My Life is Murder (Series 1-3) – DVD Review

By Karl Hornsey

Considering the gravitas of its subject matter, murder does seem to have tempted programme-makers to have created any number of light-hearted series about it down the years. Which makes sense, as we don’t all want gore, grit and guts on our plate just because there are murders to be solved, and My Life is Murder is another excellent addition to that particular genre. It’s another Acorn TV series and slots nicely alongside the likes of Harry Wild, Agatha Raisin and The Brokenwood Mysteries as a warm, entertaining and engaging series that has the potential to live or die (pardon the pun) on the strength of its lead character.

In this case, Lucy Lawless, yes, she of Xena, Warrior Princess fame, takes the lead as former detective Alexa Crowe, who fills her spare time with a combination of solving murders as a private investigator, and baking bread. While the latter may sound a little twee, it works to flesh out the character within this series, and Lawless is an incredibly likeable actress, pitching Crowe at just the right level – not too serious, but believable enough that we know she’s going to come up trumps in every case.

“Loyal following”

Since its premiere in 2019, My Life is Murder has notched up 38 hour-long episodes across four series, and the first three of those series, which have been shown in the UK on Alibi, are available in this collection. The fourth series is yet to air here, but fans will be on tenterhooks to know if further series are to follow, and reviews have been incredibly favourable, demonstrating that a loyal following has been established. The first series took place in Victoria, Australia, before moving for subsequent ones to Auckland, New Zealand, ostensibly for Crowe to be nearer to her on-screen brother, but in real life due to restrictions around Covid. As Lawless was born in the city, this seems to have been a move that suits all and the somewhat sedate pace of life Down Under certainly helps the atmosphere and character of the series.

While background storylines gradually progress, each episode features a different case to be solved, including a take on the classic ‘locked room’ murder, the death of a cookery school student and a chef who got stuck inside his own walk-in freezer. These may sound likes cases from a Father Brown or a Midsomer Murders, and you wouldn’t be far wrong in thinking that. Those series have continued to go from strength to strength for many years, and there’s nothing to suggest that My Life is Murder won’t go on to join them.

‘My Life is Murder‘ (Series 1-3) is released on DVD by Acorn