The glorious new PBS mystery series Grantchester is a revelation on two fronts and unforgettable on both. It turns back the clock to solve crime in a different era, offering respite from the world around us now even as it reveals how little ever changes about the human heart.
"Grantchester" is back. "Grantchester" is still good. "Grantchester" — even without Sidney — is still "Grantchester." ... Still as gentle as a summer shower.
Fans will likely take to brooding, volatile yet deeply compassionate Will Davenport (Tom Brittney) more quickly than do the melancholy gay curate Leonard or cranky housekeeper Mrs. C. [8-21 Jul 2019, p.15]
It's light and diverting yet respectful of its characters and their histories, thus it can serve as a pleasant, earnest counterbalance to some of TV's darker dramas.
Joining the likes of Poirot, Miss Marple, Foyle, Sherlock and a hundred other PBS sleuths is no minor achievement, and Grantchester seems to belong in that company. It is unlikely, however, to break away from the pack.