Your favorite fictional detective(s) (series)

OT: anything goes!

Moderator: Edi

User avatar
wautd
Emperor's Hand
Posts: 7568
Joined: 2004-02-11 10:11am
Location: Intensive care

Your favorite fictional detective(s) (series)

Post by wautd »

So after recently started watching Sherlock, I was wondering what anyones favorite detectives/detective shows are.

In my case:
Hercule Poirot (both books and series): based somewhat on Sherlock Holmes, but where Holmes is master of the empirical evidence, Poirot takes the psychological approach. As a character, Poirot isn't really likeable (more of a pompous ass) but I really like the stories. From start to finish you're wondering who dunnit (and how or why) which all gets revealed at the classic mass meeting (the butler dunnit! Or did he...). It really gets you involved to solve the case from start to finish. Oh and David Suchet absolutely nails it in the tv series.

Columbo: just seen a little so far, but I was immediately sold and I'm planning to see more in the future. Like Poirot, he takes the psychological approach but as a character he's the anti-Poirot (if they'd ever shake hands, the universe would likely implode). He looks sloppy, distracted and incompetent but and that makes everyone underestimate him. And that's when he starts trolling his suspects for answers. Every time they think they're of the hook he goes "Oh and another thing...". Love it.
Last edited by wautd on 2012-03-26 01:46pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Thanas
Magister
Magister
Posts: 30779
Joined: 2004-06-26 07:49pm

Re: Your favorite fictional private detective(s) (series)

Post by Thanas »

Sherlock is good but Moffat needs to write better women characters.
Whoever says "education does not matter" can try ignorance
------------
A decision must be made in the life of every nation at the very moment when the grasp of the enemy is at its throat. Then, it seems that the only way to survive is to use the means of the enemy, to rest survival upon what is expedient, to look the other way. Well, the answer to that is 'survival as what'? A country isn't a rock. It's not an extension of one's self. It's what it stands for. It's what it stands for when standing for something is the most difficult! - Chief Judge Haywood
------------
My LPs
User avatar
Hillary
Jedi Master
Posts: 1261
Joined: 2005-06-29 11:31am
Location: Londinium

Re: Your favorite fictional private detective(s) (series)

Post by Hillary »

Marple is also good, as we're talking Agatha Christie. The anonymous old lady sitting in the corner watching everything that is going on. The phrase "quintessentially English" sums her up. Joan Hickson captured it perfectly, if you want to watch the on-screen version.

I quite like Rebus, Edinburgh's finest. There is a bit of the "cop who doesn't play by the rules" cliche about him, but he's incredibly human and no gunslinging hero. I liked the way that his character aged in real time - up to the point that he retired. Often characters in fiction stay at a fixed point in time age-wise. It has been made into a TV series, but I never watched any of them.
What is WRONG with you people
User avatar
irishmick79
Rabid Monkey
Posts: 2272
Joined: 2002-07-16 05:07pm
Location: Wisconsin

Re: Your favorite fictional private detective(s) (series)

Post by irishmick79 »

My wife and I really liked Monk when it was on. Tony Shaloub really nailed the character. Just an interesting twist on the police detective character - he's hoplessly akward socially, severely OCD, and profoundly traumatized. Oh, and he's brilliant at solving murders.

We also really like Psych. It's irreverant fun and its pretty funny. Show also gets props for having Cary Elwes as an international art theif who makes recurring appearances.
"A country without a Czar is like a village without an idiot."
- Old Russian Saying
User avatar
Dalton
For Those About to Rock We Salute You
For Those About to Rock We Salute You
Posts: 22631
Joined: 2002-07-03 06:16pm
Location: New York, the Fuck You State
Contact:

Re: Your favorite fictional private detective(s) (series)

Post by Dalton »

Batman, of course. Also Sam Vimes. Though both aren't "technically" private detectives.

Also a little more obscurely, Dirk Gently.
Image
Image
To Absent Friends
Dalton | Admin Smash | Knight of the Order of SDN

"y = mx + bro" - Surlethe
"You try THAT shit again, kid, and I will mod you. I will
mod you so hard, you'll wish I were Dalton." - Lagmonster

May the way of the Hero lead to the Triforce.
User avatar
wautd
Emperor's Hand
Posts: 7568
Joined: 2004-02-11 10:11am
Location: Intensive care

Re: Your favorite fictional private detective(s) (series)

Post by wautd »

Dalton wrote:Batman, of course. Also Sam Vimes. Though both aren't "technically" private detectives.

Also a little more obscurely, Dirk Gently.
Editted title by deleting 'private'. Columbo isn't one either and Samuel Vimes is a favorite of me as well (reminds me to start on Snuff one of these days)
User avatar
Bedlam
Jedi Master
Posts: 1494
Joined: 2006-09-23 11:12am
Location: Edinburgh, UK

Re: Your favorite fictional detective(s) (series)

Post by Bedlam »

I like the Cadfael books an interesting place and time for a detective and Derek Jaccobi played the character really well on TV.
User avatar
Revy
Jedi Knight
Posts: 575
Joined: 2008-06-24 05:46pm

Re: Your favorite fictional detective(s) (series)

Post by Revy »

Favourite TV detective atm is The Mentalist. Patrick Jane is just plane fun to watch. Book wise, Enola Holmes. Peach cookie for anyone who even knows who that is without having to look it up.
"And the writers sayeth unto the firmament: let there be a hokey plot convenience! And lo, I sayeth it shall be a curse upon Voyager, and all the people who dwell within, and they shall surely feeleth like a collection of jackasses."
User avatar
SCRawl
Has a bad feeling about this.
Posts: 4191
Joined: 2002-12-24 03:11pm
Location: Burlington, Canada

Re: Your favorite fictional detective(s) (series)

Post by SCRawl »

The Nero Wolfe series of books is probably my favourite. A&E did a couple of seasons of episodes which are pretty true to the original material, so those who wish to be introduced to the characters and settings can easily do so by watching them.

Aside from Wolfe, yeah, Sherlock Holmes was great when I first read it, and I really liked the new TV re-imagining of the character.
73% of all statistics are made up, including this one.

I'm waiting as fast as I can.
User avatar
Lonestar
Keeper of the Schwartz
Posts: 13321
Joined: 2003-02-13 03:21pm
Location: The Bay Area

Re: Your favorite fictional detective(s) (series)

Post by Lonestar »

Grumps McGruff.


Thread over.
"The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles."
Block
Jedi Council Member
Posts: 2333
Joined: 2007-08-06 02:36pm

Re: Your favorite fictional detective(s) (series)

Post by Block »

Psych, and it's not even close.
User avatar
Brother-Captain Gaius
Emperor's Hand
Posts: 6859
Joined: 2002-10-22 12:00am
Location: \m/

Re: Your favorite fictional detective(s) (series)

Post by Brother-Captain Gaius »

Veronica Mars. Totally blindsided by this one; glancing at it, it looked like something aimed at teen girls. To some degree it is, the first season has a bit too much juvenile high school stuff for my liking, but that's a minor flaw at worst. The show is surprisingly intelligent, and the relationship between Keith and Veronica is great.
Agitated asshole | (Ex)40K Nut | Metalhead
The vision never dies; life's a never-ending wheel
1337 posts as of 16:34 GMT-7 June 2nd, 2003

"'He or she' is an agenderphobic microaggression, Sharon. You are a bigot." ― Randy Marsh
User avatar
mr friendly guy
The Doctor
Posts: 11235
Joined: 2004-12-12 10:55pm
Location: In a 1960s police telephone box somewhere in Australia

Re: Your favorite fictional detective(s) (series)

Post by mr friendly guy »

I would have to go with Poirot. However if we are allowed detectives from fantasy type universes, I would add Lu Xiao Feng. Not only is he good at detective work, but he kicks arse and takes names in the fighting department.
Never apologise for being a geek, because they won't apologise to you for being an arsehole. John Barrowman - 22 June 2014 Perth Supernova.

Countries I have been to - 14.
Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, Germany, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, USA.
Always on the lookout for more nice places to visit.
User avatar
Atia
Youngling
Posts: 62
Joined: 2011-05-15 12:19pm

Re: Your favorite fictional detective(s) (series)

Post by Atia »

I loved Monk and Psyche but my favorite is probably Veronica Mars. Though the shows quality drooped a bit towards the end of it's run it was still a really good show and I enjoyed it a tons... and I think a developed a creepy stalker girl-crush on Kristen Bell from it.

Oh and Kamen Rider W... what it counts doesn't it? He is a hard-half boiled kinda detective and he has a fancy hat! I mean how many private detectives in this thread have ever drop kicked a tyrannosaurs?
User avatar
Darth Fanboy
DUH! WINNING!
Posts: 11182
Joined: 2002-09-20 05:25am
Location: Mars, where I am a totally bitchin' rockstar.

Re: Your favorite fictional detective(s) (series)

Post by Darth Fanboy »

Aqua Teen Hunger Force

Stroker and Hoop distant second.

wait does Scooby Doo count?
"If it's true that our species is alone in the universe, then I'd have to say that the universe aimed rather low and settled for very little."
-George Carlin (1937-2008)

"Have some of you Americans actually seen Football? Of course there are 0-0 draws but that doesn't make them any less exciting."
-Dr Roberts, with quite possibly the dumbest thing ever said in 10 years of SDNet.
User avatar
tim31
Sith Devotee
Posts: 3388
Joined: 2006-10-18 03:32am
Location: Tasmania, Australia

Re: Your favorite fictional detective(s) (series)

Post by tim31 »

Lonestar wrote:Grumps McGruff.


Thread over.
I was going to fly in here with Murder, She Wrote but you just pants that.

For serious answer I used to freaking love watching A Touch Of Frost with my mum; in hindsight this may have been because I enjoyed sitting up late with her while she guessed at the possible conclusions. Also David Jason in tweed everything ruled. And Yorkshire, come on.

These days I occassionally watch Castle but that's only for Nathan Fillion and the hot chick whose name escapes me.


Image

You're fucking nicked, sunshine
lol, opsec doesn't apply to fanfiction. -Aaron

PRFYNAFBTFC
CAPTAIN OF MFS SAMMY HAGAR
ImageImage
User avatar
mr friendly guy
The Doctor
Posts: 11235
Joined: 2004-12-12 10:55pm
Location: In a 1960s police telephone box somewhere in Australia

Re: Your favorite fictional detective(s) (series)

Post by mr friendly guy »

Well I enjoy Castle as well, although strictly speaking he is a writer. The other detective show I liked was Forever Knight, but I am not sure if vampire cops counts as a detective. But Nick Knight was awesome.
Never apologise for being a geek, because they won't apologise to you for being an arsehole. John Barrowman - 22 June 2014 Perth Supernova.

Countries I have been to - 14.
Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, Germany, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, USA.
Always on the lookout for more nice places to visit.
User avatar
The Grim Squeaker
Emperor's Hand
Posts: 10314
Joined: 2005-06-01 01:44am
Location: A different time-space Continuum
Contact:

Re: Your favorite fictional detective(s) (series)

Post by The Grim Squeaker »

Sherlock Holmes - Classic, "Sherlock" and movie versions.
Batman - The world's Greatest detective. (And actually written as one in the animated series', and Paul Dini's run on "Detective comics").
R.Daneel Olivaw & Elijah Bailey. (Asimov).
The Black Widowers, and the butler from said series. (I love Isaac Asimov's Detective stories for their immense use of Lateral thinking and logical, inventive thought).
Hercule Poirot.
Tintin! (Alright, so he's a reporter, but he functions as a detective :D).
If you're counting Sam Vimes as a detective rather than copper, you might as well count Granny Weatherwax :D.

A far cry from them, but still not too bad are Harry Copperfield Dresden (more for the series and supporting cast than his lackluster detective skills) and Takachi Kovacs. (Richard K. Morgan - "Altered Carbon", et).

You people and your Television :P
Photography
Genius is always allowed some leeway, once the hammer has been pried from its hands and the blood has been cleaned up.
To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.
User avatar
Dalton
For Those About to Rock We Salute You
For Those About to Rock We Salute You
Posts: 22631
Joined: 2002-07-03 06:16pm
Location: New York, the Fuck You State
Contact:

Re: Your favorite fictional detective(s) (series)

Post by Dalton »

Oh yeah, Harry Crumb! Tim's photo jogged my memory.
Image
Image
To Absent Friends
Dalton | Admin Smash | Knight of the Order of SDN

"y = mx + bro" - Surlethe
"You try THAT shit again, kid, and I will mod you. I will
mod you so hard, you'll wish I were Dalton." - Lagmonster

May the way of the Hero lead to the Triforce.
User avatar
The Yosemite Bear
Mostly Harmless Nutcase (Requiescat in Pace)
Posts: 35211
Joined: 2002-07-21 02:38am
Location: Dave's Not Here Man

Re: Your favorite fictional detective(s) (series)

Post by The Yosemite Bear »

It would be really hard for me to pick a favorite I read Dupin and Holmes back when I was six, I still have a strong soft spot for alcoholic private detective who was originally a Captain America spin off....
Image

The scariest folk song lyrics are "My Boy Grew up to be just like me" from cats in the cradle by Harry Chapin
User avatar
Dalton
For Those About to Rock We Salute You
For Those About to Rock We Salute You
Posts: 22631
Joined: 2002-07-03 06:16pm
Location: New York, the Fuck You State
Contact:

Re: Your favorite fictional detective(s) (series)

Post by Dalton »

The Yosemite Bear wrote:It would be really hard for me to pick a favorite I read Dupin and Holmes back when I was six, I still have a strong soft spot for alcoholic private detective who was originally a Captain America spin off....
For those of us who don't speak Bearish, who is that?
Image
Image
To Absent Friends
Dalton | Admin Smash | Knight of the Order of SDN

"y = mx + bro" - Surlethe
"You try THAT shit again, kid, and I will mod you. I will
mod you so hard, you'll wish I were Dalton." - Lagmonster

May the way of the Hero lead to the Triforce.
User avatar
Ford Prefect
Emperor's Hand
Posts: 8254
Joined: 2005-05-16 04:08am
Location: The real number domain

Re: Your favorite fictional detective(s) (series)

Post by Ford Prefect »

Stark wrote:Is there a Detective Conan show?
651 episodes of it lol
What is Project Zohar?

Here's to a certain mostly harmless nutcase.
User avatar
The Yosemite Bear
Mostly Harmless Nutcase (Requiescat in Pace)
Posts: 35211
Joined: 2002-07-21 02:38am
Location: Dave's Not Here Man

Re: Your favorite fictional detective(s) (series)

Post by The Yosemite Bear »

Mike Hammer, Originally called Mike Danger when he was supposed to be a pulp detective comic. Instead we got Mike Hammer and The Fighting american as seperate characters.
Image

The scariest folk song lyrics are "My Boy Grew up to be just like me" from cats in the cradle by Harry Chapin
User avatar
Torben
Padawan Learner
Posts: 159
Joined: 2008-11-21 10:16pm
Location: Somewhere just to the left of reality, or SW Florida

Re: Your favorite fictional detective(s) (series)

Post by Torben »

Can we pick from any genre? If so, I would have to throw Harry Copperfield Blackstone Dresden into the ring. I mean, what's not to love about Chicago's (and the world's) only practicing wizard private detective?

Also, Psych for its shear irreverence and humor. Veronica Mars was also quite well done, though a little slow to start in the first season and tapering off in quality towards the end.

Of course, Sherlock Holmes is the quintessential detective. I believe I first read Hound of the Baskervilles before I turned 10 and have been hooked ever since.
“I prefer Gary,” the Centurion said. - Centurion GRY-237427, "The Hunted"

“This sucks,” Gary said, as the Land-Rams to either side exploded. “I will request a transfer from your command in our next life, Commander.” - Centurion GRY-237427, "The Hunted"

Give a man a match, you warm him for a day. Set him on fire, you warm him for the rest of his life - Terry Pratchett
Post Reply