Houdini and Doyle

Harry Houdini and Arthur Conan Doyle as characters on a new TV show? Say What? Kerry Hammond has been watching a fun new series that airs Mondays on FOX.

If you’re like me, you’re not a huge fan of Mondays. But I have to tell you that my Monday nights just got better. I am still mourning the loss of Castle and anticipating the loss of Rizzoli & Isles at the end of the summer. The only new show that has really caught my eye is The Catch, which airs on ABC. Now, thanks to Fox, I have another new show that I love, Houdini and Doyle.

The show takes place in London circa the early 1900s and stars Michael Weston as Harry Houdini and Stephen Mangan as Arthur Conan Doyle. The two team up and assist Scotland Yard in solving some very interesting and mysterious cases. The Yard pacifies the two men because of their fame as the great escape artist (Houdini) and author of the celebrated Sherlock Holmes books (Doyle) but rather than take them seriously, they assign the very first female Police Constable to babysit them.

What actually happens is that the unlikely trio solve cases, albeit using some unorthodox methods. The two men are friends, but their different views cause them to disagree on quite a bit (Doyle chooses to believe in the mystical and Houdini the rational, for example). The banter between the two friends is amusing and provides much needed comic relief as the pair solves gruesome murders in twentieth century London.

Houdini and Dyle can’t be compared to BBC's Sherlock or CBS's Elementary, although several reviews online attempt to do so. This show is so completely different. My main criteria for a television show is that it must entertain me, and this show succeeds. It's super fun and the plots keep you guessing until the end. After binge watching Episodes 1-4 on my DVR, I am hooked.

Have you watched Houdini and Doyle? What do you think?

Follow Kerry on Twitter @kerryhammond88. You can find Mystery Playground @mysteryplaygrnd.