William Henry Murdoch Detective Murdoch, who is portrayed by
Peter Outerbridge in the TV movies and by Yannick Bisson in the series, is an intelligent, observant detective who uses unusual (for the time) techniques such as blood testing and fingerprinting. It is revealed he comes from
Nova Scotia, is a devout
Roman Catholic who was educated by the
Jesuits and is fluent in French. In one episode, it is revealed that he believes that his father beat his mother and may have indirectly caused her death, although this was proven incorrect. Following that incident, he was taken to live in an orphanage for a time. Murdoch is also a
polymath: Although very logical, sceptical, observant, scientific and clear-headed with a photographic memory (possibly
Hyperthymesia) and
working memory, these become an issue when he needs to connect with people on an emotional level, something he finds difficult. Often his unusual techniques and unbiased opinions of people lead him to clash with Brackenreid (even though they work together well). In season 9, episode 11, Murdoch takes up golf and does quite well till a machine he invents ruins his "swing". Julia plays well and Murdoch is told all he has to do is empty his mind to again play well. This is something he cannot do and he ends up angrily throwing his clubs in the lake, one by one. Murdoch often consults on cases with Dr. Julia Ogden, with whom he is infatuated, although he did not attempt a relationship with her until the first half of season 2. As the season progressed, an argument over beliefs and past decisions made by Ogden split up the couple for a time, during which time Murdoch pursued a relationship with Enid Jones. However, he and Ogden rekindled their relationship during the season 2 finale on the advice of his half-brother
(see below), and it becomes "public" (despite everyone already knowing about it) in the first episode of season 3. Ogden and Murdoch become engaged in the finale of season 7 and are married in episode 4 of season 8. In the season 2 finale, it is revealed his father had another son, Jasper Linney (of whom Murdoch knew nothing) out of wedlock, before marrying Murdoch's mother. Jasper is a sergeant in the
North-West Mounted Police and his mannerisms, interests and investigative techniques are similar to those of Murdoch's own (mentioned above), and the two prove successful in working together to solve a gold mining scam case. In the season 4 episode
Voices, it is revealed that Murdoch has a younger sister, Susannah, who is a nun living in Toronto briefly before returning to her convent in
Montreal when it is revealed she is terminally ill. Their conversations reveal that they had an aunt, whose home he left at seventeen, to work at a logging camp. This episode also mentions that Murdoch's father was still alive two years prior and lives in Western Canada. In season 1, episode 4, it is revealed that Murdoch once had a fiancée, Liza Milner; she died a year prior of
consumption. In season 9, episode 10, "Raised on Robbery", he and Julia have adopted a son, Roland, the orphaned son of the bank-robber couple; however, in episode 14, "Wild Child", when they find out that the couple were not Roland's biological parents, Murdoch and Julia make the heart-breaking decision to give up Roland and reunite him with his real father (the mother having died in childbirth.) Murdoch later learns he has a son, Harry, from his relationship with Anna Fulford. In season 15, William and Julia welcome a daughter of their own, named Susannah after William's late sister. In a crossover with fellow CBC show
Republic of Doyle, called "If the Shoe Fits", a modern-day version of Murdoch appears in the form of "Bill Murdoch", who is the great-great-great-grandson of William.
Thomas Charles Brackenreid Inspector (later Chief Constable) Thomas Brackenreid (portrayed by
Colm Meaney in the TV movies and in the TV series by Thomas Craig) is a middle-aged married man, fond of the theatre and a good drink. He is the head of the stationhouse and does most of the interrogating, often forming opinions of a suspect because of personal impressions or their social standing. Quick to anger and tenacious, with a sarcastic sense of humour, he is better at traditional "
coppering" and is very proud of his job and what he feels is his duty to protect the city. While he often disagrees with Murdoch's methods, he uses them when he feels they have merit. He has little time for Crabtree until the second half of the fifth season where he takes him directly under his wing and actually seems to care deeply for him. He is shown to care for Murdoch and knows his mannerisms well enough to know when he is pining and advises him to do something about it. Throughout the second season Brackenreid is forced to hide his drinking habits from his wife, who has joined the
temperance movement. In the third season, it is revealed that Brackenreid is a
Freemason, as is Constable Crabtree (who happens to be of higher rank, as he can watch his language, etc., better than Brackenreid can). At the end of the seventh season Brackenreid suffered a severe beating from a gang of thugs that was controlling the harbour. The first two episodes of season eight detailed that, although he had physically recovered, he was initially adamant about leaving his job, fearing that his family might be endangered. After being convinced by his wife that being a policeman was his life, he began a lone and almost maniacal search for the person responsible for the attack and other crimes, proving willing to eschew the "rules" to achieve his objective. Although he came close to killing the culprit, in the end he abided by the law he had served for years and returned to his job as Inspector. At the end of Season 17 Brackenreid is appointed as the new Chief Constable. Brackenreid paints as a hobby. Although his colleagues and family don't always appreciate his work. His style greatly resembles Canadian painter
Tom Thomson. Brackenreid is from
Yorkshire, England and has two young sons with his wife Margaret, John and Bobby. John, the elder son, would become a Constable under his father at station house four in season 11. Before he became a policeman, Brackenreid served in the British Army and
fought in Afghanistan. He is a supporter of
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club.
Dr. Julia Ogden Doctor Ogden, who is portrayed by
Keeley Hawes in the TV movies and by
Hélène Joy in the TV series, attended
Bishop's University and is a skilled
pathologist and
medical examiner. (In 1894, a woman did graduate from
Bishop's University and become a skilled pathologist: Dr.
Maude Abbott.) However, it is later (episode 11.05) said that she studied under Dr.
William Osler at
McGill University (McGill University did not admit women to the Faculty of Medicine until 1918). The first of two sisters, Dr. Ogden was a tomboy in her youth and has a criminal record for skinny dipping with some university colleagues (episode 2.04). Her mother is dead, and she has a strained relationship with her father. She enjoys tennis, reading, cycling and attending the theatre. Through her family connections, she is quite well known in Toronto's upper class society (episode 1.08). Dr. Ogden is often consulted on cases by Murdoch and is able to provide valuable insights into many cases. They, along with
Constable Crabtree, enjoy the intellectual puzzles that many murder mysteries present. In the first season, she and Murdoch begin a tentative romantic relationship. In episode 2.06, Dr. Ogden tells Murdoch that she became pregnant when in university and terminated it. (
Abortion in Canada was illegal during 1869-1969.) As Murdoch struggles to come to terms with this knowledge, Ogden decides to end their relationship, believing that, due to his
Catholicism, he will never accept what she did or that she still feels it was the right decision. Their relationship is awkward until the end of the final episode of season 2 when Dr. Ogden agrees to discuss restarting the relationship. At the end of Season 3, she leaves the
Constabulary to go work in a children's hospital in
Buffalo, New York. It is revealed that she cannot give birth to a child due to the previous abortion, and for this reason she decides to terminate her relationship with Murdoch. Murdoch tries to stop her leaving and intends to propose to her despite knowing about her condition, but arrives late at the train station. (In a daydream that he has about proposing, he intends to tell her that he does want a family, but that they can adopt. However, he never has this conversation with her in real life, and she leaves Toronto not knowing about his intentions for either marriage or family.) Dr. Ogden does not return to work in the morgue at the start of season 4, but Murdoch writes to her to help solve a case. She does not appear in episode 2, but does appear in episode 3 (Buffalo Shuffle), where
Yannick Bisson makes his directing debut. Murdoch brings the engagement ring with the intention of proposing, but Dr. Ogden reveals that she is already engaged to a doctor working at the children's hospital in Buffalo. She returns to her old position in Toronto several episodes later. Her fiancé takes a position at a Toronto hospital to be with her. In the last episode Julia marries
Dr. Darcy Garland, despite her affection for Murdoch. At the beginning of season 5 (
Back and to the Left), however, she terminates her employment in the City Morgue and starts her own private practice in Toronto, leaving the work to her protégée, Dr. Emily Grace. Julia states that with her feelings towards Murdoch maintaining their professional relationship would jeopardize her marriage. Later on in the series she actively participates in a birth-control campaign, which complicates her husband's social position and even leads to her arrest. At the end of the season, she and Darcy separate. In season 6, Julia is working as a psychiatrist, often assisting Murdoch with his cases. She is actively trying to divorce Darcy and is framed for his murder at the end of the season, though Murdoch uncovers the real killer and clears her name barely in time to prevent her execution by hanging. The trauma of her experience and guilt feelings cause her to withdraw from Murdoch at the season 6 finale; but, in season 7, their relationship seems to be back on track, and they become engaged in the finale. They are married in the fourth episode of season 8. In
season 9, episode 10,
Raised on Robbery, she and William briefly adopted a son, Roland, the orphaned son of the bank-robber couple. When Julia discovers the child's actual father is still alive, they reluctantly return Roland to his father. However, the experience with Roland encourages William and Julia to seriously consider adopting a child of their own. In season 11, episode 4 (The Canadian Patient), Julia meets a woman conducting research into fertility treatments, and offers herself as a potential test subject. In episode 11 ("Biffers and Blockers"), Julia reveals to William that the treatments have worked and she is pregnant. Julia suffers a miscarriage in the fourth month of her pregnancy (season 11, episode 17, "Shadows are Falling"). She later becomes pregnant again and gives birth to a daughter, Susannah, named after Murdoch's late sister. Dr. Ogden's pregnancy in the series coincided with Hélène Joy's own pregnancy and was written into the show. Julia's father, Dr. Lionel Ogden, died in the season 7 finale. She has a younger sister, Ruby Ogden, who is a minor character in the series and a journalist, who often travels the world.
Constable George Crabtree Murdoch's assistant, Constable Crabtree, is portrayed by
Matthew MacFadzean in the TV movies and by
Jonny Harris in the TV series. Although inexperienced at first and often comically naive, Crabtree frequently provides useful insights into cases and does much of the forensic legwork collecting evidence. In early seasons, Crabtree is eager, but has yet to master Murdoch's more advanced scientific skills. He is very loyal to Murdoch, willing to threaten one of Ogden's suitors when Murdoch asked him to investigate him; he also knows Murdoch's mannerisms rather well. While Brackenreid initially regards him as an idiot, over time, Crabtree and some of the other constables prove adept at learning Murdoch's methods (e.g. photography) and eventually gains Brackenreid's respect and the possibility of promotion to detective. Crabtree dates a number of women over the years, but the relationships tend to be doomed by circumstances. At the end of season 8 and the start of season 9, he proposes to Edna Brooks, but she learns she is not a widow—and then her husband is murdered. Fearing that Edna is guilty, Crabtree protects her by allowing himself to be prosecuted and convicted, via
Nolo Contendere. Consequently, he is not promoted, but demoted to Constable Third Class, after Murdoch finds the real killer. Crabtree often has ideas for commercial uses for Murdoch's inventions. Murdoch usually dismisses them as absurd, but they often prefigure real successful products. Crabtree also aspires to be a mystery novelist. His first novel,
The Curse of the Pharaohs, is published in season 5. (Concurrently with that season,
Curse of the Lost Pharaohs also aired on Citytv.com as a mixed live action/animation
web series dramatizing the plot of Crabtree's manuscript.) Crabtree revealed in one episode ("Big Murderer on Campus") that he did not know who his biological mother was and was left on the doorstep of a church and taken in by the family there. He was later re-united with his mother at the end of the episode after taking part in a plan to uncover the murderer of a professor; he learns that she was forced to leave him on the church's doorstop after her husband died and she couldn't provide for their son. Crabtree also frequently refers to his many "Aunts", each of whom seems to be named after a variety of flower. In the season 7 episode "Republic of Murdoch", it is revealed that these Aunts are, or at one time have been, prostitutes who live in a large house rented to them by the Reverend who became Crabtree's guardian after he was abandoned. Crabtree, while having been born in Toronto, was raised in
Newfoundland. In season 3, it is revealed that Crabtree is a
Freemason, along with Brackenreid, and turns out to be of higher rank than the inspector, as Brackenreid cannot refrain from his use of bad language, etc. Crabtree also has a difficult time with a flighty socialite named Roger Newsome, whom he has numerous dealings with, to his irritation. His deepest cause for this enmity was when Newsome was assisting Crabtree on a case and at one point Crabtree was being attacked with deadly intent by a criminal. Rather than do anything to assist his police companion in mortal peril, Newsome abandoned him in blatant cowardice, and Crabtree required assistance from others. Newsome never adequately apologized for his failure and would meet the unforgiving Crabtree on numerous other occasions. However, when Newsome was murdered by a sniper to silence his testimony for a murder trial in the episode, "Weekend at Murdoch's", Crabtree was able to spare a bit of politeness for him under the circumstances. In the show's 16th season, he marries Roger Newsome's cousin Effie (Clare McConnell).
Violet Hart Portrayed by
Shanice Banton, Violet Hart becomes the chief coroner of Station House 4 after the departure of Dr. Ogden and Rebecca James. Introduced as an entrepreneur selling nutrition pills, Dr. Ogden offers Violet the opportunity to attend university and work with as her assistant at the morgue, making her ambitions to Dr. Ogden clear that she does not intend to remain Dr. Ogden's assistant forever. While impressed with her aptitude, Dr. Ogden becomes concerned with Violet's apparent lack of compassion. However, Inspector Brackenreid looks favourably upon Violet's competence and recommends her to officially take over the morgue as its chief coroner when Dr. Ogden departs to become a surgeon, becoming the first black woman to hold the position. Murdoch finds it increasingly difficult to trust Violet, despite her professionalism, suspecting that Violet may be involved in unlawful activities. Miss Hart's ambitions and shady past eventually nearly undo her success. To secure her position as coroner, she aligns with upcoming politicians until she learns the extent of their corruption extends to murder. She is given a second chance by Murdoch and Brackenreid, and is allowed to remain at the morgue. Violet later marries millionaire socialite Arthur Carmichael, but she grows frustrated that Arthur married her only to shock Toronto's elite for his own amusement. She coerces him into submission and takes control of his finances, investing her new wealth into Toronto's Black community through the local Starbright Club run by Cassiopeia Bright. The unexpected arrival of her criminal father results in Arthur's murder and the loss of Violet's fortune.
Detective Llewellyn Watts Portrayed by
Daniel Maslany, Llewellyn Watts (known as Detective Watts until his first name is revealed in "Hades Hath no Fury" (season 10, episode 15) is a detective, originally from station house 1 who in "Concocting a Killer" (season 10, episode 4) is brought to station house 4 to re-examine a case where new evidence has arisen that may mean a man sent to prison by Murdoch could be exonerated. In "A Murdog Mystery" (season 10, episode 11), when Inspector Brackenreid leaves station house 4 to accompany James Pendrick to Panama, Watts is brought back as the station detective while Murdoch serves as the acting inspector. Detective Watts is assisted by Constable Slugger Jackson in some ongoing missing persons cases, which eventually leads Watts to his long-missing older sister ("Hades Hath no Fury" (season 10, episode 15)), who abandoned him when he was a child (their parents were dead and she just saw him as a burden). In "Up From Ashes" (season 11, episode 1) and after Inspector Brackenreid's return, Watts remains working with station house 4. In "Murdoch Schmurdoch" (season 11, episode 15), while investigating the murder of a Jewish man, Watts recognises a
Yiddish lullaby as the same one his late mother used to sing to him. Llewellyn is told that if his mother sang that, his family must be Jewish. Llewellyn thinks it unlikely as "Watts is not a Jewish name." He's told that names are often changed when families immigrate, and if his mother was Jewish, so is he. After researching, Llewellyn discovers his family's original name was Wattenberg, but his parents changed it when they
immigrated to Canada). Like Murdoch, Watts is extremely well-read and philosophical, approaching his cases with objective analytical logic in the vein of
Sherlock Holmes. However, Watts prefers performing his investigations outdoors and on the streets. He can be difficult to work with because he tends to speak with little regards to social graces and voices his thought processes aloud and unfiltered. Watts' eccentric body language and speech patterns are reminiscent of famous Canadian pianist and personality
Glenn Gould. In season 13, Detective Watts begins a relationship with Jack Walker, a local butcher that Watts meets during a case. Their relationship becomes romantic, but they are forced to keep the true nature of their relationship discreet, owing to laws against homosexuality and to avoid damaging each other's public reputations. Jack later marries a woman named Clara, who is pregnant with their son Samuel, and breaks up with Watts. Watts briefly entertains a relationship with poet Milo Strange, but returns to Jack when Watt quits the Toronto Constabulary out of disgust for Brackenreid's decision to manipulate evidence—he and Jack then temporarily run away with Samuel to New York. After leaving New York at the end of season 15, Watts lives in a Mennonite colony for several months, but leaves after Murdoch accuses him of hiding, though he does not yet return to station house 4. Although Inspector Brackenreid had turned a blind eye to Watts' relationships, Brackenreid's temporary successor Inspector Edwards arrests Watts on charges of indecency related to homosexual activities. On principle, he refuses to leave his prison cell after all the other men are released and begins a hunger strike, until Violet Hart spikes his water with amines and encourages him to use his voice in a setting where he will be heard. He rejoins the constabulary at the request of George when the latter becomes acting inspector of station house 4 while Brackenreid is away in England to care for a sick relative and Murdoch has been abducted.
Inspector Albert Choi Portrayed by Paul Sun-Hyung Lee. Brackenreid recruited Choi based on the latter's experience as a police inspector in the United States. As a Korean, he has experienced discrimination. Choi has developed a tough, no nonsense attitude, and he values competence. While he finds Murdoch's methods novel and unusual, he quickly becomes open to Murdoch's investigative techniques and supports him by creating a workshop at the station house for Murdoch's inventions. ==Supporting characters==