Brokenwood Mysteries: Series 5

The hit New Zealand detective series THE BROKENWOOD MYSTERIES, Series 5 makes its DVD and Blu-ray debut on March 5, 2019 from Acorn TV, an RLJE Entertainment, Inc. brand. After transferring from a big city to the small town of Brokenwood, Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Shepherd (Neil Rea, Go Girls) continues to settle into country life working with his assistant, Detective Kristin Sims (Fern Sutherland, The Almighty Johnsons). Despite the growing accord between the mismatched pair, all is not well in Brokenwood, where passions simmering beneath the sleepy surface regularly erupt into gruesome crimes. The DVD 4-Disc and Blu-ray 2-Disc Sets feature 4 feature-length episodes, plus a behind-the-scenes featurette ($59.99, Amazon.com). The Brokenwood Mysteries, Series 5 made its U.S. Premiere in December 2018 on Acorn TV. Called a “glorious streaming service… an essential must-have” (The Hollywood Reporter), Acorn TV is North America’s most popular and largest streaming service focused on British and international television.

Murder and mayhem abound in Brokenwood, a charming New Zealand town whose denizens are prone to criminal impulses that belie their idyllic surroundings. A transplant from the big city, Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Shepherd (Neill Rea) has finally been accepted as a new resident in the tight-knit community. Together with his Brokenwood-born partner, Detective Kristin Sims (Fern Sutherland), and enthusiastic DC Sam Breen (Nic Sampson), they solve grisly crimes and uncover secrets long buried by the town’s idiosyncratic inhabitants.

In Series 5, Shepherd and his team investigate the death of an amusement park owner killed on his own haunted-house ride, a bachelorette party gone horribly wrong, the systematic targeting of a will’s beneficiaries, and a gruesome electrocution in an abandoned asylum. Filmed on location in the stunning New Zealand countryside, these four feature-length mysteries are an “engaging, compelling, and humorous series of whodunits” (The British TV Place).

Street Date: March 5, 2019                               SRP: $59.99

DVD 4-Disc Set: 4 feature-length episodes – Approx. 382 min., plus bonus – SDH Subtitles – UPC 054961268191

Blu-ray 2-Disc Set: 4 feature-length episodes – Approx. 382 min., plus bonus – SDH Subtitles – UPC 054961268290

Bonus: Behind-the-scenes featurette (4 min.)

My Thoughts

The Brokenwood Mysteries is a fast-paced series set in New Zealand. It revolves around Mike Shepard, a homicide detective. He sets out to solve some grisly murders along with his partner Kriston Sims. This season includes four exciting feature-length episodes including:

Scared to Death - An owner of an amusement dies of an amusement part after claiming to see a ghost. After finding on the victims neck, it seems there is more to this story.

Bride Not to Be - A tennis player is found in a river in a wedding dress just before she was supposed to be married. The groom and his best man are looking suspicious.

Tontine - A  man has a heart attack while riding a bike uphill. It looks natural until someone else who is a beneficiary of the same will is killed by a bull.

The Dark Angel - A disgraced doctor dies under strange circumstance in an asylum. A woman who thinks she is mouse is the only witness.
I really enjoyed this season, just as much as the first one. The stories were all exciting, though definitely gruesome at times. The New Zealand scenery was lovely and all the actors did a great job. Each show has a little backstory, but can still be watched stand-alone.  If you'd like to grab this awesome box set for yourself, you can find it online at Acorn Media or on Amazon.