5 Period Mysteries Like 'Vienna Blood' For More Historical Crime Solving
Vienna Blood Season 2 has solved its last case for 2022, and currently, there's no word on when there will be a Season 3. (This is not to say there won't be. Season 3 has been commissioned, it's just that there's no release date.) But mystery lovers have plenty of other mystery series set from the 1840s-1910s to dive into on streaming. Thanks to the popularity of Sherlock Holmes, there are tons of Victorian and Edwardian-set mysteries and plenty of places to find them.
Here's a rundown of some of the best selections for those looking to fill that Vienna Blood shaped hole this weekend.
Miss Scarlet & The Duke
PBS' other big mystery hit from the 10 p.m. ET slot in winter, Miss Scarlet and The Duke, is the fictional story of the first female private detective in Victorian London. The series stars Kate Phillips (Peaky Blinders) as the titular Eliza Scarlet. Stuart Martin (Jamestown) co-stars as the helpful police inspector who happens to be her childhood friend and potential love interest rolled into one. The show has already been greenlit for Season 2, which is expected to arrive sometime later in 2022, so it's a perfect time to catch up on the first season.
Miss Scarlet & The Duke is streaming on PBS Passport.
Dead Still
An interesting take on the Victorian-era mystery, Dead Still is set in Ireland in the 1880s, following the adventures of postmortem photographer Brock Blennerhasset played by Michael Smiley (Luther). As he goes around taking pictures of the dead in their final repose for loved ones to treasure, he discovers that not every death he's photographing happened naturally. Moreover, the murders all start turning out to be linked — and he's the common thread. The six-episode series is a closed-ended mystery that viewers can watch in a weekend.
Dead Still is streaming on Acorn TV.
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher
A slightly older mystery series from the beginning of last decade, The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher is a series of made-for-TV films that aired on ITV from 2011 to 2014. Starring Paddy Considine (House of the Dragon) as the real-life titular character Jack Whicher, these mysteries chronicle some of the cases from London's newly formed Detective Branch at Scotland Yard in their first decade of existence in the 1840s. Guest stars include fan favorites Olivia Colman (The Crown) and Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who).
All four The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher films are streaming on BritBox.
The Alienist
Popping over to this side of the pond, there's The Alienist, the American answer to Miss Scarlet and The Duke. This two-season series is set in the late 1890s and is a fictionalized version of the first female private detective in New York City. However, unlike Miss Scarlet, which is made up from whole cloth, this series' heroine, Sara Howard, is based on a real person, Isabella Goodwin. Despite its American production and setting, it stars an international cast, including Daniel Brühl (Burnt), Luke Evans (The Pembrokeshire Murders), and Dakota Fanning (Coraline).
Both seasons of The Alienist are streaming on HBO Max.
The Irregulars
For those looking for an irregular take on Sherlock Holmes, there's Netflix series The Irregulars. Based on the side character team of orphans in the Holmes novels, the Baker Street Irregulars, this one-season series reimagines them as working for a potentially evil Dr. Watson and saving London from supernatural elements that may or may not have been unleashed by Sherlock himself. Thaddea Graham (Us) stars as the leader of the orphan team with Royce Pierreson (The Witcher) and Henry Lloyd-Hughes (Ragdoll) as Watson and Sherlock, respectively.
All episodes of The Irregulars are streaming on Netflix.
