David Mitchell, ladies and gentlemen. Fans of British comedy know the lad, and North American audiences not yet familiar should grab a pen. He’s proven his riotous chops time and time again over the years — see Channel 4’s Peep Show and really anything he tackles as part of the comedy duo Mitchell and Webb, not to mention his great panel series Would I Lie to You, which he’s led for 18 years opposite Lee Mack (and with host Rob Brydon for most of its existence). Mitchell’s latest series, a unique crime dramedy offering from writer-creator Mark Brotherhood (Mount Pleasant), confirms fans’ suspicions that Mitchell is actually a supremely talented actor in general — and not just restricted to making you belly over with laughter.
Yes, let it be known that Mitchell’s new small-screen series Ludwig (which is coming to BritBox by way of ITV) is a police procedural at its core. That means he’s firing off machine guns and speeding down freeways at 120 mph in virtually every scene to crack the case. Okay, maybe not — his character doesn’t even know how to park a car, and doesn’t leave the house without his pen-filled pocket protector. He’s a brilliant puzzle master who becomes an accidental hero within the Cambridge police force, solving murder after murder and leaving us wanting more after each hour-long episode bows. Ludwig is sleek, well-acted by all, and even inspires us to pull out that book of brain-teasers we’ve tucked away to give your own mind a puzzling challenge for once.
A Bit of the Old Ludwig Van
3.5
/5
Release Date
September 25, 2024
Cast
Pros & Cons
- Mitchell flawlessly blends heart, charm, comedy and wits.
- Clever puzzle mysteries with each police case, and a wonderful supporting cast.
- Lots of humor, style, and a genuinely intelligent mystery.
- The pilot overshadows all other, less impactful episodes.
- The premise is a bit unbelievable.
To clear things up, “Ludwig” is not the actual name of Mitchell’s latest character, but rather John Taylor’s pseudonym which he self-attributed in response to childhood trauma. Through the wildly entertaining and enthralling pilot, we learn of the troubled grown-up’s backstory. John and his twin brother James were abandoned by their dad on New Year’s Eve 1989, leaving their newly single mom to raise them as young boys. Remember how Emmy-winner Tony Shalhoub’s iconic character Monk responded to his wife’s tragedy, allowing his exacerbated OCD to help his detective skills soar to new heights?
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These series will surely foster a deeper appreciation for the British mystery canon.
Well, in Ludwig, on the night of his dad’s sudden departure, bright but bullied young John took to his house’s chalkboard and immediately began solving a seemingly infinite number of puzzles — all while Ludwig Van Beethoven’s 9th Symphony bombastically emanated from his record player. Once John’s blackboard filled up with an ingenious display of puzzle mastery, he signed his work with “Ludwig.” Decades later, the reclusive John still sees the world in puzzles though refuses to embrace it beyond the confines of his modest residence — that is, until his twin brother’s desperate wife Lucy (the terrific Anna Maxwell Martin) calls him with an urgent plea to travel 150 miles across the U.K. to rural Cambridge so she can debrief John on his brothers James’ recent disappearance.
The long-lost James is a detective chief inspector with the Cambridge police and hasn’t been behaving like himself, ultimately disappearing and leaving behind a cryptic note. The rather eccentric Lucy has a bright idea to have John impersonate his twin and infiltrate the department’s office to retrieve any useful bits of evidence that might lead them to James’ whereabouts. Easy peezy, right? After all, James and John are identical. Well, hold on: Given that Mitchell is one of the funniest British comedians working today, you can probably guess how it all goes once John reluctantly agrees to Lucy’s ludicrous plan and makes his way into the perpetually busy Cambridge headquarters…
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The Marvelous Mr. Mitchell
By the time the hysterical premiere episode comes to an end, one could argue Ludwig offers the most entertaining pilot of the past year or so. It’s got everything you could hope for, including an alluring (albeit improbable) setup for future episodes to come. Mitchell’s new series has perhaps handed him his juiciest and most complicated role to date. Sadly, subsequent episodes never quite reach the entertaining heights of the first episode as they settle into a traditional “murder of the week” structure. They nonetheless develop the season-long mystery and flesh out John’s complex persona — and the great supporting players as well.
This includes his brother James’ current police partner, DI Russell Carter (Dipa Ola, a knockout), a recent replacement for his old partner (who has also disappeared). Although we may as well call him John’s partner by the time episode two kicks off. Yes, the former hideaway has inadvertently been roped into the police force by the pilot’s end, having used his puzzle-oriented mind to brilliantly solve a murder soon after posing as his brother for the first time.
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There’s something here for everyone on this list of police dramas, whether you’re sticking to English-language or moving farther afield.
Like other police procedurals, each episode hones in on a different mysterious death that Carter drags his “partner” John into. Crime scenes include a swanky office building, a tucked-away work retreat, and even an elegant church. And just as the series Monk had a series-long arc of the eponymous hero investigating his wife’s murder, John and Lucy get closer to the truth about brother James’ secrets throughout the show, and why he abandoned Lucy and his son, teenager Henry (Dylan Hughes).
A Lot of Heart and a Colorful Cast of Characters
There’s a whole lot of heart in Ludwig, particularly when John seamlessly integrates himself into Lucy’s home dynamic — though she grows increasingly weary of his distractions from finding his brother due to “work.” The puzzle master continues to shine in solving case after case, which eats into his actual task of collecting clues about James. Working to discover his brother’s whereabouts dredges up painful old memories, and there’s also a sadness in John’s search for James, considering James married the woman that John had always cared for.
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These series not only satisfied audiences with mysteries they can sink their teeth into but also offered gratifying tension.
But just when you worry creator Brotherhood’s new series is growing too melancholic, the colorful spread of detectives and police agents at the office ensures things stay dryly comedic, intriguing, and upbeat. This is British comedy, after all. Watch out for underling detectives Evans (Gerran Howell) and Finch (Izuka Hoyle), who try and offer their support for the superior-ranked “James,” while also perpetually side-eying the secretly clueless John when it comes to cop lingo and how things work around headquarters. Cue additional hilarity there.
Then there’s Robert Eggers regular Ralph Ineson (Nosferatu, The Witch), striking a reliably imposing presence across Season 1 as the bureau’s Chief Constable Ziegler, with a classic “more beneath the surface” demeanor that simply implores us to continue watching. Mystery and impeccable English humor run rampant against a pristine Cambridge backdrop in this delightful new dramedy, so long as you can suspend some disbelief. Ludwig premieres March 20 on BritBox.
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