'My Life is Murder's Fourth Season Excels at Celebrating Conventions

As lead actress Lucy Lawless noted in a recent interview with Telly Visions (coming later this week!), the draw of My Life Is Murder, its main character Alexa Crowe, and the cozy mystery genre as a whole is the sense that things will be “set to rights” by the end of each episode. The audience isn’t looking for sweeping changes in their favorite characters; they want to see Alexa and Madison (Ebony Vagulans) ferret out the truth, figure out the murderer, and then convene at Reuben’s Café to celebrate each week. In the fourth season, MLIM is happy to continue rewarding its viewers with this formula, and moreover, it works.

The core group of four – including police detective Harry (Rawiri Jobe) and café owner Reuben (Joseph Naufahu) – are more comfortable both with each other and themselves. In a grouping of two gals and two guys, it’s satisfying to see the relationships remain platonic and eschew stereotypical romantic pairings. In other throughlines, both Alexa and Madison persist in snooping for and collecting evidence recklessly, usually avoiding notice but getting caught red-handed at least once this season. (It’s about time – that was getting a bit implausible.)

The show delivers a steady stream of mysteries with fun, interesting twists. In a genre that’s just about glutted, MLIM stands firm with quality storytelling and plots that feel fresh. Adding to the show’s atmosphere are the literal surroundings of beautiful, charming New Zealand. The show takes you on a sumptuous tour of Auckland’s culture, gorgeous waters, lush vegetation, and plentiful tourist attractions.