'Murder In Provence' Is A Lazy Summer Charm

BritBox released the three-episode Murder In Provence back in February of 2022, but most viewers could be forgiven for missing it at the time. The year 2022 has been an overwhelming wave of television, and the all-at-once drop of the series meant it was only a blip on the radar. But with the summer slowdown arriving in August and a bit of breathing room for those looking for an easy, lightweight mystery series, it's a great moment to circle back and check in on this Roger Allam-Nancy Carroll adaptation of the M.L. Longworth novels.

Most series with a male and female detective, a professional and an amateur, usually come with an odd-couple setup and then follow the Moonlighting "will they or won't they" relationship tease. Murder In Provence is refreshing in that it has neither of those. Antoine Verlaque (Allam), the professional "investigative judge" in the French judicial system, and Marine Bonnet (Carroll), the amateur professor of criminology and psychology, are already a couple from the jump. They're not married -- as older people with baggage, they have both experienced severe trauma in former relationships and value their independence. But they are a long-term couple who are deeply comfortable around each other.

The first episode begins with Verlaque and Bonnet about to head out for a weekend away when Deputy Inspector Hélène Paulik (Keala Settle) calls Verlaque to Bonnet's university to handle a murder. The victim, a fine art professor, was supposed to retire his tenured position as head of the department, which comes with an attached luxurious apartment, but changed his mind last minute. Those who were up for his tenured position are suspects, as is the maid who found him and several of his students. Since Bonnet knows the victim and the suspects, she starts helping in the investigation.