It’s quiet, Canadian … and sort of eternal

In the transient TV world, “Murdoch Mysteries” (shown here) seems almost eternal.
The show is quiet, clean, Canadian. People rob and kill, but they rarely are impolite or unkempt.
And now it reaches a landmark: Its 300th episode is at 8 p.m. ET Monday (Jan. 20) on the Ovation channel, with earlier ones streaming on Acorn, Amazon, Hulu and more.
Yes, 300. That ‘s seven more than “Blue Bloods” or “Beverly Hills, 90210,” 25 more than “Cheers,” 36 more than “Frasier” or “Murder, She Wrote.”
It’s still not near the very top. Among primetime, scripted shows in the U.S., 20 have topped 300; “The Simpsons” and “NCIS” are in the stratosphere.
But most shows are way below this. If you count only the episodes that were aired, “Murdoch” tops Glen Frey’s “South by Southwest” or George Schlatter’s “Turn-On” by 299 episodes; it tops “Manchester Prep” by 300.
The series was originally set in 1895 Toronto. William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson, shown here) was a police detective, great at inventions (fingerprints, blood-testing), crime-solving and social niceties … but way too shy to express his feelings for Dr. Julia Ogden (Helene Joy).
Now, in the 18th season, they’re married, have a daughter and live in a Frank Lloyd Wright house. But for this 300th episode, they’re vacationing in British elegance. As luck would have it, there’s a murder; there are also sinister schemes, with a master ex-detective (Donal Logue) to help solve them.
Since everyone should be included in a milestone episode, there’s a separate story back home in Toronto. It’s remarkably pointless, except to show off the 1910s time period: An electric bike chases a horse-and-carriage through winding streets, with early cars nearby.
Such trifling sub-plots are to be expected; “Murdoch Mysteries” is known for pleasant longevity, not drama greatness. Tony Soprano got 86 episodes; Detective William Murdoch has 300 … so far.