PBS in NYC is now showing the first season of Midsomer Murders from 1998, and - while I have seen 22 seasons of the series - these current reruns only confirm my feelings that the series is no longer what it once was. Perhaps it was because of John Nettles' long association with the Royal Shakespeare Company or his many years of BBC work, but the casts of these early episodes are full of wonderful actors - Elizabeth Spriggs, Bernard Hepton, Selina Cadell, Anna Massey, among others - and very good writing with a quirky sense of humor, all of which seem diluted by Sason 22.
In last night's episode 77 year-old actress Eleanor Summerfield delivered a wonderfully funny yet touching portrayal of a retired, marijuana-growing movie and stage star while the mystery was carried on by, among others, the Royal Shakespeare Company's Roger Allam amd Tessa Peake-Jones, who's currently on Grantchester.