Commentary

Houdini And Arthur Conan Doyle Make Magic On Fox

I love this show. What’s it doing on Fox?

These were the two thoughts that occurred to me as I watched the first two episodes Fox provided for preview of this new series called “Houdini & Doyle,” premiering Monday night (May 2).

It’s a buddy drama centered on the friendship between Harry Houdini, escape artist and illusionist extraordinaire, and Arthur Conan Doyle, internationally renowned author of the Sherlock Holmes stories.

The historical truth is that the two did know each other and reportedly formed a bond of some kind that may or may not have been a true friendship. Various online sources say the two met for the first time in 1920, when Houdini was on a tour of England. At that time, Houdini would have been 44 or 45 and Doyle 61 or 62. 

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Fox’s series takes place in 1901, however -- signaling that the show is almost entirely a work of fiction. In the show, the two meddle in murder investigations undertaken by the London police. They prove to be so pesky that as a sign of disrespect, the chief constable assigns the department’s only female detective to act as their minder and police department liaison.

She’s a plucky young woman, however, who sees this assignment not as punishment but as an opportunity to become involved in real investigative work rather than the clerical, tea-making office responsibilities the department chauvinists have relegated her to.

And so the storyline is set -- or to put it another way, the game is afoot.

This show was a pleasure to preview, a bright piece of escapist fare (no Houdini pun intended) that would not be out of place on PBS, which delights in importing these kinds of shows whether they’re worth importing or not.

This one would have felt right at home on the network of “Mr Selfridge” and “Hercule Poirot,” but the fact that it’s on Fox is no drawback at all. Credit the network for doing something different -- putting on a show that lacks the extreme, casual violence and vulgarity that is so common on network television these days. This show is just fun. Imagine that.

In the premiere, Doyle and Houdini become involved in a mystery surrounding a series of murders in a London convent. One witness -- a nun -- insists she saw a ghost in the room where one of the murders took place and the crimes are soon pinned on poltergeists. Houdini, a famous skeptic, seeks to prove that ghosts had nothing do with it. Doyle, however, is more open to considering the supernatural.

Credit is due to this show’s fine cast for pulling off this scenario. Stephen Mangan (seen in the photo above, at left) plays Doyle and Michael Weston (also in the photo) is Houdini. Mangan has been seen in a string of British TV series, none familiar to U.S. television audiences (or at least to me).

Weston is relatively unknown too, although he had a recurring role on “House M.D.” The executive producer of that show was David Shore, who is executive producer of “Houdini & Doyle” too. Rebecca Liddiard, as Adelaide the female police detective, has a short list of credits so far in her career.

Will audiences watch “Houdini & Doyle” in sufficient numbers to make it a hit for Fox? That’s a mystery to me.

“Houdini & Doyle” premieres Monday (May 2) at 9 p.m. Eastern on Fox.

1 comment about "Houdini And Arthur Conan Doyle Make Magic On Fox".
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  1. John Grono from GAP Research, May 3, 2016 at 1:08 a.m.

    OMG - you've never seen 'Episodes'!?!

    Mangan and Tamsin Greig are superb in it, and Matt LeBlanc does a great job of playing ... Matt LeBlanc.   British comedy at its best.

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