I expected Frankie Drake Mysteries to be at least somewhat similar in terms of writing and acting to Murdoch Mysteries (which I enjoy), but perhaps with plots that were somewhat more concentrated on just the murder mystery (Miss Fischer anyone?) without the somewhat stretched science stuff in Murdoch. Unfortunately, it doesn't come close.
The main character is the first problem that comes to mind. She not only doesn't exhibit any real passion for the part, but she is one of the most irritating characters I can remember watching in series TV. She can't go through even a short scene without multiple head twitching and body twitching, usually accompanied by some kind of smile that is supposed to - I guess - be somewhat endearing. It's all simply distracting, irritating and doesn't add anything to the viewing experience. The plots & writing are next - simple, not even close to believable, and lacking any real suspense or action.
And I finally figured out why the series lacks overall appeal, believability and some character tension. It's set in the 1920's. It's supposed to be showing women starting to assert themselves, which is a decent theme for the series. BUT.... In doing so they have basically populated the series with ONLY women. That's about as unrealistic a characterization of 1920's society that you can imagine. Murdoch does it right - men seem to be in charge but very strong women - wives, girlfriends, reporters, female private detectives, doctors, etc., are very prominent throughout and realistically portray the reality of the times as well as how strong women did, in fact, find ways to assert themselves, employ their talents, etc. Frankie Drake pretends men didn't exist in their little enterprise. No wonder there's no tension.
I kept watching hoping to see improvement. False optimism, it turns out.
The main character is the first problem that comes to mind. She not only doesn't exhibit any real passion for the part, but she is one of the most irritating characters I can remember watching in series TV. She can't go through even a short scene without multiple head twitching and body twitching, usually accompanied by some kind of smile that is supposed to - I guess - be somewhat endearing. It's all simply distracting, irritating and doesn't add anything to the viewing experience. The plots & writing are next - simple, not even close to believable, and lacking any real suspense or action.
And I finally figured out why the series lacks overall appeal, believability and some character tension. It's set in the 1920's. It's supposed to be showing women starting to assert themselves, which is a decent theme for the series. BUT.... In doing so they have basically populated the series with ONLY women. That's about as unrealistic a characterization of 1920's society that you can imagine. Murdoch does it right - men seem to be in charge but very strong women - wives, girlfriends, reporters, female private detectives, doctors, etc., are very prominent throughout and realistically portray the reality of the times as well as how strong women did, in fact, find ways to assert themselves, employ their talents, etc. Frankie Drake pretends men didn't exist in their little enterprise. No wonder there's no tension.
I kept watching hoping to see improvement. False optimism, it turns out.