I loved this series with Carolyn Quentin as Maddy. However, after she left, it simply wasn't as charming. Maddy provided comic relief and believability in her character as unique and "real folkes". I watched the entire series. I am American and we seldom see really Smart TV series. Unlike most UK Series that I watch repeatedly, (on my 5th viewing of New Tricks & Dalziel) for their character driven shows, JC sold out after Maddy was replaced with a different type of female lead. Maddy and Jonathan were quirky and unique. As the show progressed it became "a sell-out" to American type-casting, pretty blondes all in a row. The following UK Series illustrate the wonderful beauty of realistic, "non-blonde stereotyping" and/or "pretty people" characters that I love. You can't beat Warren Clarke as Andy Dalziel in Dalziel & Pascoe, truly rare and beautiful in my eyes. Alum Armstrong as Brian in New Tricks. New Tricks, an older mature character driven series gives us a real Blonde role model. (America has only come close in The Closer and Major Crimes). Blonde Amanda Redman as Sandra was not at all typical, she was a real tough, non apologetic, non whinning, non flirting, character. Endeavor, Morse, Lewis, Frost, George Gently and more...all of these intelligent series have flawed real people as characters as real people. Jonathan Creek lost that when Maddy left the show. Jonathan turned into an odd unrealistic sham of a character after that and the show suffered. I finished the series only in hope that Maddy would return and Jonathan would return to his original "nerdiness" Maddy made the series and required me to research her SWEET choices in life.

David Renwick is a comedy genius, but Jonathan's successful career and glamorous wife in last year's Easter Special were unconvincing. Perhaps the new episodes that are promised for this year (2014) could be presented as flashbacks to a nerdier past. It will be a shame if there are no more appearances by Sheridan Smith as Joey Ross - the most endearing of his companions so far, who obviously harboured a secret passion for him. Some of the plots have been a bit ropey - notably "The Omega Man" which portrays the US Air Force as ridiculously incompetent. They would have cracked the "mystery" straight away without any help from Jonathan. There must still be plenty of plot lines that could be adapted, for example from Chesterton's Father Brown stories (the current BBC series is woeful) or the locked room mysteries of John Dickson Carr, alias Carter Dickson. However on the evidence so far I think the writers can continue to come up with new, baffling, and entertaining stories.

How I love this show, and how excited I am to find there are other programs in this series beyond the original four years. I have only come across the four years on rental disc but have just ordered the rest. I was attracted originally to "Jonathan Creek" because of the description and put it on my lists of films to see. It is fabulous. Jonathan (Alan Davies) is, of course, the genius behind the illusions of a womanizing magician, Adam Klaus.He teams up with Madeline Magellan (Carolyn Quentin), an investigative reporter, who originally is looking into a cold case. She sort of falls for Jonathan -- to be honest, I thought the two made a great team but were unsuited for one another, and I couldn't see bringing any suggestion of romance to the team.The two work on lots of cases together, with Jonathan coming up with some ingenious ways these seemingly impossible, locked-room mysteries could have happened, as well as the way they really did.In season 4, Quentin left the series and Jonathan winds up working with an old girlfriend (Julia Sawalha), to me almost totally unrecognizable as a blond, who is a television reporter, now married. Quentin was better as Jonathan's sidekick, whose personality is showier and more fun than what is written for Sawalha.The mysteries are so clever, so fresh, so well done - I watch these episodes absolutely glued. Alan Davies underplays, showing the thoughtful, cerebral side of his character. He was a nice juxtaposition to Quentin, who plays a nosy, direct, and somewhat flamboyant woman.I hope this series continues to do specials (as they have announced a new one with Joanna Lumley), but I also would like to see it come back, as Alan Davies has hinted it might. That would be incredibly fantastic.

Jonathan Creek is an excellent British Television series - all about mystery and the why's and how's. It was written by the great, David Renwick, who wrote One Foot in the Grave and like that he manages to make unlikely scenarios very believable! Full of comedy - this is true classic Renwick humour and true classic British humour. Creek is a laid back unassuming man, who is the clever mind behind a magician's illusions. His friend, Maddie is an investigative journalist who seems to walk into mysteries, persuading Creek to work it out for her. The part of Jonathan Creek is played by the well known stand up comedian, Alan Davies, who can be seen in the quiz show QI and Maddie is played by another well know comedian, Caroline Quentin. This makes very clever TV with some very clever plots and mysteries.Well worth watching this programme on one of the repeat channels or buying on DVD -you'll love it.