My Life Is Murder is a more wise, cynical, grown-up version of Veronica Mars starring Lucy Lawless, what's not to love? Lucy Lawless is underrated, she can really play almost any character in any genre. Glad to see her break free of genre tv to play a detective in this one. Worth the $5 for Acorn tv.
92 Reviews
Lucy Lawless is back with a vengeance!!
micercat18 August 2019
Yeah Lucy Lawless is back! Loved, loved, loved this show! It made me laugh, cry, and sit in suspense. Alexa Crowe is witty, smart, and driven. Love the relationship between her and her sidekick and her ex boss. It's one of those shows that you enjoyed so much it seemed to fly by while watching. Lucy nails this character. Can't wait to see more!
No Hassle, Enjoyable Series
kushka53-454-55839214 August 2019
Easy to watch, with a pro cast, well-directed and shot, this mystery series is lightweight but fun. The editing could be tightened up a bit as the current pace is a bit too relaxed for murder but other than that it's an enjoyable way to pass the time on a hot summer's night. I'd be curious to see what a season 2 might bring...
Love this show
kieramccann27 August 2019
Charming Show. Quirky likable characters. I had fun watching it and there's an actual mystery to solve. Light-hearted mystery show.
reb-warrior10 November 2020
Lucy Lawless plays Alexa Crowe, an ex-cop called upon by an old colleague, Kieran, a detective with the police force, to help out with some unsolved cases. Helping them out is data analyst Madison. The main characters are charming, quirky, quick-witted, and have great camaraderie with each other. Love Alexa and Madison's banter. Sort of teasing with each other. Alexa has a cat. I love seeing Alexa's interactions with the cat.
The actual mystery is actually pretty good. There are plot holes. Mainly involving the follow-up after the cases are solved and Alexa's involvement with them. You know what? It's ok. This is a light-hearted mystery show. There are plot holes in every show I watch, and we all overlook them. No different here.
I think the strength of the show is in the personalities of the characters. They're quirky and different. It's refreshing. There's not much with big personal drama. We find out a touch here and there about the characters. But it doesn't dominate the show. You do get a sense the whatever happened with Alexa, her retirement, her husband's death, had an unusual effect on her. There's a story there that maybe will get fleshed out over time? We'll have to wait and see.
The humor in the show is different. It's not the typical mainstream type of humor you see in American shows. It's very conversational-based. Quick-witted and quirky.
I really liked it. At a time in the world when everything is dark and crazy, this show is a breath of fresh air. It's not gritty. Evil people aren't winning. The mysteries are nicely wrapped up. It's entertaining and great escapism. Lucy Lawless and her quirky character are fun to watch. I gave it a 10/10.
*edit (I notice some people don't care for the first episode. I liked it, but try at least two or three. I always watch at least three episodes of anything before I decide whether to quit or not. The episodes for season one are all one-offs. Not arc stories. If you're thinking of quitting after episode one, I recommend trying episode 4, 'Can't Stand the Heat,' which imo, is the funniest thus far. I wrote a review for that one. I also recommend episode 5. 'Feet of Clay,' which I think has many touching elements to it. It really does get better as the show goes on).
The actual mystery is actually pretty good. There are plot holes. Mainly involving the follow-up after the cases are solved and Alexa's involvement with them. You know what? It's ok. This is a light-hearted mystery show. There are plot holes in every show I watch, and we all overlook them. No different here.
I think the strength of the show is in the personalities of the characters. They're quirky and different. It's refreshing. There's not much with big personal drama. We find out a touch here and there about the characters. But it doesn't dominate the show. You do get a sense the whatever happened with Alexa, her retirement, her husband's death, had an unusual effect on her. There's a story there that maybe will get fleshed out over time? We'll have to wait and see.
The humor in the show is different. It's not the typical mainstream type of humor you see in American shows. It's very conversational-based. Quick-witted and quirky.
I really liked it. At a time in the world when everything is dark and crazy, this show is a breath of fresh air. It's not gritty. Evil people aren't winning. The mysteries are nicely wrapped up. It's entertaining and great escapism. Lucy Lawless and her quirky character are fun to watch. I gave it a 10/10.
*edit (I notice some people don't care for the first episode. I liked it, but try at least two or three. I always watch at least three episodes of anything before I decide whether to quit or not. The episodes for season one are all one-offs. Not arc stories. If you're thinking of quitting after episode one, I recommend trying episode 4, 'Can't Stand the Heat,' which imo, is the funniest thus far. I wrote a review for that one. I also recommend episode 5. 'Feet of Clay,' which I think has many touching elements to it. It really does get better as the show goes on).
Murder has Life
girvsjoint19 September 2019
After the first couple of episodes, I grew into this show and really enjoyed it. An easy going style of murder mystery, which is a pleasant change of pace, characters you can relate to and some nice views around Melbourne. Just looking at Lucy Lawless is enough for me, a woman who gets more gorgeous as she ages. Good cast all around, and I love the cat! This show has a life and I really hope there'll be further seasons to come!
My new favourite show
Jondy-983747 August 2019
This new lighthearted show is thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining. Lucy Lawless, Bernard Curry and newcomer Ebony Vagulans are superb and their characters work very well together. I look forward to many more episodes.
COLOR COLOR COLOR
renee-940395 November 2022
Season 3, they REALLY, REALLY need to cut down on the color explosion, it's too much!!!
All those really bright colors aren't bad until the whole show is covered in them. Tone it down, PLEASE!!!
I don't know who's doing Lucy's makeup but they need to pay more attention. In season 3 episode 6 the rouge/blush is way to much, it's all you can see! Ugh!
I also don't know if it's just me but it seems like the cases all so plain and simple. The plot lines were better and more sort of real crime instead of fluff crimes.
I seriously hope that if there's a season 4 they seriously consider cutting back on the color explosion and getting a better makeup person for Lucy.
They should also keep Beth/Tatum in the show, I like her.
All those really bright colors aren't bad until the whole show is covered in them. Tone it down, PLEASE!!!
I don't know who's doing Lucy's makeup but they need to pay more attention. In season 3 episode 6 the rouge/blush is way to much, it's all you can see! Ugh!
I also don't know if it's just me but it seems like the cases all so plain and simple. The plot lines were better and more sort of real crime instead of fluff crimes.
I seriously hope that if there's a season 4 they seriously consider cutting back on the color explosion and getting a better makeup person for Lucy.
They should also keep Beth/Tatum in the show, I like her.
Well produced Australian series
lawton377 October 2019
A good standard Australian production. So much more interesting, watchable than all the reality TV that dominates our screens. This again demonstrates that Australia can make quality productions. Would like to see more of and like this. Fast moving storyline and action , unlike many Australian films that are too slow moving to enjoy. Well acted.
a step in the right direction
jazfro18 July 2019
Australian commercial channels have a history of producing cheap, clickbaiting, police dramas, or worse: bad imitations (see the recent botched re-boots of Ms Fisher and Dr Blake). So I was curious about this one.
As it happens, the first episode was watchable, and in parts enjoyable. The set-up for the series is based on a well-known formula: retired cop (for reasons undisclosed -this is presumably a red herring backstory that will be revealed one detail per episode) gets out of retirement because a former colleague needs help to close a case worthy of investigation. Said ex-cop accepts the assignment and gets paired with IT whizz sidekick with a personality twist or two (this one has a thing about car detailing and high-end vacuum cleaners). So far, it's standard cop drama / PI fare, and we've seen quite a few variations of this recipe over the years.
What makes the series watchable is the acting lead, kiwi star Lucy Lawless (perhaps best known for her role as Xena) who delivers a good performance. The script for the first episode had the merit of not being totally obvious from the first five minutes, so keeping the viewer engaged. And the portrayal of the lead female character was engaging.
But there are some flaws that need to be addressed. I'll skip over the McGyveresque level of unbelievability of the aforementioned whizz kid's online search prowess. More seriously, in this day and age, unless you are trying to wink-wink / nudge-nudge Amazon for international distribution, one should seriously consider naming the female lead character something other than "Alexa". I felt that was either cheap, low, unfair, or all of the above.
Also, don't create a sub-plot about European appliances with an unreadable instruction manual, and then force the lead actor to deliver an articulate (scripted) phone conversation in the said language (German): if Alexa can have this level of interaction, then she could cope with the foreign language manual, couldn't she? (coz google translate would not be able to speak German that good, would it?).
Overall a good first effort, but needs smarter/stronger scripts to rise to the level of Australian classics (Ms Fisher, Dr Blake, Rake, Janet King, Jack Irish, Mystery Road, and so on).
Season 2 - is Alexa...angrier? Meaner? More annoyed?
brendalynnrhoads5 October 2021
I loved the first season of this show. I watched through it twice when it first came out and hoped it would get a second chance despite the pandemic. When I heard a second season was coming out, I was so excited! However, I'm 2 episodes in, and man this season paints Alexa as extremely unlikable! She grew on me in the first season and I could see she had a good heart and a sense of humor. So far in s2, I just don't want to continue watching. I'm so confused - is she meant to be coming off as so angry and mean? There's times when I just don't even like her as a character, which is sad because I loved her before. Is anyone else feeling this way?
My advice would be watch the first season and stop there! 10/10.
My advice would be watch the first season and stop there! 10/10.
Quirky, Interesting and non run of the mill
jk-692-23639421 September 2019
I truly enjoyed this series. I hope it gets a 2nd season. Lucy Lawless makes the show. I do like the supporting characters as well. Lucy did not want the main character to have some dark secret and dark background and it shows. The show has a good sense of humor and is quirky and positive. The cases are all cold cases. They tended to be a bit predictable. Hopefully that will improve. The show has beautiful location shoots and is fun. We need shows like this to balance out all the gruesome dark shows that seem to populate the airwaves these days.
They are going into season 4! Hurrah. Still loving it.
They are going into season 4! Hurrah. Still loving it.
Great show, easy fun, and weird wardrobe choices.
peabody00019 October 2021
Watching Alexa solve crime is good entertainment. All of the regulars are good to watch, and doing a fine job.
Please replace the wardrobe team. Exactly what is the point of all the long flowy overcoats Alexa wears every day? And when the episode is featuring the extreme heat as a plot point, why are the actors in layers and long sleeves? Please, costume designers, pay attention and use some imagination.
Please replace the wardrobe team. Exactly what is the point of all the long flowy overcoats Alexa wears every day? And when the episode is featuring the extreme heat as a plot point, why are the actors in layers and long sleeves? Please, costume designers, pay attention and use some imagination.
Boring and annoying
Tellyvixen14 February 2020
I'm nearly half way through this series and I have had enough. The characters are bland and annoying, there is no character development nor do you get anymore insight into their history or lives than what you do in the introduction. The stories are your generic paint by numbers and you have a good idea who did it, assuming you can stay awake. There are also little personal incidents involving Alexa in an attempt make her seem more quirky and likeable but really just put the character in a worse light as she comes across arrogant and unlikable.
Lucy is witty and a breath of fresh air.
mlmcgrath17 September 2019
I absolutely love this show but what isn't there to love about Lucy Lawless. She's funny and quick off the mark and always just a little bit quirky. Being an Australian I completely get the humour of this show and I truly hope that viewers from countries other than Australia and New Zealand can understand it also. You can watch this show and be totally entertained without having to worry about missing some small detail and then not know what is happening. I really hope that Channel 10 in Australia will pick this series up for another season. There have been nothing but glowing reviews for everyone involved in this show in our local TV guide magazines. The season finale is about to be shown here and I am now at a loss as to what to watch on a Wednesday night. Good news is that I can go to 10Play on the internet and replay all the episodes. If you haven't already watched My Life is Murder, please do so with an open mind and I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I do.
Great Crime Stories
mary-37-83730930 August 2019
A breath of fresh air! Funny, with a great cast!
scanlonjg29 August 2019
I watch lots of murder mystery shows; some are played straight and serious, and some funny or campy. My Life is Murder is a bit of both.The stories so far have been good mysteries, that I've had fun trying to solve. I do believe that at least one storyline was almost identical to one of another show, but it was still played out well. The cast is great and make a good
mix. Lucy Lawless is always a pleasure to watch. I don't know if it has been renewed for a second season, but I hope it is!
Fantastic fun
dkramerlevien14 August 2019
Good show to watch
Zen-Balance5 September 2019
This show has the mystery that I crave, without the heavy drama. The scenery is luring and the characters have their own way to grasp you. I really do enjoy the show's plots and her reveals. Just in time, the cops show. She's fearless yet kind.
YOU JUST CAN'T ESCAPE CRIME SOLVING
kirbylee70-599-52617926 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Let's face it, for most people actress Lucy Lawless will always be Xena the warrior princess. The fact is she's done far more roles than that and the series ended over 18 years ago. But it will always be associated with her. That or her part of Lucretia in the cable series SPARTACUS. Both are heroic roles but she needed something a bit different. Thankfully that happened with the Australian series MY LIFE IS MURDER.
Lawless stars as private investigator Alexa Crowe, an ex-police detective who gets roped back into solving crimes by her old partner. Using techniques that are a bit different from her co-workers, Alexa was able to have an unprecedented number of crimes solved in the past. Now she stays at home and tinkers with her quality German mixer and trying to cook. While she might deny wanting to get back into the swing of things, her interest in the items brought to her takes over and soon she's on a new case.
Her first case involves a male escort whose latest customer was found dead having jumped to her death from his balcony. Of course the easiest way to find the clues needed to find out if this is a suicide or a murder is to pose as a client for the man and get into his life. The problem with that is that it also could put her life in jeopardy if he is the killer.
If that mystery wasn't enough the second episode has her trying to solve a locked door mystery. Locked door mysteries are those where the victim is found dead in a hotel room with all the doors and windows locked from the inside. Never an easy puzzle to solve but I would say that the odds of Alexa solving this crime are pretty good.
Subsequent episodes involve a number of other mysteries that challenge our heroine and her abilities. CFO dies during a morning bike ride, a cooking school student is killed, a hit and run driver who turns herself in may not be the actual killer, dealing with a clairvoyant on a case, returning to her school after the death of a beloved teacher and more happen in the series. All of them present interesting cases and all combine a bit of mystery, adventure and humor that make this show one that all can enjoy.
While watching the show I kept thinking back to Jessica Fletcher and MURDER SHE WROTE as well as Miss Marple mysteries. The only difference is that both were much older than Lawless. But the world of crime solving women is small and it's nice to see another character brought to life that serves women well.
Watching the series I was stunned to later realize that Lawless is 52. She doesn't look that much older than she did when she played Xena. No that isn't a misogynistic comment, it's a compliment. Always stunning and at the same time with the ability to act better than a number of actresses out there this show was made a joy to watch because of Lawless. As the central character of the show the weight of its success rides on her shoulders. She carries it well and one can hope that we'll see more of Alexa Crowe in the future.
But for now we have these 10 episodes to get us by. And being on disc means we can watch them over and over again. At least until series 2 comes out. Let's hope that happens because this one is a lot of fun to enjoy.
Lawless stars as private investigator Alexa Crowe, an ex-police detective who gets roped back into solving crimes by her old partner. Using techniques that are a bit different from her co-workers, Alexa was able to have an unprecedented number of crimes solved in the past. Now she stays at home and tinkers with her quality German mixer and trying to cook. While she might deny wanting to get back into the swing of things, her interest in the items brought to her takes over and soon she's on a new case.
Her first case involves a male escort whose latest customer was found dead having jumped to her death from his balcony. Of course the easiest way to find the clues needed to find out if this is a suicide or a murder is to pose as a client for the man and get into his life. The problem with that is that it also could put her life in jeopardy if he is the killer.
If that mystery wasn't enough the second episode has her trying to solve a locked door mystery. Locked door mysteries are those where the victim is found dead in a hotel room with all the doors and windows locked from the inside. Never an easy puzzle to solve but I would say that the odds of Alexa solving this crime are pretty good.
Subsequent episodes involve a number of other mysteries that challenge our heroine and her abilities. CFO dies during a morning bike ride, a cooking school student is killed, a hit and run driver who turns herself in may not be the actual killer, dealing with a clairvoyant on a case, returning to her school after the death of a beloved teacher and more happen in the series. All of them present interesting cases and all combine a bit of mystery, adventure and humor that make this show one that all can enjoy.
While watching the show I kept thinking back to Jessica Fletcher and MURDER SHE WROTE as well as Miss Marple mysteries. The only difference is that both were much older than Lawless. But the world of crime solving women is small and it's nice to see another character brought to life that serves women well.
Watching the series I was stunned to later realize that Lawless is 52. She doesn't look that much older than she did when she played Xena. No that isn't a misogynistic comment, it's a compliment. Always stunning and at the same time with the ability to act better than a number of actresses out there this show was made a joy to watch because of Lawless. As the central character of the show the weight of its success rides on her shoulders. She carries it well and one can hope that we'll see more of Alexa Crowe in the future.
But for now we have these 10 episodes to get us by. And being on disc means we can watch them over and over again. At least until series 2 comes out. Let's hope that happens because this one is a lot of fun to enjoy.
Loving it!
johnsonsonja13 March 2022
At first I thought the show was cheesy so I stopped watching. After hearing others who enjoyed the show I gave it another chance. I don't know if I was having a bad day previously but I was wrong about my original opinion. The show is great! I'm a huge fan now and can't wait for season 3.
Bland
zombiemockingbird1 August 2021
Mildly entertaining and too bland to be really annoying. Lucy Lawless is pleasant; her character is pleasant, and apparently more intelligent and intuitive than anyone else in the show. Her assistant is kind of irritating, because she seems to be completely useless, while trying too hard to be cute. The rest of the characters are just...dull. Overall, it just tries too hard to be edgy and mainstream and just doesn't succeed; even with all the trendy, angsty music constantly popping up at odd moments. The music is the most annoying part of the show. I'll probably keep watching it, but I wouldn't go out of my way.
Started out okay and turned out great
lbowdls18 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The first few episodes of this series were very predictable, procedural type episodes with the main suspect always turning out to be the murderer. So I thought damn this better turn around really soon and start becoming a real murder mystery. Because despite great actors and great characters and especially loving Lucy Lawless, she was no Columbo which is the only detective show to get away with knowing the culprit and by personality alone.
Luckily it turned into a real mystery and puzzle from around episode 4. With multiple suspects each show. And continued to be a brilliant series to the end. Love it. I do hope they do another series.
Meh. Not the worst thing I've ever seen
coachellacanuck27 August 2019
The pilot episode seems to have been edited badly. All the plots employ junior-writer level techniques. There's no tension. No suspense. At times it feels like the plot has been stretched to fill the allotted time. Not left eagerly awaiting a second series.
I Wanted So Badly to Like This
blahmonkey6 August 2019
But I don't.
I really don't.
I'm a big fan of mystery shows, and I enjoy them in all forms, from lighthearted, bloodless British romps to dark and twisted serial killer binge-worthy nightmares. Sadly, the show lacks any depth or humor whatsoever, and even Lucy Lawless (who clearly dialed this one in) couldn't hold my interest. The dialogue is (and I'm being generous here) weak, the "mysteries" are obvious and vapid. There's no character development. Alexa was advertised as this brilliant criminal mastermind with a tragic backstory. She's meant to be paired with an equally shining datahead and together they're supposed to combine forces girlpower-style to defeat these allegedly tricky foes. And then there's dadcop, who is completely useless. Just appears conveniently at the end once Alexa has unraveled the tangled threads of each mystery. (Which, in reality, were already presented as a well-knit sweater from the get go; all she does is put it on.) After a few episodes, I'm left feeling annoyed with these characters, to be honest. What is it about Alexa that makes her so crucial to these "cold" cases? Why is Madison so irritating and ineffective? And what does Kieran even do aside from handing over manila envelopes and exiting his cop car at that not-hackneyed-at-all-oh-so-critical-moment-before-arrest? The solutions are painfully evident and the slog to get to them is cringe-worthy to say the least. With this series, it feels as though we're merely watching thin cardboard cutouts (well worn at their edges) being pushed across an equally flat setting attending to fatiguing villains -- who are ridiculously apparent from their first introduction. I applaud Lucy Lawless's comeback here; the show seems to revolve entirely around celebrating her "many skills" -- e.g., speaking German, baking bread, doing "research" online, and wearing comfortable clothing. Brava. I hope she goes on to produce better shows in the future. It's just too bad because the whole thing comes off as a pretentious coat of dust.
Disappointing.
I really don't.
I'm a big fan of mystery shows, and I enjoy them in all forms, from lighthearted, bloodless British romps to dark and twisted serial killer binge-worthy nightmares. Sadly, the show lacks any depth or humor whatsoever, and even Lucy Lawless (who clearly dialed this one in) couldn't hold my interest. The dialogue is (and I'm being generous here) weak, the "mysteries" are obvious and vapid. There's no character development. Alexa was advertised as this brilliant criminal mastermind with a tragic backstory. She's meant to be paired with an equally shining datahead and together they're supposed to combine forces girlpower-style to defeat these allegedly tricky foes. And then there's dadcop, who is completely useless. Just appears conveniently at the end once Alexa has unraveled the tangled threads of each mystery. (Which, in reality, were already presented as a well-knit sweater from the get go; all she does is put it on.) After a few episodes, I'm left feeling annoyed with these characters, to be honest. What is it about Alexa that makes her so crucial to these "cold" cases? Why is Madison so irritating and ineffective? And what does Kieran even do aside from handing over manila envelopes and exiting his cop car at that not-hackneyed-at-all-oh-so-critical-moment-before-arrest? The solutions are painfully evident and the slog to get to them is cringe-worthy to say the least. With this series, it feels as though we're merely watching thin cardboard cutouts (well worn at their edges) being pushed across an equally flat setting attending to fatiguing villains -- who are ridiculously apparent from their first introduction. I applaud Lucy Lawless's comeback here; the show seems to revolve entirely around celebrating her "many skills" -- e.g., speaking German, baking bread, doing "research" online, and wearing comfortable clothing. Brava. I hope she goes on to produce better shows in the future. It's just too bad because the whole thing comes off as a pretentious coat of dust.
Disappointing.
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