Earlier this year, I wrote about my experiences with Maigret on PBS, a fantastic series that gave me some insight into a detective whose compassion stood at the fore. While I took a break from detective fiction over the last several months, I've since come to recognize a salient fact: I love cozy mysteries.

I'm a bit of an Anglophile, and it is evident to those taking even a cursory glance that the United Kingdom is the home to some of the best and most numerous examples of the genre. Many of these shows follow familiar formats, but in a tradition most often credited to Arthur Conan Doyle. The idea of a consulting detective has been widespread in the years since the introduction of Sherlock Holmes, often in direct adaptation, but even more commonly, used as an antecedent for the construction of new characters. Specifically, one of my favorite shows is Psych, where Shawn, the lead, is a gifted investigator in his own right. Still, his insights pointed him firmly in the crosshairs of an investigation. As a cover, Shawn pretends to be a psychic to cover up his unorthodox investigative skills. For most of the series, he continues the charade, acting as a consulting detective with the Santa Barbara PD. So what if you had a man of the cloth working with the long arm of the law? This is the connection that establishes the premise of my current obsession, Grantchester.

Based on a series of short stories by James Runcie, Grantchester follows Sidney Chambers (James Norton), an Anglican vicar working in Grantchester, a part of Cambridgeshire, England. But Father Brown, he is not. He's a functioning alcoholic, suffering from PTSD caused by the events of the Second World War. Between the booze and the jazz, he maintains his duties to the village and his congregation. But the drinking is just the tip of the iceberg. His personal life isn't any easier, as the woman he loves is newly engaged to another man. His consolation is the gift of a black lab named Dickens, named after the humorous exclamation of the vicarage's housekeeper.

In the midst of all these goings on, Sidney finds himself working with Cambridge Detective Geordie Keating (Robson Green). Keating is a no-nonsense veteran of the war, who is engaged in his own battle with his experiences as a POW. The pair team up to solve crimes in the community; Chambers' investigative skills and his appeal to a higher power balance Keating's reading of the letter of the law. A truly strange pairing that is often questioned by the rest of the constabulary, the two men commiserate over the backgammon board, and perhaps a few too many pints. Their work is solid, even if their personalities can and do often clash. Their brotherhood is often tested, and blows are exchanged, but they both recognize their partnership works.

Grantchester is a small community, but even the smallest of communities has its secrets, scandals, and troubles. Following a suspicious death that Sidney can't get off his mind, Keating begrudgingly allows the vicar to tag along during the investigation. Over the course of these events, Keating comes to recognize the investigative instincts Sidney displays and comes to trust his intuition. This trust is, however, still shaded by his views of Chambers working for "the man upstairs." Questions of whether the earthly or heavenly law should supersede one another lead to the aforementioned conflicts in ideology. For the better part of the first four series, there are one-off episodes that introduce an investigation that reaches its conclusion by the time the credits roll. That's not to say there aren't overarching plots that carry over between episodes and series.

Which is where the show starts to strain against the label I used. A cozy show is defined as much by what it refuses as by what it includes: no despair, no gore, a village that resets itself by the closing credits. Grantchester keeps all the trappings: the vicarage, the dog, the pints, the small parish with its small scandals. Then it brings on a functioning alcoholic, a war neither man has recovered from, and a curate who could go to prison for who he is. The show stands at the crossroads, cozy enough for a Sunday night, and willing to let you feel some pain.

The most well-known story arc for Grantchester is established from frame one: Sidney Chambers is in love with Amanda Kendall (Morven Christie), an heiress and art restoration expert. The pair are absolutely smitten with each other, but she breaks the news to Sidney that she's been engaged to Guy Hopkins. She says she said yes because he was the one who asked. Now my own girlfriend's name is Amanda, so she hated the character from the get-go… It didn't take me much longer to feel the same. The storyline drags Sidney through the wringer, causing a self-destructive spiral that only exacerbates Sidney's alcoholism. For three full seasons, Sidney's heart is broken, again and again, only for the whole storyline to conclude in what would have been a major moment of character growth. Instead of leaving the church to live in London with Amanda, Sidney decides he cannot refuse his calling as a vicar. Ultimately, I thought this was a solid choice for him as a character, because Amanda was far too erratic and frankly, a mess. Unsatisfying without a happy ending, but on brand for the character.

Leonard Finch (Al Weaver) is a curate appointed to Grantchester early in season 1. Leonard is heavily implied to be a homosexual, which in today's day and age is a much more widely accepted reality. The problem here is that this is the 1950s, and male homosexuality is explicitly illegal, constituting gross indecency. Leonard is closeted, and only begins to open himself up to his true self after meeting a local photographer, Daniel Marlowe (Oliver Dimsdale). Leonard tries to keep up appearances, even getting engaged to a woman at one point, only to have everything come crashing down and lead to a suicide attempt. An ill-fated encounter at a resort later leads to his arrest and, ultimately, his defrocking. His later endeavours try to continue his drive to care for and minister to those in need, with varied success.

I wanted to give everyone a break from the Sidney drama by talking about Leonard, but to discuss the next character, we need a bit more context. You see, James Norton decided he'd been playing the role far too long and decided he wanted to step away from the show to pursue other opportunities. One such opportunity saw him as a religious fanatic in House of the Dragon, which was pretty jarring as I started to watch Grantchester mid-season of HOTD. The disappointment I feel with the character comes from the fact that, had they chosen to have Sidney leave with Amanda, it would have brought his arc to a close neatly. So, to have him stay in the church and not pursue Amanda, then immediately heel-turn with a rapidly escalating romance with a woman he's just met? Yeah, that's a bit jarring, particularly with how I've been binging the show. He abandons a future with the person he's loved for literal years, then skips town with someone he's just met. It was rushed and seemed out of character. But of course, without a lead, where is the show?

Will Davenport (Tom Brittney) is introduced in Chambers' last story. He's a youthful inner-city chaplain, eager to do what is right, but only if he feels that he can safely confide in someone. Geordie initially presents a challenge, but when the two have a heart-to-heart, it seems that a new vicar-detective duo is at hand. Will comes from a wealthy family, rich in cash, and fallow in fatherhood. Very quickly, the serialized storylines that make up the bulk of the series establish themselves much more firmly than the first three seasons. Will and Geordie investigate a suspicious death at Will's boyhood home, only to discover his father's guilt — and the empty coffers behind it — which leads to a subsequent suicide. The death marks a moment of growth for Will, which remains an ongoing theme for him. Unlike Sidney, Will is regularly faced with moral and ethical quandaries that test him and Geordie far more, but bring a filial energy that pays off once they do, in fact, become a family.

I know I've spoiled quite a bit at this point, but there is far more under the hood than at first glance. The struggles of post-war England add a texture to the show that represents the conflicting attitudes of the pre-war youth, forced to grow up, and the post-war youth navigating a world that has forever changed. We see moments of crime borne out of wounds made by the Blitz, youth reactionaries protesting the depiction of women, fights for equal pay, and the de-nuclearization of the world. We see the perspectives of the devout, and we watch the more practical logic of the law take these issues apart, often leaving the viewer with all the pieces to draw their own conclusions. What is justice? Can God exist in a seemingly unjust world? Faith in God and in one another is repeatedly tested. Sometimes, there aren't easy answers; some might argue no answers ever truly are. Will and Co. find themselves asking these questions, and struggling with infidelity, substance abuse, and medical emergencies, all treated with the care that they deserve. These characters are not paragons; even the vicarage's devoted housekeeper, Mrs. Chapman (formerly Maguire) (Tessa Peake-Jones), one of the most devout characters I've ever seen put on screen, questions her convictions more than once. Her relationship to Jack, her husband, and her son in all but name, Leonard, tugs at the heartstrings on more than one occasion.

Grantchester is more than just solving crimes in the quaint British countryside. It keeps the tea and the churchyard, and it does things a cozy usually can't. I've still got two episodes featuring Will Davenport's tenure at the vicarage, and then Alphy Kottaram (Rishi Nair) will take his place until the end of the series. It is bittersweet that I've gotten to this point in the show's lifespan. Season 8 aired on PBS back in the summer of 2023, and the show has arrived like clockwork every year since; the eleventh and final season finished its broadcast earlier this month. So while I'm still catching up, a show that had three more seasons in it has already said its goodbyes. I have a month or so to wait until Maigret returns to PBS, but I've already "Booked" an engagement with another cozy series to discuss.