# Any US Series similar to Jonathan Creek? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 16, 2007, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-us-series-similar-to-jonathan-creek/392554 "2007-02-16T21:44:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Dumbest\_Guy\_in\_the\_Room](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5fc32e/32.png) [@The\_Dumbest\_Guy\_in\_the\_Room](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Dumbest_Guy_in_the_Room)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2007, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-us-series-similar-to-jonathan-creek/392554/1 "2007-02-16T21:44:12Z")
The basics of Jonathan Creek is that there is a set-up that for whatever reason is ‘impossible’. It somehow seems to go against the laws of nature. Jonathan solves it and there is always a non-paranormal explaination. I’m wondering if there’s a series like that in the US, where each setup seems like it couldn’t possibly happen, rather than situations that appear possible frm the start, but then the possibilities get narrowed. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2007, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-us-series-similar-to-jonathan-creek/392554/2 "2007-02-16T21:51:45Z")
I’m sure the seventies series _Ellery Queen_ used to do “locked room” mysteries of this sort (so named because of the prototypical plot in which the victim is found in a room locked from the inside, with no sign of the murderer). ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2007, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-us-series-similar-to-jonathan-creek/392554/3 "2007-02-16T22:09:46Z")
Perhaps even better would be the series [Banacek](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068044/), in which George Peppard would solve impossible mysteries such as a football player who disappeared after a tackle. I can’t think of anything on tv that is specifically non-paranormal solutions, but many of the impossible crime novels of John Dickson Carr would have a crime so impossible that it seemed supernatural until his detective explained it away. Carr was an American but lived in England until WWII and most of his novels of the day were set there. He is one of the giants of classic mysteries and he would be known to anyone interested in the field. Other mystery writers have used this theme. Ed Hoch, the writer of more than 1000 mystery short stories in dozens of series, has several that fall more or less into this scheme including an early series featuring Simon Ark: > [@](#): > > Simon Ark was the protagonist of Hoch’s first published story. He claims to be over 2000 years old, a Coptic priest who travels the world looking for evil—specifically, Satan. The Simon Ark stories have supernatural themes, although the crimes in them are always found to have been committed by mundane means. Ark is much less well known than Carr’s detectives, though. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2007, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-us-series-similar-to-jonathan-creek/392554/4 "2007-02-17T00:20:52Z")
Blacke’s Magic [Blacke's Magic (TV Series 1986) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090398/) A magician solves seemingly impossible crimes, almost exactly the same idea. Anyone besides me remember this one? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2007, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-us-series-similar-to-jonathan-creek/392554/5 "2007-02-17T00:21:17Z")
[QUOTE=The Dumbest Guy in the Room] It somehow seems to go against the laws of nature. Jonathan solves it and there is always a non-paranormal explaination. [/QUOTE] Scooby-Doo? 🙂