Hudson & Rex is a criminally cute remake of the older Austrian Inspector Rex. A TV show in which man's best friend solves crimes; to me, that sounds like the perfect show for the cold winter months. Hudson & Rex is a cute twist on the classic crime procedural, in which detective Charlie Hudson (John Reardon, Artic Air) solves crimes with help of his furry companion, k9 officer Rex.
Take a look at this show if you want to see a dog sniff out criminals (literally), or chase bad guys
The format will be familiar to lovers of procedurals: every episode consists of a case-of-the-week, often a murder. The majority of the episode is about finding out whodunnit. At the end, the culprit is found and brought to justice, giving us that warm fuzzy feeling of the good guys defeating the bad ones. And of course, the cooperation between human and dog is what makes this victory possible; all cases are such that they could not have been solved without super-Rex' nose and agility.
The show also has a nice set of support characters, clearly going for that work-family feeling we know from other similar series. We have the smart and beautiful forensic scientist Sarah Truong (Mayko Nguyen, ReGenesis), and the nerdy but endearing IT specialist Jesse Mills (Justin Kelly, Between). The whole is supervised by strict but fair superintendent Joseph "Joe" Donovan (Kevin Hanchard, Orphan Black). The setting is Saint John, a smaller city on the East Coast of Canada. The cases make use of this setting; some episodes take place in the beautiful countryside and nature reserves surrounding the city, while others are set within different parts of town. But it is clear that neither the people in the city nor in the surrounding nature need to be afraid; Charlie and Rex are there to fight crime and keep the residents safe.
Of course, none of this is very original or something we have never seen before. The series is based on an Austrian show for starters, recycling its main premise. You also need some serious suspension of disbelief at times, and if anything, the cases are often a tad predictable. But the series is good at what it does, and that is cozy crime. Rex’ cuteness and the chemistry with the cast make up for a lot of the flaws. And a little fun fact: the dog who plays Rex, Diesel vom Burgimwald, is related to the German Shepard who starred in the original Austrian series. But if crime procedurals are just not your thing, this is probably not going to be the show that will change your mind.
Taken together, this show becomes a perfect (dog) treat after a long day of work. Do not watch it if you want complicated or unpredictable storylines. Do take a look if you want to see a dog sniff out criminals (literally), or chase bad guys. Having aired six seasons, there should be more than enough material to keep you occupied for a bit. 'Let's go, Rex!'
About the writer, Nienke de Boode
She started with watching NCIS, CSI and Bones, but over time her passion for TV shows has grown to what it is today, with dozens of shows that need to be watched. You can always wake her up for a good crime show, but she is also open to different things. Comedy and fantasy are on her list of favourites as well. Since October 2014, she also writes for MySeries to combine her love for TV shows and writing.
“But it is clear that neither the people in the city nor in the surrounding countryside need to be afraid”. Well... a murder every week, already 100 in six years, in a small town? That can make you a little scared :-D Fortunately, in reality it only turns out to be an average of two murders per year. But hey, you can't fill a series with that ;-)
But seriously. Nice review again. If I come across it I won't skip it.
Well... a murder every week, already 100 in six years, in a small town? That can make you a little scared :-D
Fortunately, in reality it only turns out to be an average of two murders per year. But hey, you can't fill a series with that ;-)
But seriously. Nice review again. If I come across it I won't skip it.
Thanks for the compliment!