Montgomery, temperance advocate Carrie Nation, and American humorist Mark Twain.

My Thoughts

I think this is one of my favorite crime based shows. I love period drama, and I love learning about criminal investigations. This show combines both in a late 1890 - early 1900 setting. You'll learn how forensics experts solved the cases before they had the help of computers and DNA.  The cast of characters are funny, interesting, and diverse. This season includes 18 new episodes. 

Nolo Contendere - Crabtree gets a tip and sends Murdoch to investigate on Toronto streets

Marked Twain - Someone attempts to assassinate Mark Twain .

Double Life - Dr Grace's trip to London is postponed by a corpse. 

Barenaked Ladies - The team discovers statues made from human remains. 

24 Hours Til Doomsday - The prime minister asks for help with a missile threat.
The Local Option - A fight in the pub about the temperance movement leads to death.

Summer of '75 - The team takes on a cold case.

Pipe Dreamzzz - A drug death is tried to the Earth and Dragon Society

Raised on Robbery - Murdoch gets stuck in the middle of a bank robbery.

The Big Chill - A north pole expedition may have ended in murder.

A Case of the Yips - A dead golfer discovered

Unlucky in Love - A groom dies on this wedding day...the wife's 5th dead husband.

Colour Blinded  - An abolitionist is killed after a church service.

Wild Child  - The team searches for a girl raised in the woods.

House of Industry  - Murdoch goes under cover in a workhouse to solve a murder.

Bloody Hell - Murdoch fights crime in his own unit.

From Buffalo with Love - There is a shooting at the theater. 

Cometh the Archer - Julia is shot and Murdoch must find the shooter.

All of episodes are a bit on the dark side, but they are always tempered with humor. Both the costumes and the sets are realistic and really help to paint a picture of the time period.   This series is definitely a refreshing switch from the norm, and I'm looking forward to watching the  next season. If you want to take the advantage of a full set of amazing old world  stories, than this is the box set for you. You can order Murdoch Mysteries: Season 9 on DVD on Acorn Media or amazon.