Rosemary & Thyme (TV series)

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Previously on this blog, I have written predominantly about American detective TV series. However, I’m actually a huge fan of British TV and have watched a large number of British mystery series as well.

One series that I haven’t seen much of until recently is Rosemary & Thyme. The show originally ran from 2003 until 2007. Three series have been produced, for a total of 22 episodes.

The show stars Felicity Kendal (who starred in The Good Life in the ’70s) as Rosemary Boxer and Pam Ferris (who I know as Ms Trunchbull from Matilda) as Laura Thyme. Rosemary has a doctorate in plant pathology while Laura Thyme is a former police constable who gave up her career to become a housewife. At the series start, Laura separates from her husband and shortly thereafter meets Rosemary. After Rosemary loses her academic job, the two women start a gardening business together.

Just as is the case with Jessica Fletcher on Murder, She Wrote, murder seems to follow these two women wherever they go. You can be sure that if you hire Rosemary Boxer & Laura Thyme to landscape your garden, someone in your household will end up dead.

Having seen all six episodes of the first season already, I can recommend this show to anybody who likes light cozy mysteries with strong female characters. Rosemary is like the female version of a confirmed bachelor–she’s smart and independent. Laura Thyme, on the other hand, is a woman who is trying to get back her sense of self–she has strong crime solving skills that indicate she could have gone far in her career if she hadn’t given it up for her (ex)husband.

Rosemary & Thyme is available to stream through BritBox in the US and Canada. (In the US, BritBox is available as a channel through Amazon Prime Video.)