Murder City is a British crime drama series produced by Granada Television, first broadcast on 18 March 2004 on ITV, that focuses on two mismatched detectives, DI Susan Alembic (Amanda Donohoe) and DS Luke Stone (Kris Marshall), who scour London solving complex cases. The first series consisted of six episodes. A second and final series of four episodes was subsequently commissioned and began broadcast on 5 April 2006. Following declining viewership, a third series of Murder City was not commissioned. BBC America began airing the complete series on 17 August 2006, and it was subsequently released in a Region 1 four-disc DVD box set by Image Entertainment on 14 August 2007.
Characterisation
Whilst the premise of the show features a murder squad investigating complex cases in and around London, the drama created is centered around the realignment of character team-ups. Although DI Susan Alembic (Amanda Donohoe) and DS Luke Stone (Kris Marshall) are the lead characters and partners, writer Robert Murphy frequently separates them at the beginning of each episode by providing them with individual cases to solve. While Alembic is typically partnered with DI Adrian Dumfries (Geff Francis), Dumfries also possessed his own cases, which the episodes followed.
Additionally, character personality alignment frequently varies. Episodes switch between either Stone and Alembic uniting against Dumfries's personality or Dumfries and Alembic conjoining to discourage Stone's theories. However, one episode shows all three sharing a laugh to the chagrin of DCI Sebastian Turner (Tim Woodward). Despite showing the personality failures of each character, the series does not overtly lampoon any character or favour one crime-solving style over another. Both the 'out of the box' and the 'by the book' characters contribute to the solution of their individual cases through their unique approaches.
Cast
Amanda Donohoe – DI Susan Alembic
Kris Marshall – DS Luke Stone
Laura Main – DC Alison Bain
Tim Woodward – DCI Sebastian Turner
Amber Agar – Dr Annie Parvez
Connor McIntyre – DC Frank Craven
Alexis Conran – Dr Simon Dunne
Geff Francis – DI Adrian Dumfries (Series 1) Tim Dantay – DC Bruce Simner (Series 1)
Characters
Main characters
DI Susan Alembic is possibly one of the more talented DIs in her department, and she partners with the arguably less experienced Luke Stone. Alembic is shown in a very professional respect, with very few references to her personal life. In "Happy Families", it is revealed that Alembic is married with a child, while in "Mr. Right", Alembic chastises Stone for his inability to balance his personal and work lives. Although by the book, Alembic frequently solves the cases she encounters. During the second series, Alembic's character shifted slightly externally, from the professional business-suited exterior of the first series to a more business casual attire constituting jeans and T-shirts. Additionally, despite the hints of a solid marriage and congenial parent-child relationship in the first series, the possibility of her husband's infidelity is hinted at during "Wives and Lovers".
DS Luke Stone is initially used to provide comic relief in the first series and is viewed as impetuous by Dumfries and Turner owing to his outrageous theories. Stone typically provides ironclad evidence for use against suspects. Dumfries refers to him as Alembic's "monkey", and Turner punishes him by assigning him to lone cases. Stone appears as the eccentric genius loner and frames him as a type of wild cannon. Despite a strong connection with Alembic, he avoids long-term relationships and romantically interacting with women outside of sexual liaisons. A recurring joke surrounds his inability to remember the names of his departmental conquests and his difficulty in dealing with Dr. Parvez. In "Mr. Right", he becomes obsessed with a female murder victim. Alembic confronts his overdedication to the job, lack of emotional commitment, and usage of the job as a secondary home. However, Stone's 'inspiration' assists him in solving the perfect crime. And his fascination with the 'throwaway' case in episode two brings to light the murder of a murderer.