McBride: Tune in for Murder

The Hallmark mystery series needs better mysteries. This one, "Tune in for Murder" in the McBride series is rotten. I mean, the evidence -hello. So obviously fake.

John Laroquette is delightful as McBride, and I think he does a bit of ad-libbing as well, but this sort of thing is beneath him. It's definitely for the Perry Mason crowd and might be entertaining if they could spiff up the script some.

In this episode, a shock jock hated by all is murdered, and his nice guy partner is accused. McBride is brought in as the defense attorney for what his some time girlfriend, a homicide investigator portrayed nicely by Marta Dubois, claims is a slam-dunk case. She's got some nerve. McBride, of course, discovers plenty that the police missed.

Other episodes in the McBride series have been better. There is a nice device where, while someone is relating a past situation pertaining to the murder, McBride actually appears in the reliving, asking questions.

Unlike "Mystery Woman," the pace of McBride is okay, but if I were Laroquette, I'd ask for tighter scripts. I don't care how desperate a D.A. is for a conviction - even they wouldn't have accepted this evidence as the real thing.