# Mystery shows with idiosyncratic brilliant detectives, but the partner is pretty smart too **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [November 11, 2026, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-shows-with-idiosyncratic-brilliant-detectives-but-the-partner-is-pretty-smart-too/1034821 "2026-11-11T04:52:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2026, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-shows-with-idiosyncratic-brilliant-detectives-but-the-partner-is-pretty-smart-too/1034821/21 "2026-11-11T14:59:13Z")
It’s been a long time since I’ve watched it (I need to re-visit!) but I think **Inspector Lynley Mysteries** fits the bill. He’s quirky in that he’s a fancy Oxford guy and she’s just a regular ol’ working class detective. They both contribute to the solving of crimes. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2026, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-shows-with-idiosyncratic-brilliant-detectives-but-the-partner-is-pretty-smart-too/1034821/22 "2026-11-11T15:01:19Z")
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries are fun for the class differences between the two. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2026, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-shows-with-idiosyncratic-brilliant-detectives-but-the-partner-is-pretty-smart-too/1034821/23 "2026-11-11T15:33:32Z")
The first pair that came to mind for me are Mulder and Scully from _The X-Files_. Dana Scully sometimes showed that she was smarter than Mulder at times. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2026, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-shows-with-idiosyncratic-brilliant-detectives-but-the-partner-is-pretty-smart-too/1034821/24 "2026-11-11T15:49:04Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > Yes, he was a capable doctor and writer, but there are several points in the books where Watson takes it upon himself, or is deputised by Holmes, to do some investigating, and IIRC Holmes unfailingly remarks on how inept and unobservant Watson is… > […] > He is as the OP says the narrative foil, the yardstick against whom Holmes’ brilliance is measured. Yeah, he was not the brilliant deductive savant that Holmes was; but he was very capable in his own right, and as such was a great complement to Holmes’ work. I was just pointing out that book Watson was not the bumbling, comic relief character that he has often been depicted as in later adaptations. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2026, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-shows-with-idiosyncratic-brilliant-detectives-but-the-partner-is-pretty-smart-too/1034821/25 "2026-11-11T16:31:40Z")
Yes, but the OP is about detectives’ partners who contribute to the solving of crimes through their own observation and deduction. Which Watson does not do in the books nor in _Sherlock_, although she does in _Elementary_. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2026, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-shows-with-idiosyncratic-brilliant-detectives-but-the-partner-is-pretty-smart-too/1034821/26 "2026-11-11T16:42:36Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Similarly, Psych. Shawn does the heavy lifting, but Gus, regardless of how unhappy he is to get roped into another case, is no slouch. Juliet and Lassie aren’t (generally) depicted to be bad at their jobs either, Shawn is just better, or at least faster. Psych was my thought here too. Lassie is shown to actually be a really great detective, just unwilling to think as outside the box as Shawn. There’s a couple episodes where Lassie is struggling with a case to show how unusual it is. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2026, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-shows-with-idiosyncratic-brilliant-detectives-but-the-partner-is-pretty-smart-too/1034821/27 "2026-11-11T16:44:16Z")
that’s why I appreciated the Jeremy Brett version, where both David Burke and Edward Hardwicke portrayed a capable, physical capable character per the books ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2026, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-shows-with-idiosyncratic-brilliant-detectives-but-the-partner-is-pretty-smart-too/1034821/28 "2026-11-11T16:55:03Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > Yes, but the OP is about detectives’ partners who contribute to the solving of crimes through their own observation and deduction. Which Watson does not do in the books Yeah, I suppose I let my own personal prejudice or pet peeve about the past treatment of the Watson character cause me to misjudge the actual intent of the OP question. I guess I pulled a real ‘Watson’, there (Nigel Bruce version 😉). ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2026, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-shows-with-idiosyncratic-brilliant-detectives-but-the-partner-is-pretty-smart-too/1034821/29 "2026-11-11T16:58:14Z")
😁 As long as you have your trusty service revolver and a dogged commitment to justice, you’re doing fine! ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2026, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-shows-with-idiosyncratic-brilliant-detectives-but-the-partner-is-pretty-smart-too/1034821/30 "2026-11-11T17:26:54Z")
In the recent series of _Ludwig_ Carl Pilkington’s character kind of lampshades this. He is the old partner of the brother of the main character. He says his partner couldn’t solve a crime without his help then he demonstrates his worth a short time later. He helps Ludwig make a connection he didn’t see before. Of course Ludwig is unable to see how much he was helped. There is yet another show along these lines coming out. _Einstein_ has the illegitimate great grandson of Albert Einstein solving crimes with a police detective. I have the impression that the detective is going to be shown to be more than competent. Good cast so hopefully it will be good even if it’s not original. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2026, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-shows-with-idiosyncratic-brilliant-detectives-but-the-partner-is-pretty-smart-too/1034821/31 "2026-11-11T17:30:33Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Psych was my thought here too. Lassie is shown to actually be a really great detective, just unwilling to think as outside the box as Shawn. There’s a couple episodes where Lassie is struggling with a case to show how unusual it is. Yeah, and I think the show implies that there are plenty of crimes (well, murders, far more annually than sleepy Santa Barbara could possibly have, but that’s a different matter) that Lassie and Jules solve on their own without needing Shawn. He’s just good at solving the very weird crimes. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2026, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-shows-with-idiosyncratic-brilliant-detectives-but-the-partner-is-pretty-smart-too/1034821/32 "2026-11-11T17:58:43Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > Yes, but the OP is about detectives’ partners who contribute to the solving of crimes through their own observation and deduction. Which Watson does not do in the books nor in _Sherlock_, although she does in _Elementary_. This is what I was looking for, thanks for reiterating it. > [@Loach](#): > > In the recent series of _Ludwig_ Carl Pilkington’s character kind of lampshades this. He is the old partner of the brother of the main character. He says his partner couldn’t solve a crime without his help then he demonstrates his worth a short time later. He helps Ludwig make a connection he didn’t see before. Of course Ludwig is unable to see how much he was helped. I LOVED this scene. Ludwig ruminating on this wallboards and yarn and pins and [Karl] Pilkington is like “uh…”. ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2026, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-shows-with-idiosyncratic-brilliant-detectives-but-the-partner-is-pretty-smart-too/1034821/33 "2026-11-11T18:00:37Z")
The British series _Grantchester_ has a vicar who is the main genius problem-solver, but his “sidekick”, the village police constable, is no slouch. The PC just doesn’t have access to the whole village’s personal lives the way the vicar does. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2026, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-shows-with-idiosyncratic-brilliant-detectives-but-the-partner-is-pretty-smart-too/1034821/34 "2026-11-11T18:15:37Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I’ve been watching episodes of the British detective series _Professor T._ with my mother, in which the protagonist is a criminology professor at Cambridge with severe OCD (and, probably, austism as well), with all the attendant quirks. You may also enjoy the Belgian version, starring Koen De Bouw. Frankly, I thought it was so much better than the British version! Similarly, there is a French show called _Astrid et Raphaëlle_ that fulfills the OP’s criteria. Raphaëlle is the police detective and she is very able, but she becomes excellent at her job with Astrid. Astrid is autistic and works as a police archivist. She has an encyclopedic memory and although she is the sidekick in the series, she is really the star at solving the crimes. There is a British version of this series called _Patience_. I prefer the French version – wonderfully done! ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2026, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-shows-with-idiosyncratic-brilliant-detectives-but-the-partner-is-pretty-smart-too/1034821/35 "2026-11-11T18:22:43Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > You may also enjoy the Belgian version, starring Koen De Bouw. Frankly, I thought it was so much better than the British version! My mother and I accidentally stumbled on the original Belgian version a few weeks ago, when I was trying to find the British version on her PBS Passport app. We watched partway through an episode, but my mom had a hard time following it: she has poor vision, and while she uses closed-captions, she struggles with foreign-language shows. I may try to watch it solo. > [@Aspenglow](#): > > Similarly, there is a French show called _Astrid et Raphaëlle_ that fulfills the OP’s criteria. Raphaëlle is the police detective and she is very able, but she becomes excellent at her job with Astrid. Astrid is autistic and works as a police archivist. She has an encyclopedic memory and although she is the sidekick in the series, she is really the star at solving the crimes. There is a British version of this series called _Patience_. I prefer the French version – wonderfully done! I love both shows. The French Astrid is more outwardly autistic in her mannerisms than the British Patience, which is a little ironic, given that the actress who plays Patience is, in fact, autistic (while the French actress is not). Much like with _Professor T._, my mother enjoys _Patience_, but not _Astrid_, because of the foreign language dialogue. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2026, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-shows-with-idiosyncratic-brilliant-detectives-but-the-partner-is-pretty-smart-too/1034821/36 "2026-11-11T18:25:55Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I love both shows. The French Astrid is more outwardly autistic in her mannerisms than the British Patience, which is a little ironic, given that the actress who plays Patience is, in fact, autistic (while the French actress is not). I had exactly the same take. I was astonished at how well the Astrid part was played by Sara Mortenson! Her autistic mannerisms are spot on, without being overdone or in any way hammy. To have done it without being autistic herself is an accomplishment. I really loved that show! ETA: I can see how your mother would have difficulty with subtitles. I do hope you get to enjoy the Belgian Professor T, though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2026, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-shows-with-idiosyncratic-brilliant-detectives-but-the-partner-is-pretty-smart-too/1034821/37 "2026-11-11T22:31:11Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > All of this is in contrast to Sherlock Holmes or say Monk, where their companions are witless, or narrative foils. Or both I guess. Watson isn’t witless. He’s a skilled doctor, and in fact Holmes deferred to his medical expertise on occasion. He’s just not a very good detective, specifically. And I don’t know if Lucifer counts as a mystery show, but both the title character and Detective Decker are reasonably intelligent. Decker is better at actual detective skills, but Lucifer makes up for it with his supernatural mojo. Their teamwork mostly takes the form of Decker’s detective work pointing Lucifer at the right person to mojo. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2026, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-shows-with-idiosyncratic-brilliant-detectives-but-the-partner-is-pretty-smart-too/1034821/38 "2026-11-11T23:33:54Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > Which Watson does not do in the books nor in _Sherlock_, although she does in _Elementary_. One of the things I liked most about _Elementary_ is that version of Sherlock was delighted to meet other people with an interest in deduction and delighted to teach them what he knew. _Sherlock_’s Sherlock did not have that characteristic (and often dismissed questions about how he figured things out). Since Doyle’s Holmes wrote monographs to educate other people about how to recognize particular types of tobacco ash and invented techniques that other people could use to identify a stain as being human blood, I think he was much more in line with _Elementary_ than with _Sherlock_. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2026, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-shows-with-idiosyncratic-brilliant-detectives-but-the-partner-is-pretty-smart-too/1034821/39 "2026-11-11T23:45:04Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > One of the things I liked most about _Elementary_ is that version of Sherlock was delighted to meet other people with an interest in deduction and delighted to teach them what he knew. _Sherlock_’s Sherlock did not have that characteristic (and often dismissed questions about how he figured things out) That’s because Cumberbatch’s Holmes was a “high-functioning sociopath” (his own words). The Jason Lee Miller Holmes was much more empathic, with the show instead focusing on his addictive personality and possible neurodivergence. The Downy Jr. Holmes, in turn, focused on his bipolar disorder. It’s actually pretty interesting how three versions of Sherlock Holmes from basically the same period each chose to focus on completely different aspects of the character’s personality. I’m trying to figure out how Hugh Laurie’s House fits in. Holmes as asshole? ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2026, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-shows-with-idiosyncratic-brilliant-detectives-but-the-partner-is-pretty-smart-too/1034821/40 "2026-11-12T00:04:29Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > > [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > > > Psych was my thought here too. Lassie is shown to actually be a really great detective, just unwilling to think as outside the box as Shawn. There’s a couple episodes where Lassie is struggling with a case to show how unusual it is. > > Yeah, and I think the show implies that there are plenty of crimes (well, murders, far more annually than sleepy Santa Barbara could possibly have, but that’s a different matter) that Lassie and Jules solve on their own without needing Shawn. He’s just good at solving the very weird crimes. I think Lassie and Jules would possibly solve some of those as well, if it wasn’t for the chief. I got the impression that she was of the mindset that “we have to solve this crime fast, even if we get the wrong person” in order to avoid inconveniencing some wealthy person who just wants things to go away. That meant Lassie and Jules were usually not given the time to conduct a proper investigation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-shows-with-idiosyncratic-brilliant-detectives-but-the-partner-is-pretty-smart-too/1034821.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-shows-with-idiosyncratic-brilliant-detectives-but-the-partner-is-pretty-smart-too/1034821.md?page=3)