Mystery TV Goes to the Beach with Marple, The Mentalist, Miss Fisher, and More!

by Karen A. Romanko

Back in February, I started a series of posts called “Mystery TV Goes to the Beach” for my Facebook group Mystery TV--British and American Series. I highlighted beautiful beach locales, which served as settings for some of my favorite mystery series, and I am collecting those posts here. Please enjoy the sun, the sand, and the ocean views. You might even catch a fragrant whiff of the sweet, salt air!

Mystery TV Goes to the Beach, first in a series. If you’re looking for a way to escape the winter doldrums, why not go to the beach with a good mystery? I’ll be collecting TV mysteries with a beach setting over my next several posts. Please grab your beach towel and sandals to follow along! First up: Agatha Christie‘s Marple, “A Caribbean Mystery“ (2014). Miss Marple (Julia McKenzie) takes a Caribbean holiday to ease her rheumatism, and murder follows along, bringing darkness to paradise. The beaches here, actually located in South Africa rather than the Caribbean, are breathtaking, making this entry the most visually stunning of the series.

Mystery TV Goes to the Beach, second in a series. Continuing with our escapes to the beach, TV mystery style, today’s choice is The Mentalist, “Blood and Sand” (2011). Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney) and Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) search for the killer of a woman found dead on an island off the California coast. Plenty of beach and ocean views here, and a touching final scene, where Patrick places a flower in the surf to honor the dead woman.

Mystery TV Goes to the Beach, third in a series. Escaping to the beach once again, TV mystery style, today‘s selection is “Sensitive Steele,“ a 1986 episode of Remington Steele. Laura (Stephanie Zimbalist) and Mr. Steele (Pierce Brosnan) go undercover as a married couple at a “sensitivity spa” to get to the bottom of a series of “accidents” and their feelings for each other. This one is especially recommended for those who like their beach scenes on the gray and misty rather than the sunny side.

Mystery TV Goes to the Beach, fourth in a series. Back to the beach again, TV mystery style, with “Dainty Dish,” a 1993 episode of Lovejoy. Our favorite antiques dealer, Lovejoy (Ian McShane), is in Brighton with Lady Jane (Phyllis Logan), Tinker (Dudley Sutton), and Eric (Chris Jury) to track down some porcelain stolen by the Nazis. In the course of his acquisitions, he pulls a small, but juicy con on his rival Charlie Gimbert (Malcolm Tierney). Some great shots of Brighton, a seaside resort in England, with plenty of local color for added fun.

Mystery TV Goes to the Beach, fifth in a series. Yes, it’s time for another mystery escape to the beach, this time to Australia! In “Dead Man’s Chest,” a 2013 episode of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, our favorite 1920s P.I. Phryne Fisher (Essie Davis) and entourage travel to the seaside town of Queenscliff, where they find that murder never takes a holiday. Stolen treasure, beautiful people, Phryne’s elegant parasol, and the ocean. What more could you ask? Below: Hugo Johnstone-Burt, Essie Davis, and Nathan Page.

Mystery TV Goes to the Beach, sixth in a series. Our final foray to the beach, TV mystery style, is with Harry O (1974-1976). There’s no need to pick a particular episode with this one, as our hapless PI Harry Orwell (David Janssen) lives at the beach, first in San Diego and later in Santa Monica, so there are ocean vistas aplenty as backdrops for the mysteries. Harry’s cases sometimes involve women in peril, and he has a little habit of using his cottage as a safe house, to the frequent annoyance and/or amusement of Lieutenant Trench (Anthony Zerbe).

If you are a lover of TV locations like I am, you know that Harry’s “Santa Monica” beach cottage was actually located at Paradise Cove in Malibu. The house is no longer there, having been replaced by a larger home. The 70s beach vibe of this series is exquisite and almost haunting, at least for me. It’s not at all what you’d expect from a show that takes place at the beach. You’ll just have to see for yourself. Outstanding series, highly recommended. From my DVD collection.

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Television's Female Spies and Crimefighters and Women of Science Fiction and Fantasy Television
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