25 Christmas TV Episodes for Mystery Lovers

by Karen A. Romanko

Last year I devised a special TV Mystery "Advent Calendar," selecting one Christmas-themed episode per day of mystery, crime, and spy television series. I posted them here on Small Screen Pop in three installments, but I’m compiling them all below this year for easy reference. I watched all from my DVD collection, except for Murdoch Mysteries, which I watched on Ovation TV.

December 1: Father Brown, “The Star of Jacob” (2016). This one has great holiday spirit and a mystery that doesn’t involve murder. Season 5, Episode 1.

December 2: Remington Steele, “Dancer, Prancer, Donner and Steele” (1985). If you like your Christmas episodes on the intense side, this one’s for you, as the Steele agency and guests are held hostage at a holiday party (pre-Die Hard). Season 4, Episode 9.

December 3: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, “Murder Under the Mistletoe” (2013). Looking like a beautiful snow queen, Miss Fisher (Essie Davis) investigates a death by Christmas tree and finds (we’re not surprised) MURDER. Season 2, Episode 13.

December 4: Father Dowling Mysteries, “The Christmas Mystery” (1990). Sister Steve (Tracy Nelson), game for any assignment, works at a department store, where too many Santas spell trouble for her and a young boy. Season 3, Episode 10.

December 5: Grantchester, "Christmas Special" (2016). Sidney (James Norton) and Geordie (Robson Green) investigate a murder, as they do, while Amanda (Morven Christie) is ready to give birth, but is literally left out in the cold (shades of "no room at the inn"). Season 3, Episode 0 or 1 (depending on who's counting).

December 6: The Man from U.N.C.L.E., “The Jingle Bells Affair” (1966). My favorite thing about this episode was the interior footage of Macy’s New York during the holiday season, which evoked lots of fond memories. The rest is an uncomfortable mix of camp, communists, chattiness, and Christmas. Season 3, Episode 15.

December 7: Agatha Christie’s Marple, “4:50 from Paddington” (also known as “What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw,” 2004). Miss Marple (Geraldine McEwan) sends her beautiful young friend (Amanda Holden) to serve as a housekeeper for the Christmas holidays at the Crackenthorpe estate. Marple is convinced there’s a body hidden on the grounds, and not even Christmas will stop the venerable sleuth from digging up bodies and the wealthy family’s secrets. Season 1, Episode 3.

December 8: The Mentalist, “Jolly Red Elf” (2010). When a man dressed in a Santa suit is pushed from a window, Patrick (Simon Baker) and the team investigate, taking them from a Santa convention to Alcoholics Anonymous. The solution to the murder mystery is dark, in contrast to the pretty holiday lighting displayed in the episode. Season 3, Episode 10.

December 9: Lovejoy, “The Prague Sun” (1992). Delightful feature-length outing which takes our favorite antiques dealer/con man/amateur sleuth (Ian McShane) from England to Czechoslovakia in search of hidden diamonds and a murderer. Will he make it home in time to play Santa Claus at the local hospital? If Lady Jane (Phyllis Logan) has anything to say about it, he will. Season 3, Episode 14.

December 10: Monk, “Mr. Monk and the Miracle” (2008). It’s a miracle when fastidious Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) accepts a case from three homeless men, but further miracles are in store as the sick are cured and Monk meets actual monks, including someone surprising. Season 7, Episode 9.

December 11: The Brokenwood Mysteries, “A Merry Bloody Christmas” (2016). It’s Christmas in New Zealand, but murder never takes a holiday, especially in Brokenwood, where there are “two dead Santas in one day.” This entry features a bright Christmas in the New Zealand sun, but too many names and details bog down the narrative. Season 3, Episode 4.  

December 12: The Equalizer, “Christmas Presence” (1987). McCall (Edward Woodward) and Gage (Richard Jordan) help a young boy (Corey Carrier) with AIDS, who is the target of a fear campaign to remove him from the neighborhood. While this episode sends an important message, subtlety and believability are not among its Christmas gifts, but I cried at the end anyway. Season 3, Episode 11.

December 13: Hart to Hart, “‘Tis the Season to Be Murdered” (1980). The Harts (Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers) are undercover bosses in their toy subsidiary, when designs are repeatedly stolen by a competitor. This one is broad with a capital B, but Stefanie Powers sure does look cute in her elf costume. Season 2, Episode 5.

December 14: Sherlock Holmes, “The Blue Carbuncle” (1984). Lavishly produced, with a beautiful glimpse into Christmas in Victorian London. The mystery is holiday-friendly, but the story’s pacing is a bit slow. Season 1, Episode 7.

December 15: Sue Thomas: F.B. Eye, “Silent Night” (2002). The team investigates bank robberies by a man in a Santa suit, while Sue (Deanne Bray) navigates problems with her domineering mother. The crime story is ho-hum rather than ho-ho, but the tale of family woes at Christmas is effective. Season 1, Episode 7 or 8 (depending on who’s counting).

December 16: Father Brown, “The Tree of Truth” (2017). Father Brown (Mark Williams) makes a second appearance on 25 Mystery Days of Christmas with this tale, which finds the Kembleford Christmas pantomime somehow linked to a murder from seven years past. Extra points for the inspired idea of casting Inspector Mallory (Jack Deam) and Sgt. Goodfellow (John Burton) as the ugly stepsisters in the panto. Season 6, Episode 1.  

December 17: Psych, “Christmas Joy” (2008). Holiday fun as Shawn (James Roday) and Gus (Dulé Hill) help a jailed Santa (lots of Santas in trouble on this list), and solve a murder in beautifully decorated (faux) Solvang. Season 3, Episode 9.

December 18: Chuck, “Chuck Versus Santa Claus” (2008). The Buy More is merry and bright for Christmas, but things turn dark when a car chase ends in a hostage crisis for the store’s employees. Chuck (Zachary Levi) steps in as negotiator, but things are not what they seem. Season 2, Episode 11.  

December 19: Circles of Deceit, “The Wolves Are Howling” (also known as “Circle of Deceit,” 1993). This one is edgy and violent, so it won’t be to everyone’s holiday taste. John Neil (Dennis Waterman ) is brought out of retirement to infiltrate an IRA cell, whose Christmas holiday plans include a big arms deal. First in a series of four TV movies.

December 20: Wonder Woman, “The Deadly Toys” (1977). A toy maker (Frank Gorshin) creates androids to replace scientists working on a secret weapons project. Diana Prince a.k.a. Wonder Woman (Lynda Carter) is on the case, but will she be any match for android Wonder Woman? Second appearance on this list (after Hart to Hart) of attacks by deadly toy planes (clearly a holiday problem during the 70s). Season 2, Episode 12.

December 21: Murdoch Mysteries, “A Merry Murdoch Christmas” (2015). Kratchit, Krampus, and Kringle, oh my! There’s something for everyone in this Christmas tale of murder set against a backdrop of snowy beauty. While it doesn’t deliver on all its promises, Murdoch’s Christmas is a jolly ride in a one-horse, open sleigh. Season 9, Episode 0 (Feature-length special).

December 22: Moonlighting, “Twas the Episode Before Christmas” (1985). Lots of yammering by private investigators Maddie (Cybill Shepherd) and David (Bruce Willis) amidst a slender tale of murder involving a baby, three kings, and a woman named Mary. Season 2, Episode 10 or 15 (depending on who’s counting).  

December 23: Cagney & Lacey, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” (1982). Cagney (Sharon Gless) and Lacey (Tyne Daly) work late on Christmas Eve to locate a larcenous Santa, while Petrie’s wife (Suzanne Stone) experiences pregnancy complications. The story meanders a bit, but Daly has some nice moments in Lacey’s family scenes, reminding me of how refreshing it was/is to see cops portrayed as real women with real home lives. Season 1 or 2 (depending on who’s counting), Episode 9.  

December 24: Scarecrow and Mrs. King, “The Long Christmas Eve” (1983). Housewife turned novice spy Amanda King (Kate Jackson) works a miracle when she engineers a truce at a remote cabin between KGB and American agents, including wounded Lee “Scarecrow” Stetson (Bruce Boxleitner). One of my favorite Christmas episodes, this one gets to me every time, especially when Amanda gives her brave and touching truce speech. Season 1, Episode 10.

December 25: Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries, “New Year’s Evil” (2021). PI Peregrine Fisher (Geraldine Hakewill) is in charge of the New Year’s Eve party at the Adventuresses’ Club, booking a swingin’ Beatles-esque band, but murder attends her bash as an uninvited guest. My love for this series, its 60s style, and spunky heroine knows no bounds! Season 2, Episode 8.

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