First, there was John Watson. Penned by Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes’ medic pal has come to be the epitome of the ordinary, humble sidekick to a brilliant detective.
The sleuth and doctor’s imbalanced partnership has returned, not just in Doyle’s adaptations, from Sherlock to the gender-flipped Elementary, but also in crime dramas with no immediate link to the detective saga. This formula works like a charm, but risks getting repetitive, drowning in a sea of delightful procedurals.
This year, Netflix's Dept. Q and season 2 of Rian Johnson's Poker Face have moved away from the John Watson archetype to spotlight a different side to the detective's assistant, allowing the “second” in command to become an integral part of the storyline, and even steal the show.
Based on a Danish novel series, Netflix’s Edinburgh-set hit Dept. Q follows antisocial DCI Carl Morck (Matthew Goode) as he leads an unconventional task force investigating cold cases. Joining him are DC Rose Dickson (Leah Byrne), an officer who’s off active duty after a breakdown, and Akram Salim (Alexej Manvelov), a civilian employee and Syrian refugee determined to land a detective job.
A personable family man, Akram conceals a dark, not entirely lawful, past and counterbalances Morck’s outbursts with politeness and aplomb. Alternating between good cop and bad cop, the newcomer isn’t afraid to meet his hot-tempered boss in straightforward conversation, calmly but firmly demanding the respect he’s owed.
As the series unfolds, Morck’s irksome schtick makes you wonder if the problematic, anger-prone cop TV stereotype should be retired. The DCI wallows in his short-fused attitude, rebuffing the department-mandated therapy after being shot and relying on violence and threats.
Akram similarly resorts to rough methods at times — if crushing someone’s windpipe could be brushed off as such — but is in control of his emotions, as he tells Morck. This makes all the difference, confirming that Akram has not only the instincts of a good detective but at least a degree of restraint that’s required for the job.
Support act
Much like Akram, Poker Face’s human lie detector Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) isn’t formally a detective. Rian Johnson’s star-studded Columbo-style murder mystery takes Charlie from town to town in her beloved 1969 Plymouth Barracuda, sketching a picturesque portrait of Americana as she’s on the run from the mob.
After her best friend’s murder sets season 1 in motion, Charlie’s drifter lifestyle makes it difficult for her to establish meaningful bonds. A people person, the protagonist is lonelier than ever in season 2, but things take a turn when she settles down in NYC. Attempting to drown her “bullshit alarm” in a metropolis may sound counterintuitive, but it leads to her meeting Alex (Patti Harrison).
Honest to a fault, Alex is a breath of fresh air for Charlie. The two form an unlikely, goofy friend duo that shines when working together, with Alex’s investigative skills standing out in episode 10, ‘The Big Pump’. With her “kid sister, golden retriever energy”, as Charlie puts it, Alex is the ‘sunshine’ to the protagonist’s occasional ‘grumpy’, with the show soaring in a two-hander trope borrowed from rom-coms.
While Poker Face may appear peppy, mostly due to Charlie’s insane likability, it never exactly feels cosy or comforting. The show’s underlying darkness suggests that whatever Poker Face has in store for its grand finale could disrupt the sense of security that season 2 has been lulling viewers into so far, setting up for an explosive continuation.
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Painting the darker hues in pastel tones, more classic cozy crime shows have also been blurring the traditional separation of sidekick and sleuth. Ludwig’s titular antihero has been a sidekick his whole life. A reclusive puzzle-maker, John Taylor (David Mitchell) has made a comfortable den in the shadow of his extroverted twin James, a DCI for the Cambridge Police. When James disappears, the solitary John rises to the challenge of impersonating his brother, prompted by his impossibly optimistic sister-in-law Lucy (Anna Maxwell Martin).
A sidekick to Lucy at home, the fake DCI also starts solving murders on the job thanks to his puzzle-setting abilities, proving an unexpected mentor to DI Russell Carter (Dipo Ola). None the wiser about the twin swap, Russell doesn’t just back John’s seemingly unorthodox methods, but also relies on his own lateral thinking to work the trickiest cases.
The chemistry between detective and sidekick is at the core of the South Wales-set series Death Valley. Ambitious, if socially awkward, DS Janie Mallowan (Gwyneth Keyworth) and her consultant, retired actor John Chapel (Timothy Spall), take turns in the grumpy-sunshine dynamic. The protagonists’ spiky personalities hide deep grief and a good heart, with their delicious banter sealing their budding friendship and selling the show.
Here's the 'kicker
The synergy of the detective trio is also what makes Only Murders in the Building one of the most consistently compelling series on TV right now. With a fifth season underway, the starry show wouldn’t be the same without Oliver, Charles and Mabel’s Arconia neighbor, the pet-loving, sassy Howard Morris (Michael Cyril Creighton). Originally supposed to feature in just a couple of episodes, Creighton’s Howard has sneaked his way into the trio’s investigations one amazing knitwear at a time. Instrumental in uncovering the Westies’ mystery in season 4, Howard has been trying his hand at several artistic ventures and may graduate to an even meatier role in the upcoming chapter.
The list goes on, with more opposite detective pairs to be found in Netflix’s (recently cancelled) The Residence, starring Uzo Aduba as quirky investigator and avid birdwatcher Cordelia Cupp and Randall Park as by-the-book FBI agent Edwin Park.
Updating the key elements of mystery series, these are but a few examples of series that have been tweaking the lead investigator-sidekick relationship and ushered in more inclusive portrayals of crime-solving characters.
And it won’t stop here, with more shows on the way to feed the audience’s obsession with crime, fictional or otherwise. As A Man on the Inside and High Potential — remakes of a 2020 documentary and a French-Belgian series, respectively — have received a season 2 order, cozy crime aficionados will be spoiled for choice.
But one of the most anticipated detective comebacks remains that of Marvel’s very own PI, Jessica Jones. Krysten Ritter is officially back for Daredevil: Born Again season 2 next year, fuelling the hope of a reunion between Jessica and her bestie Trish Walker/Hellcat after Netflix’s Jessica Jones pitted them against each other.
Everyone needs a ride-or-die, even those with superhuman strength, and every sidekick deserves decent storylines that don’t play into tired tropes.
Dept. Q is streaming now on Netflix. The season finale of Poker Face season 2 streams on Peacock from July 10. For more, check out our guide to the best new TV shows coming your way.
