Harrow

Harrow Season One

Doctor Daniel Harrow is a forensic pathologist.  He is exceptional at his job but has a disdain for authority and a flagrant disregard for the rules.  This lands him in hot water on a regular basis but somehow, no matter much trouble he’s in, he finds a way out and helps solve some murder mysteries that have baffled the police.  He gets results.

This cookie cutter premise might not sound like the most exciting hook for a tv show but I made sure to check out every episode that aired on the ABC this year.  That’s because Daniel Harrow does his crime solving right here in the city of Brisbane, Australia.

I’ve always been envious of people who live in famous towns that are used as backdrops for tv shows.  Sure the rent is probably awful in New York or London or Los Angeles but you get to see your neighbourhood in movies and shows.  For the longest time, no one came to Brisbane.  Then in the span of two years we got Thor (in Thor Ragnarok), Upgrade (a great sci-fi flick) and now Harrow.

I would still watch Harrow if it was terrible but its actually a pretty well made crime drama, even if its not particularly inspired.  Ioan Gruffudd is basically playing Harrow was the crime solving version of Hugh Laurie in House.  He’s eccentric, irritable to those closest to him and he is never, ever wrong.

The novelty of course is seeing my delightful state of Queensland on the small screen, where I can point out famous landmarks in each episode and listen to Gruffudd rattle off lines like “I’m going to check in with the lab boys to see what they came up with…in Spring Hill.”  Or I can hear a police constable call in the discovery of a body…in Fortitude Valley.

Happily, enough other like minded people must have also dialled in to watch a crime solving Queenslander.  The show was a modest ratings success for the ABC and a second season has been green lit.  This time, I’d like to see him solve murders at Suncorp Stadium, at a Stefan’s and maybe Toowong Shopping Village.