The Australian detective show Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries debuted in 2012 and ran for three seasons. Set in 1920s’ Melbourne, the series features a fabulously modern female private detective of independent means solving crimes and generally doing good in the world. She is aided in this by her personal assistant, the naive but intelligent Dot, and sometimes even by the police— namely a dashing Detective Inspector called Jack Robinson. The show, based on books by Kerry Greenwood, appears to have been quite well-received in Australia. It was broadcast in the US on Netflix, which is where I first discovered it— long before I knew I’d be living in Australia myself!

Check out the Season one trailer:

Why is Miss Fisher important?

This show is way more than great hair and provocative banter between Fisher and DI Robinson, and it is more than clever whodunnits acted out in sumptuous period dress.

Miss Fisher has the witty intrigue of Sherlock, the opulent style of Downton Abbey, and the bombastic feminism of Agent Carter. But there’s something gloriously unique about Miss Fisher. Maybe it’s the fact that the show features a rare kind of heroine: a woman over the age of 35 who is unabashedly sexual with no desire to settle down, and who isn’t punished for it.

Or perhaps it’s the fact that the show not only features a clever, complicated woman at the center of its ensemble, but is created and written by women, as well. Or maybe it’s the refreshing fact that — amongst a sea of gritty, anti-hero tales — Miss Fisher takes joie de vivre as an essential theme. Whatever the secret ingredient(s), Miss Fisher delivers on a delightful journey quite unlike anything else on television… -from “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries: The Feminist Sherlock You Should Be Watching” by Kayti Burt, DenOfGeek.com (read this whole article!)

Given all this, it’s really a shame that the show had to end. The series three finale definitely had me wanting more, and apparently I was not the only one (see this article from the Sydney Morning Herald.) I recently discovered that there is a Kickstarter to bring the fiery Miss Fisher back, and to the silver screen, no less!

I jumped at the chance to help fund this because it really is a women’s project! I missed the Kickstarter for Looking for Leia, and I regret it fiercely, so I definitely wanted to be sure to get in on this one.

You can back this project with as little as $10 and be a part of something special. Click right here to donate before the Kickstarter closes in a week (October 15 in Australia, Oct 14 in America).

Art by me.