“Grantchester,” a “Masterpiece” mystery series on PBS, wrapped up on Sunday after 11 seasons of cozy village crime-solving with a theological twist.
Beginning in 2014 with Sidney Chambers (played by James Norton, then an emerging star), the perceptive vicars of Grantchester have spent the time between Sunday sermons helping Detective Inspector Geordie Keating (Robson Green) pursue dangerous offenders in 1950s and ’60s England. The series began as a direct adaptation of a series of books by James Runcie but then added new characters and story lines.
Chambers was followed by William Davenport (Tom Brittney) and then by Alphy Kotteram (Rishi Nair), who by the end of the series reunited with his biological mother and resolved his crisis of faith. While the various crimes are memorable, each vicar’s personal journey is equally central: Chambers, a World War II veteran, deals with post-traumatic stress; Davenport moves beyond his lustful youthful rebellion to emotional maturity; and Kotteram struggles with his identity as an Indian man raised by a white vicar in an Anglican orphanage. Their broader support network includes Leonard Finch (Al Weaver), an assistant vicar who eventually leaves the church for secular social work, and Mrs. Sylvia Chapman (Tessa Peake-Jones), the vicarage housekeeper who acts as a mother figure.
Fans bereft at the departure of “Grantchester” can perhaps find solace in Runcie’s book series, or in the fact that the crime-solving clergy genre is surprisingly robust. Here are a few more series set at the intersection of murder and ministry. (Another classic entry, “The Father Dowling Mysteries,” which starred Tom Bosley and ran from 1989-91, is not currently streaming but is available on DVD.)
‘Cadfael’ (1994-98)
Clergyman mysteries are often period shows, but “Cadfael,” set in 12th Century England, is more transportive than most. “Cadfael” originally aired on “Masterpiece Mystery!” alongside other British mystery-procedural classics like “Prime Suspect.”
Derek Jacobi stars as the Catholic monk Brother Cadfael, and much of the fun of the series comes from its incorporation of historical aesthetics and events. As with Canon Clement, Brother Cadfael’s first case began as an accidental discovery, after King Stephen assigned him the task of burying 94 executed traitors. Among the bodies, however, is a 95th man who was murdered. And so it begins.
Through Cadfael’s investigations into murders, thefts and disappearances, viewers get an extensive portrait of the power struggles between the Catholic Church, wealthy landowners and the Plantagenet Royals. He uses his status as a monk to ask questions others wouldn’t dare and also to help commoners receive fair treatment.
Stream “Cadfael” on BritBox.
‘Evil’ (2019-24)
“Evil,” on Paramount+, is an outlier in the crime-solving clergy genre, ditching the typical period setting and quiet English village in favor of a modern procedural set in New York City.
Mike Colter stars as David Acosta, a divinity school student who investigates possible demonic possessions and medical miracles for the Catholic Church. He works with the skeptical forensic psychologist Kristen Bouchard (Katja Herbers) and the tech analyst Ben Shakir (Aasif Mandvi), and together they determine whether faith or science can explain the actions of some of the city’s most notorious criminals. Over four seasons, they pursue leads and debate motives while each deals with his or her own personal demons, literal and otherwise.
With its depictions of malevolent spirits, suicidal ideation, gruesome murders and more, “Evil” is the furthest thing from cozy. But like other shows on this list, it grapples with the roles faith, doctrine and human morality play in criminal behavior, law enforcement and modern society.
Stream “Evil” on Paramount+.
‘Father Brown’ (2013-current)
Mark Williams stars as the title character in this BBC series, the second based on G.K. Chesterton’s Father Brown novels and short stories. The first, starring Kenneth More, ran in 1974 in Britain and later on PBS. Both shows stream on BritBox.
Father Brown is a Catholic priest in the fictional village of Kembleford, which has a suspiciously high death rate and an overwhelmed constabulary. The officers allow Father Brown to find evidence and witnesses, administer last rites at crime scenes and convince suspects to confess their sins and plead guilty. Father Brown, who also investigates missing holy relics, is assisted in his sleuthing by his parish secretary and his housekeeper. There have been 13 seasons of the series, with another coming in 2027.
Chesterton’s “Father Brown” stories are most likely the earliest examples of the crime-solving priest subgenre. Chesterton was also known for several books on Catholic theology.
Stream “Father Brown” and the original series on BritBox.
‘Murder Before Evensong’ (2025-present)
Streaming on Acorn TV, “Murder Before Evensong” is centered on Canon Clement (Matthew Lewis), an Anglican canon (a priest with more administrative duties than the vicars of “Grantchester”) in the fictional village of Champton St. Mary. He never intended to solve mysteries, but the discovery of a body buried beneath the church inspires him to investigate, which in turn inspires his parishioners to reveal long hidden secrets and other crimes past and present.
Unlike other sleuths on this list, with their community of clerical sidekicks, inspectors and other villagers, Clement leads a relatively cloistered life in the rectory with his widowed mother, Audrey (Amanda Redman), and his two pet dachshunds. “Murder Before Evensong” is set in 1988, and while Champton St. Mary is on the surface a cozy place, it also contends with social issues of the time. Clement faces declining church attendance in an increasingly secularized world, and the AIDS crisis manifests in various mysteries and interactions with his parishioners.
Stream “Murder Before Evensong” on Acorn TV.
‘Sister Boniface Mysteries’ (2022-current)
A spinoff of “Father Brown,” “Sister Boniface Mysteries” follows a nun in the aptly named Great Sloughter, who dabbles in the village’s many murder investigations between her daily prayers. Recruited by MI5 to be a spy, Sister Boniface (Lorna Watson) rejected the offer in order to serve the Lord. She then set up a full forensics lab in the convent, where she examines fiber samples and other evidence for Detective Inspector Sam Gillespie (Max Brown) and Detective Sergeant Felix Livingstone (Jerry Iwu). The Mother Superior isn’t always pleased with Sister Boniface’s side hustle, but she ultimately accepts it as a form of service to the less fortunate.
Although the show is set in the patriarchal England of the 1950s and ’60s, Sister Boniface isn’t afraid to humble any mansplainer she encounters. The series also has a light satirical streak, with episodes that parody classic “Doctor Who,” radio dramas and more.
Stream “Sister Boniface Mysteries” on BritBox.
The post Miss ‘Grantchester’? Here Are More Crime-Solving Clergy appeared first on New York Times.
