Many years ago on Masterpiece Mystery, the series Cadfael written by Ellis Peters and
staring Derek Jacobi was very popular, it ran for 15 episodes. Cadfael was set in the 12th century; Shardlake takes place in the 16th century during the reign of Henry VIII, and this is series I which consists of four episodes. The author of the Shardlake series, C. J. Sansom, completed seven novels and was planning for more, but his death on 27 April 2024 has ended hope for additional novels.
Matthew Shardlake is somewhat crippled due to a birth that left him with scoliosis and a brachioplasty affecting his right hand. The opening sequence with Matthew dressing clearly presents the viewer a understanding of Matthew's condition. Unable to join the church, Matthew becomes a lawyer, and becomes involved with the court of Henry the VIII, initially by serving the princess Elizabeth, but in this series, he serves Lord Thomas Cromwell.
One of Cromwell's men was murdered while looking into the finances of a monastery in the old port city of Scarnsea. Shardlake is sent to solve the murder, but Shardlake's true purpose is to find a reason to close the monastery and forfeit its wealth and lands to King Henry.
This is a well-done series. The cast is excellent and is led by Arthur Hughes as Matthew Shardlake, and Anthony Boyle as John Barak. While the producers make sure to attract viewers by advertising it stars Sean Bean as Thomas Cromwell. Bean is there, but his appearance is brief. Hopefully the audience will stay as the location shooting is amazing and the cast is replete with excellent actors.
If you are a fan of mystery, and historical mystery, you will enjoy this production. I hope it stays around to finish up the six remaining novels.
Currently this is running on Hulu. For some reason, I had some difficulty in watching as there were issues with the story jumping around a bit. I had to downgrade my Hulu subscription to with commercials, and that seems to have affected the quality. The commercials may be to blame. Regardless, I recommend Shardlake.
Matthew Shardlake is somewhat crippled due to a birth that left him with scoliosis and a brachioplasty affecting his right hand. The opening sequence with Matthew dressing clearly presents the viewer a understanding of Matthew's condition. Unable to join the church, Matthew becomes a lawyer, and becomes involved with the court of Henry the VIII, initially by serving the princess Elizabeth, but in this series, he serves Lord Thomas Cromwell.
One of Cromwell's men was murdered while looking into the finances of a monastery in the old port city of Scarnsea. Shardlake is sent to solve the murder, but Shardlake's true purpose is to find a reason to close the monastery and forfeit its wealth and lands to King Henry.
This is a well-done series. The cast is excellent and is led by Arthur Hughes as Matthew Shardlake, and Anthony Boyle as John Barak. While the producers make sure to attract viewers by advertising it stars Sean Bean as Thomas Cromwell. Bean is there, but his appearance is brief. Hopefully the audience will stay as the location shooting is amazing and the cast is replete with excellent actors.
If you are a fan of mystery, and historical mystery, you will enjoy this production. I hope it stays around to finish up the six remaining novels.
Currently this is running on Hulu. For some reason, I had some difficulty in watching as there were issues with the story jumping around a bit. I had to downgrade my Hulu subscription to with commercials, and that seems to have affected the quality. The commercials may be to blame. Regardless, I recommend Shardlake.