Sometimes,a spin-offwilloutshine
theoriginal.Sometimes,it willsink
thewholefranchise.Andothertimes- likeinthecaseofMsFisher’sModern
MurderMysteries– it will bea bold,
brightcomplementtowhataudiences
have already been enjoying.
Ms Fisher’sModernMurderMysteriesissueditselfa steep
challengefromtheoutset– notleastbecause,despitethe
title,it’saMiss FisherserieswithouttheMissFisheraudien-
cesknowandlove.PhryneFisheris anaspirationalcharacter.
Confident,smart and with a wardrobeto die for, the 1920s
ladydetectiveis a womanaheadofhertime.Unmarrieddur-
inganerawhensucha thingwasalmostunthinkable,sex-
positivein a conservativesocietyandregularlyembroiledin
variouscrimes,thecharacter,unsurprisingly,hada dedicated
setoffansevenbeforeshesteppedoffthepagesofKerry
Greenwood’spopularbookseriesandontothesmallscreen.
Miss Fisher’sMurderMysteriesturnedouttobepopular
beyondwhatwemightevenhopetoexpectfora normalABC
series.Spanningthree seasonsfrom 2012 to 2015, it consisted
of a modestthirty-fourepisodesand, as of 2017, has been
sold to 247 territoriesand screenedon Netflix.^3 Following
theairingofMiss Fisher’sMurderMysteries’ lastepisodein
2015, fans pleadedfor more – evidentin petitions,^4 online
speculation,^5 andvocalcommentaryin forumsandsocial
media.But hopesebbedand flowedas more and more time
passed.Compoundingthis,Davis’careerhadstartedtosky-
rocket.Afterplayingtheleadrolein thehugelysuccessfulThe
Babadook(JenniferKent, 2014) and being cast in a small but
recurringroleinGameof Thrones’ sixthseason,theactorand
herfamilymovedtoLondon.^6 ThoughtheABCserieshadnot
been officiallycancelled,the factors against it continuing were
beginningtostackup.
In 2016, the show’sproducersstartedtalkingabout a pre-
quel,focusingonMissFisherasaneighteen-year-old.^7 This
never came to fruition.In 2017, a Kickstartercampaignwas
launchedbyEveryCloudProductions,thecompanybehind
the series,in order to fund a long-rumouredfilm starringthe
originalcast. That campaignattracted7763 fans and raised
A$733,210– provingthat the fandomwas still there, still keen
andmorethanwillingtoputtheirmoneywheretheirmouths
were.^8 By late 2018,Miss Fisher& the Cryptof Tears, directed
byTonyTilseandwithDavisbackasthelead,hadwrapped
shooting,^9 and the film is set to release in Australian theatres
in Februarynext year.^10
Asattestedtobythemoneyraised,Cryptof Tearswas
pretty much what fans had been askingfor – so the 2018 an-
nouncement^11 ofanadditionalspin-offseriestobeaired on
ChannelSevencameassomethingofa surprise.
‘Spin-off’is perhapstheperfectterm,becausechoosingto
dooneis likeoptingtoplaya roundofRussianroulette.When
it worksout,great;everyoneis relieved.Whenit doesn’t– dis-
aster.Thenthere’sthefactthat,evenwhentheresultsremain
tobeseen,peoplewonderwhyyou’driskplayingthegamein
the first place.Sometimes,a spin-offwill outshinethe original.
Sometimes,it willsinkthewholefranchise.Andothertimes–
likein thecaseofMs Fisher’sModernMurderMysteries– it will
bea bold,brightcomplement to what audiences have already
been enjoying.
http://www.metromagazine.com.au | © ATOM | Metro Magazine 201• 41