12 Episodes Of The BBC’s Murder Mystery Series Deliver The Cleverest Whodunnits On TV

Dipping your toe into British murder-mystery TV can be intimidating, but fortunately, one of the genre’s most recent additions is also one of the best. There really are British murder mystery shows for everyone, ranging from the gritty and dark like Broadchurch to cozy comfort watches like Midsommar Murders. However, at 26 seasons and 144 episodes in, Midsomer Murders is, suffice it to say, a bit of a time commitment.

Fortunately, for those looking for a weekend binge on the cozier side, there’s the BBC’s Ludwig. Premiering in 2024, Ludwig centers on John “Ludwig” Taylor (David Mitchell), a reclusive and introverted puzzlemaker whose detective chief inspector twin brother, James (also Mitchell), goes missing. James’ wife and John’s childhood friend, Lucy (Anna Maxwell Martin), is desperate for his help in finding her husband, so John assumes James’ identity to investigate. As he does, John becomes increasingly embroiled in real police work, as his puzzle skills translate perfectly to solving murder cases.

Ludwig was such a smash hit for the BBC that it was renewed for season 3 before its second season even premiered in August 2026. (A Christmas special is also coming later this year.) Not only does the fish-out-of-water comedy surrounding John’s situation make Ludwig stand out, but the series’ whodunnit mysteries are some of the cleverest that TV has ever seen.

Ludwig’s Clever Whodunnits Are A Major Part Of The Show’s Appeal

Credit: Olly Courtney/Courtesy of BritBox

Detective interrogation and forensic evidence are a dime a dozen in whodunnit TV shows. That’s not a knock on them. Tropes are tropes for a reason — they’re entertaining — and there are also myriad series offering fresh takes on the familiar. However, Ludwig‘s whodunnits are wholly unique, and one of the best parts of the series.

John is a socially awkward man with no scientific background — he’s not going to be grilling suspects or gathering DNA evidence. Instead, he solves murder cases by treating them as puzzles, from logic grids to reverse chess, and that’s infinitely more fun and clever to watch. It also invites viewers to play along and solve the case, unlike traditional police procedurals in which the killer can be guessed by following familiar story beats — or if they happen to be a famous guest star.

Ludwig‘s killer reveal scenes are also as hilarious as they are brilliant. John detests most social interactions, so having to deliver a murder verdict to a room full of suspects and colleagues is torture for him, even though he has the killer dead to rights. It’s a humorous inversion of a murder mystery climax that still satisfies diehard fans of these cozy stories.

Ludwig’s Premise Means It Can’t Run Forever

Credit: Amanda Searle/Courtesy of BritBox

While Ludwig‘s whip-smart writers could probably come up with enough puzzle-centric mysteries to fill a dozen seasons, James’s disappearance is the show’s main storyline, and it can only go on for so long. If Ludwig keeps dragging it out, it risks losing credibility and slackening the narrative tension; if it’s not solved at some point, audiences will grow frustrated and stop caring. However, once the James mystery is over, so is the show, whether it ends on a happy note or a tragic one.

Scratch & Peek

Identify the cover art while scratching off as little foil as
possible.

Easy Medium Hard Permadeath


Start
Leaderboard

Scratch to reveal

Low reveal = bigger bonus

Restart
Reveal
Back

Results

0

High Score: 0

—

Play Again
Leaderboard
Back

As tempting as it is to wish for Ludwig to become the next Midsomer Murders and run for dozens of seasons, that’s just not the way it’s designed. That’s not a bad thing, and it doesn’t make one series better or worse than the other. John “Ludwig” Taylor is a man who marches to the beat of his own drum and does things his way, and viewers love him for it — even if that means his show ends sooner rather than later.

Release Date

September 25, 2024

Network

BBC One

Directors

Jill Robertson, Robert McKillop

• 

  David Mitchell

  John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor / James Taylor

• 

  Anna Maxwell Martin

  Lucy Betts-Taylor

• 
  

•