Laurie R. King Virtual Book Club discussion

I know a few of us have read the Phryne Fisher series by Kerry Greenwood. I just discovered that she has a tv show in Australia that's just gotten started. How cool is that! It'll take some computer savvy to try and watch it from the US right now (kind of like trying to catch Sherlock on BBC before they let us officially watch it...blarg tv stations), but hopefully it will make it's way here at some point.

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/phrynefisher/

Just thought I'd share as I found that pretty cool. @ Millie: I know you're pretty busy with much more important things just now, but have you caught any of it, by chance?

I wonder if a tv show or movie could match the marvelous pictures of Phryne in my head, painted by Kerry Greenwood and her reader, Stephanie Daniels.

I've got some episodes recorded, but haven't had time to watch them yet. Apparently they're very good. They're only an hour long, so obviously details have been changed, but a friend says that the flavour is right. I'll try to watch one this week, and report back. But I have important falling asleep on the sofa at 7.45pm to do...

I did computer finagling and watched the first five episodes this weekend. The feel is definitely right. I love the look and the music. I found Essie Davis's performance of Phryne a little questionable in the first episode; she seemed a bit more...skittish than I remember Phryne being. But I honestly can't remember first book Phryne very well, so I had to look past that as maybe just me comparing early Phryne to later Phryne as well.

They left out Ruthe and Mrs. Butler, which is really sad, but the show still works without them. They're definitely playing down Phryne's sexual escapades a bit. Phryne strikes me as much older (the woman playing her is 42!), but acts about right. I think she kind of acts older than her age in the books anyway...at least when she's dealing with cases. And they've made Jack Robinson quite a bit younger than I thought he was in the books. Oh, and they've made his marriage on the rocks (he says his wife's been living with her sister for a while), which I thought was unfortunate. On the one hand, I'm afraid they're going to try to hook up Jack and Phryne; but on the other, they've been sticking pretty close to the books outside of having to cut a few things for length.

Anyway, I think it's pretty good. Definitely watchable. But I'm curious to see what they're going to do when they run out of books to convert into episodes. At the rate they're going, they're only going to get one season before someone's going to have to start writing some fan fic to turn into episodes.

Phryne Fisher is now available on Netflix! http://tinyurl.com/a9b5fjm

Lenore | 228 comments Phryne Fisher is now available on Netflix! http://tinyurl.com/a9b5fjm .

Thank you, Lenore. I promptly put them in my queue.

Awesome! They're getting really good about getting TV shows pretty fast.

I have been watching Phryne Fisher on Acorn TV with my Roku-$29/year a great bargain for lots of British mysteries.

Got it in my queue too! Erin, I think in the books, she's around 28 or 30. And LOL, I'd imagine it'd be hard to include all of her sexual conquests in an hour episode when there's a mystery to be solved. I'm on book 7 in the series, and I have to admit... I keep waiting for her to contract a STD of some sort.

It's only on DVD, though, right? Not streaming?

Karen wrote: "It's only on DVD, though, right? Not streaming?"

Right.

well it was streaming on Acorn--it isn't on presently but most of them do come back around.

News flash! At least in the Washington, DC, area, PBS will air 13 episodes of "Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries" beginning December 19!

I've been watching them on netflix as occasional lunchtime treats and thoroughly enjoying them. There are a few things I miss from the books, but, in general, they are lots of fun to watch.

Lenore wrote: "Phryne Fisher is now available on Netflix! http://tinyurl.com/a9b5fjm"

I binge-watched ALL the episodes. Now I want to redecorate my entire house and buy a Hispano-Suiza. Reading 'A Question of Death', very dangerous for cooks. I truly wish I could see the travelling exhibition of costumes from the show.

Good news, indeed!

I too love this show, and as a former costume designer, I adore her clothes. Don't you feel cheated when she wears the same thing for more than 20 minutes?!
Can't wait for more episodes.

My book, "Bad as Gold" will be out soon! I know
you're a mystery fan......

As an update......all episodes of season 2 are now available on acorn.tv.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching the 1st season through Netflix streaming.
Hurray!

Thank God for Acorn TV!!

I'm a bad/impatient person and picked up all of season 2 as torrents as they were airing. =P

Given our current culture of instant access, I can't figure out why they don't release them everywhere simultaneously; it would certainly cut down on the "pirating."

I've blown through the first season on Netflix. (Really, like "Downton Abbey," I'd probably watch it for the clothes, houses, interiors, and cars, even if it had no dialogue or plot at all!) I assume that eventually the second season will be available. (I just can't justify an Acorn subscription in addition to all the other media stuff we have.) If someone notices that the second season has arrived on Netflix, please post!

And, by the way, according to Wikipedia, a third season was commissioned just this month and will air in Australia in 2015.

Acorn offers a free 30 day trial.....binge watched season 2 that way. Easy to not continue after the trial time. The Australian fans of the show really rallied and pressured for a 3rd season - success!

I've also seen Season 2 on PBS+ (I just got cable again after a billion years and discovered new channels!).

OMG! That's awesome news about Season 3. I was ready to be totally sad if they cancelled it; the network was waffling so much on this one.

I'm super happy about season three too! Was going to be sad if they cancelled it.

Carol wrote: "Acorn offers a free 30 day trial.....binge watched season 2 that way. Easy to not continue after the trial time. The Australian fans of the show really rallied and pressured for a 3rd season - su..."

So glad to hear there will be a third season of Phryne! And thanks for posting the Acorn information--it's playing on my PBS but I keep missing the showtimes.

Netflix finally has the second season of Phryne Fisher!!

Yes, Season 2 is on Netflix - and I just treated myself to a marathon of watching them over the course of three nights. All 13 episodes. And my husband got addicted to them, too. And we were SO sad when we came to the last one of Season 2. So GLAD to hear there is a Season 3. Love these shows!!!