As the resident murder mystery nerd here at Frock Flicks, I think that it’s high time we gather up a list of some of the best murder mysteries that combine strong female leads and Victorian costumes!
Miss Scarlet and the Duke (2020-)
Enola Holmes (2020) & Enola Holmes 2 (2022)
The Law According to Lydia Poët (2023-)
The Sally Lockhart Mysteries (2007-08)
The Alienist (2018-20)
Have I left out any other great shows about Victorian women solving crimes? Drop your suggestions in the comments!
I don’t know if this counts, but in Murdoch Mysteries the main character was frequently aided by his colleague Dr. Julia Ogden (Helene Joy). :)
great show
“The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec” might be a stretch to fit into this category, as although the story starts with the main character working to determine the cause of a mysterious death (or two), it quickly evolves into a more fantastical adventure with reanimated dinosaurs and ancient Egyptians. And it’s post-Edwardian (1912) rather than Victorian! I’d still be interested in what the frock you think of the costumes :)
That hats in that movie are so gorgeous!
There’s also Madame Vastra from Doctor Who. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/QnrHlN51YSCHfp9YqsRDyq/madame-vastra
There was an anthology done by the BBC in the early 1970s called “The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes” featuring Victorian-era detectives not written by Doyle. Three of them are women: Lady Molly of Scotland Yard, Polly Burton, and Hagar of the Pawn Shop. The first two were created by Baroness Orczy, and the third by Fergus Hume.
The costumes are about up to par with other early ’70s BBC shows, but it is worth checking out if you are interested in 19th- and early 20th-century mysteries and you’ve read all of Holmes, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, and need a few suggestions for other writers.
There’s also a book with the original stories (Some of them, at least) available on Amazon kindle.