List of Murdoch Mysteries characters
Murdoch Mysteries is a Canadian drama television series produced by Shaftesbury Films that premièred in January 2008 and was broadcast on Citytv in Canada and on Alibi in the UK. It was picked up by CBC for its sixth and seventh seasons. The show follows the titular character William Murdoch, a police detective working in Toronto, Ontario, through the turn of the 19th century into the 20th, who makes use of what was, in the late Victorian era, the latest in forensic science to solve crimes. The show was developed for television by Cal Coons and Alexandra Zarowny based on the characters in the Detective Murdoch series of novels written by Maureen Jennings.
Prior to the television series, Shaftesbury Films and CHUM Television produced three made for TV movies which were shown on the Canadian cable channel Bravo! in 2004 and 2005. The original three movies, filmed in Winnipeg and Toronto, were collectively titled The Murdoch Mysteries.
Main characters
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 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.Although very logical, sceptical, observant, scientific and clear-headed with a photographic memory 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. He is also a polymath.
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 , and it becomes "public" 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, 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, 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, Susanna, 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
Inspector Thomas Charles Brackenreid
Inspector Brackenreid, who is 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.
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.
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. However, it is later said that she studied under Dr. William Osler at McGill University. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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, 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 the season 5, 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, Julia meets a woman conducting research into fertility treatments, and offers herself as a potential test subject. In episode 11, Julia reveals to William that the treatments have worked and she is pregnant. Julia suffers a miscarriage in the fourth month of her pregnancy.
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 proves adept at learning Murdoch's methods 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. 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.
Crabtree revealed in one episode 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. 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 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.
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.
Dr. Emily Grace
Portrayed by Georgina Reilly, Emily Grace is the new coroner who joins the morgue in season 5 as Dr. Ogden leaves to set up her private practice. Initially described as Dr. Ogden's protégée, Dr. Grace is a trained medical doctor but admits she prefers pathology because she has little patience to maintain a good bedside manner. She is interested in spiritualism, believing that it is compatible with scientific study. Though eager and impatient, she quickly learns the rules of the station house and proves to be a highly competent coroner to Murdoch in his investigations.Emily later becomes a love interest for Constable Crabtree; they become good friends and she often enjoys his company and entertains his far-fetched theories with some enthusiasm. A tentative romance develops between them in season 6, but George breaks off their relationship after she kisses Leslie Garland, the brother of Julia Ogden's first husband Dr. Darcy Garland.. Leslie asks her out to dinner and Emily initially refuses, but as she is no longer dating George, she consents to having dinner with Leslie, unaware that George was on his way to Emily's office with flowers and seeking to reconcile with Emily.
After Emily finds out that Leslie was behind the threatening letters to Dr. Ogden, Emily ends things with Leslie. George is still initially quite distant with Emily, though gradually they become friends again. Emily joins the Women's Suffrage movement in season 8, becoming a strong advocate and encouraging Dr. Ogden to support them. Through the suffrage movement, Emily becomes acquainted with Lillian Moss and they eventually enter a romance. In season 8, Lillian Moss proposes to her to move to London, England, and fight there for the women's suffrage. Though Lillian is murdered by the husband of her ex-lover, Emily still chooses to follow through with moving to London and finally leaves Toronto for London alone at the end of the episode 3, season 9 "Double Life".
Rebecca James
Portrayed by Mouna Traoré, Rebecca is a young woman of humble origins who has recently arrived in Toronto, living at the Junction, and working as an overnight cleaner for the city morgue. Dr. Ogden meets Rebecca on her first day back as the Chief Coroner, where Rebecca exhibits a genuine interest in anatomy that Dr. Ogden appreciates. Because she is African Canadian, a number of people are unhappy with the attention that Dr. Ogden gives her. When Rebecca is dismissed from her position for removing evidence from the morgue for an experiment that provided evidence, Dr. Ogden hires her back as Morgue Assistant. It is revealed that Rebecca attended a year at the New York Medical College for Women. When her patron died, his son was less inclined to support her schooling so she had to leave. She eventually resumes her medical studies at the Ontario Medical College for Women while working at the morgue, and her application to work at the City Morgue is officially granted at the end of Summer of '03.Major recurring characters
James Gillies
James Gillies, portrayed by Michael Seater, is Detective William Murdoch's. He is a cold, calculating, murderous criminal mastermind who hides behind a facade of cordiality. Gillies views his nefarious schemes as high-stakes games in which he and Murdoch match wits and, for which, there must be a clear winner and a loser. Priding himself on always being one step ahead of the detective, he often employs people as dispensable pawns to aid in his machinations, not hesitating to kill them when they no longer prove useful, to ensure their silence. During his first appearance, Gillies is shown to be a gifted student and teacher's assistant along with his friend and fellow teacher's assistant, Robert Perry. Murdoch eventually discovers that Gillies and Perry had murdered their physics professor, supposedly to test their knowledge of physics. Under pressure, Perry confesses to his involvement in the crime and implicates Gillies, after being tricked into believing that Gillies intended to kill him as well.Gillies is arrested, convicted, and sentenced to death for his crimes; but he escapes from his execution and seeks revenge against Murdoch. Gillies kidnaps and buries Dr. Julia Ogden alive. Though Dr. Ogden is saved, Gillies escapes again. In his next act of revenge, Gillies frames Julia for the murder of her estranged husband, Dr. Darcy Garland. After capturing Murdoch, Gillies sets an elaborate trap to pressure Murdoch into choosing either his own life or that of the convicted Julia's. Though Murdoch chooses to save Julia, he is rescued, and Gillies is apprehended. Gillies is boarded on a train headed to Kingston where he is to be hanged for his crimes. While Gillies manages to escape from the train, Murdoch pursues him. After pinning Gillies down, Gillies distracts Murdoch with a kiss and jumps off a bridge, to escape. Despite an extensive manhunt undertaken by the Toronto Constabulary, Gillies is nowhere to be found, and it seems likely he perished from his fall.
After Gillies' fall, Julia begins receiving letters from someone claiming to be Gillies. The author of the letters threatens to kill Murdoch should Julia accept Murdoch's proposal for marriage or reveal the existence of the letters. Murdoch, Ogden, and Brackenreid begin investigating whether Gillies is alive, which results in finding what appears to be Gillies' body downriver from where he threw himself off the bridge. After Dr. Ogden and Dr. Emily Grace examine the badly decomposed body and perform a facial approximation on the skull, they and Murdoch believe the body to be Gillies'. The key piece of evidence suggesting the corpse is Gillies' is a bullet found embedded in its shoulder. Constable George Crabtree had shot Gillies in the shoulder, and the bullet was never removed. After careful examination, Murdoch ascertained the bullet to be the same that Crabtree shot Gillies with.
Years later, a murderer is caught who claims to be possessed by the spirit of James Gillies. Murdoch and Dr. Ogden interrogate the man and coax information from him that leads them to realize that Gillies is alive, having faked his death by killing someone of similar appearance, embedding the bullet George Crabtree shot him with into the corpse's shoulder, and throwing the corpse in the river he jumped into. After giving a clue to the whereabouts of Gillies, the murderer kills himself. Ogden's autopsy of the murderer reveals a small wireless radio transceiver hidden in his body as well as an even smaller wireless electroacoustic transducer embedded in his skull—both of which are soon after discovered to have been commissioned and implanted by Gillies. After following the clues to the address of a girl Gillies once kidnapped, he finds a talking doll whose message seems to suggest that Gillies has once again kidnapped Julia. Murdoch rushes to his home only to find Gillies instead holding Murdoch's young son hostage with a syringe filled with heroin. Gillies, who, as a result of his fall suffers from chronic pain and has a severely disfigured face, wants Murdoch, the man he most loves and respects, to kill him. Murdoch hesitates at first, desiring Gillies to receive punishment by the state, but then fires his gun at Gillies after Gillies threatens his son with the syringe. The gun, however, had been surreptitiously emptied of all but one bullet by Gillies sometime earlier, and doesn't fire. Gillies, given a renewed sense of purpose by his brush with death at the hands of his greatest adversary, still hovering over Murdoch's son with a syringe, and seemingly back in control, taunts Murdoch, telling him that he looks forward to the fun they will have together. However, Murdoch slides out a sleeve gun and shoots Gillies with a rubber bullet, incapacitating him. Gillies is captured and finally hanged for his crimes. Dr. Ogden performs Gillies' autopsy and removes his brain so that it may be studied, as she promised him she'd do years before on the train.
Dr. Llewellyn Francis
Dr. Francis, portrayed by Paul Rhys, is a bad tempered pathologist from Scotland Yard, who replaces Dr. Ogden who left for a job in Buffalo, New York. He is portrayed as cold and often dismissive in his manner. His character always clashes with Murdoch.It is revealed that Dr. Francis accepted the position in Toronto only because his wife's family resided in Canada and after a great deal of persuasion from Inspector Brackenreid. Though he is a highly capable pathologist, the lack of trust between him and Murdoch result in frequent frustration. When Murdoch goes behind Francis' back to approach Dr. Ogden for an analysis, Francis reluctantly confirms that Ogden's analysis is correct but is furious with how Murdoch continues to interfere and doubt Francis' professional abilities. He eventually quits and returns to England.
Constable Henry Higgins
Portrayed by Lachlan Murdoch. Constable Henry Higgins is a police constable at Toronto's station house four. He frequently assists George Crabtree in investigations.Higgins is best known for doing his own thing when it comes to any sort of case or off duty business, ranging from locating a new kind of ice cream with George or watching boxing fights with Jackson. It appears that he and George are best friends, and that he is somewhat of an assistant to him. Higgins has appeared in almost all the episodes. Higgins was amongst the sceptical constables to whom Murdoch presented his Pneumograph. Henry was also one of the three who contributed to the purchase of the motor car between himself, George and Jackson in Murdoch Takes Manhattan.
Henry is prone to making frequent mistakes in episodes, but usually has a redeeming moment towards the end. Detective Murdoch has taught Henry how to correctly make shoe impressions in the mud in Child's Play after Henry messes up three footprints beforehand, having no clue how to do them exactly. When Prince Alfred visited Toronto and Constable George Crabtree was assigned to his security, Higgins assisted Detective William Murdoch with an investigation into the murder of Maggie Gilpatrick. Murdoch taught Higgins about fingermarks and how to trace a person's next of kin. When it was determined there was a plot to kidnap Prince Alfred, Higgins was selected to impersonate the prince to help safeguard His Highness. However, Higgins also tends to let words slip out of his mouth before thinking about them, but means no harm. Such an example of this is during Unlucky in Love when Higgins accidentally insults Baby Roland Connor when Detective Murdoch is worried about Roland not walking yet and suggest that 'Maybe he's just slow.' which annoys Murdoch. Higgins later apologizes sincerely for this though, never meaning to speak ill of Murdoch's son. Nevertheless, Henry has proven himself to be good with young children, during this episode as well as "Raised on Robbery".
Growing up, Higgins family owned a piano shop. He did not enjoy playing, but he loved all of the parts. It's also known that Henry's mother is from the Gaspé in Quebec, and he knows how to speak a bit of French as shown in "Convalescence and Monsieur Murdoch". Higgins has a homosexual cousin and so was aware of the secret gay club where homosexual men gathered in Toronto.
In "War on Terror", Henry is caught in an explosion along with George and is rendered unconscious, resulting in George attempting to find the culprit behind the bombing of Milne's store. The bomber is caught, and Higgins returns to the station house having been hospitalized for the majority of the episode. In the beginning of Season 10, Higgins picks up smoking cigars, but whether this was just to impress the Inspector or not is unknown, as we're never shown him smoking again after.
At the end of the Season 10 finale, along with Constable George Crabtree and Constable Slugger Jackson, Henry is caught in an ambush; all are shot and possibly murdered.
In Season 11, Higgins begins courting Ruth Newsome, sister of Roger Newsome, who was involved in several of Murdoch's investigations. In Episode 11, Higgins has taken up cricket and also engaged a butler, at Ruth's suggestion, part of his transformation to join the upper class. In Episode 12, Henry attempts to propose to Ruth but is interrupted when a body falls from a bell tower and lands just behind him, traumatizing Ruth. Ruth later proposes to Henry herself and is accepted.
Margaret Brackenreid
Margaret, portrayed by Arwen Humphreys, is married to Inspector Thomas Brackenreid and together they have two young boys. Margaret is a very passionate woman, who is always very determined in everything she does. Thomas Brackenreid had just come out of the army when Margaret's father asked him to join the family's plumbing business. Margaret thought he'd have been a good plumber, but his heart was set on the police force. Married to a policeman, she knew what she was getting into, no point in complaining about the long hours – and the worry. But still... after they had two sons, Margaret does worry about her husband's safety due to his career as a police officer. Margaret does not like the opera but instead enjoys classical music on their gramophone. She is a good cook, bakes her own bread, and is noted for her excellent plum pudding at Christmas by Murdoch.She is involved in the temperance movement for a period, and once becomes suspicious of her husband's relationship with an opera singer, but is typically portrayed as a loyal and loving partner. Brackenreid has stated he met Margaret when he was a beat cop and he arrested her for causing a disturbance. She and Thomas have two children, John and Bobby. John, the elder son, would go on to become a Constable under his father at station house four much to his mother's chagrin.
In season 9, episode 13, Unlucky in Love, Margaret Brackenreid has started a Wedding planner business.
Nina Bloom
Nina, portrayed by Erin Agostino, is the most popular burlesque dancer at the infamous Star Room. Nina doesn't much care what people think of her because her reputation is not who she is. She doesn't dance at the burlesque to snag a husband. She enjoys it and won't deny herself the things that bring her pleasure, and that includes George. George and Nina's relationship continues to be both challenging and challenged in Season 10 and by the end of Season 11, Nina leaves Toronto for her dream job in Paris.Louise Cherry
Louise, portrayed by Bea Santos, is a journalist for the Toronto Gazette. She is tenacious and very clever. Louise is a woman who doesn't take 'no' for an answer. In season 11, Louise Cherry taken to the Station House No. 4 cells for impersonating the Mercy Killer by fabricating letters from the murderer published the Toronto Gazette. Later, she has been hired by another paper, The Toronto Telegraph. She received a visit from the editor of the Toronto Telegraph while locked up in jail. His offer is quite generous, her title and wages significantly more substantial than at the Gazette. She'll team up with the Detective Watts in a criminal investigation.James and Sally Pendrick
James Pendrick and his wife Sally are the owners of the tallest building in Toronto; at 11 stories tall, it is quite a view. The Pendricks are advocates of eugenics. James is an engineer and inventor. They own Rembrandt's painting Bathsheba at Her Bath, valued around $40 000, which is stolen in an episode in Season 3. Sally is an advocate of modern art, and gives Murdoch an avant-garde nude portrait of herself. The Pendrick family played a big part in the plot over the 2nd part of season 3. Indeed, James Pendrick was suspected by Murdoch of murder, or of being an accomplice to various crimes, in 4 of the 5 cases in which he was involved, much to Pendrick's annoyance. In the last episode of Season 3, Sally Pendrick is revealed to be a criminal from upstate New York, stealing her husband's fortune, and investing in the development of a doomsday weapon.James Pendrick reappears in later seasons with various new inventions. Sally escaped justice at the end of Season 3, and her whereabouts are unknown.
Dr. Darcy Garland
Portrayed by Jonathan Watton, the husband of Dr. Julia Ogden. He does, in fact, get along just fine with Detective William Murdoch. At the end of Season 5, Julia and Darcy part ways because she realizes she is with the wrong person. However, part way into Season 6, Darcy has second thoughts on separating from Julia and tears up their divorce papers. In episode "Lovers in a Murderous Time", Murdoch spots Darcy with his own mistress. Initially confronting him, Murdoch is goaded into punching him. In episode "Crime and Punishment", Darcy is murdered and Julia is implicated in his death.Leslie Garland
Portrayed by Giacomo Gianniotti, Leslie is the brother of Darcy Garland, whom Julia meets after Darcy's death when she finds him at Darcy's house. Despite appearing cordial towards both Julia and Murdoch, he actually blames them for his brother's death and resents them. Previously a law student, Murdoch learns that Leslie was expelled from university. He remains in Toronto, working as a gardener. During his stay, he is formally introduced to Emily Grace and they form a connection over shared interests. He briefly competes with George over the affections for Dr. Grace, eventually winning her over after George breaks up with her due to a misunderstanding. However, Dr. Grace later learns that Leslie is behind a series of threatening letters addressed to Julia from the long-dead James Gillies as a form of revenge on Dr. Ogden and Murdoch. Emily breaks up with him soon afterward and reveals the truth to Dr. Ogden, who furiously expels Leslie from Darcy's home and states her intention to sell Darcy's estate.Lillian Moss
Portrayed by Sara Mitich, Lillian Moss is a suffragist, whom Emily Grace comes to know through their mutual support of women's rights. Because she refused to marry a man chosen by her family, she was disowned. It is revealed early on that Lillian is a lesbian and is extremely attracted to Dr. Grace. Emily's feelings towards Lillian remained ambiguous until "Toronto's Girl Problem", when Emily and Lillian begin a passionate romance. However, soon after Lillian convinces Emily to join her in London to pursue the suffragist cause, Lillian is murdered.After her death, Lillian's true identity is revealed to be Helen Walker. When Helen's affair with a married woman, Gladys, was discovered by Gladys' husband, Joe, the women were lured onto a boat, where Joe attempted to kill Helen. With the attempt was thwarted by Gladys, the women tossed Joe overboard, leaving him for dead, and staged a boating accident that left Helen the sole survivor because they knew the police would not believe their version of what had occurred. Despite Helen's insistence that they separate, Gladys pursued her to Toronto, where Helen had become Lillian Moss and had fallen in love with Emily Grace. When Joe, having secretly survived the attempt on his life, confronted Lillian to learn Gladys' whereabouts, he killed Lillian when she refused to reveal where Gladys had gone.
Eva Pearce
Portrayed by Daiva Johnston, Eva Pearce becomes Murdoch's nemesis, a white collar thief, kidnapper, and killer. She was deadly, manipulative, and cautious, making her a dangerous opponent of William Murdoch.In her first appearance, Eva is introduced as a shop girl in the prestigious T. Eaton Co. department store where someone has been murdered. She flirts with Murdoch, who is unaware of her attentions until Dr. Ogden points it out to him. She is revealed to be responsible for causing murders by manipulating men that she seduces. Though Murdoch thwarts her plans to court a wealthy man, she gets away and manages to attract another suitor. She subsequently takes on the identity of Cassie Chadwick, claiming to be the illegitimate daughter of Andrew Carnegie, and manages to become the fiancée of Ian Worthington, president of the Canadian Bank. Her scheme to marry Worthington and force him to take on her debts fails when Murdoch exposes her true identity and she is arrested. Eva is later sent to an insane asylum, where she and other female "lunatics" such as Mrs. Lynd, Rose Maxwell, and Charlotte, as well as a murderess named Hannah, concoct an escape plan. Eva is the only one who manages to escape, securing her freedom by tricking a man into giving her a cab ride. Presumably she will continue to con men into getting what she wants. In her final appearance, the mentally unstable Eva attempts to kill Julia and kidnaps Murdoch, with the intention of forcing herself on him to "give him the child he has always wanted" as she has become obsessed and delusional with him. She is ultimately unsuccessful, and while in a confrontation with Julia, bleeds to death after Julia manages to stab her in the throat.
Detective Llewellyn Watts
Portrayed by Daniel Maslany, Llewellyn Watts is a detective from station house 1 who is brought to station house 4 to re-examine a case where new evidence has arisen where a man sent to prison by Murdoch could be exonerated. When Inspector Brackenreid leaves station house four to accompany James Pendrick to Panama, Watts is brought back to station house four as the station detective while Murdoch serves as the acting inspector. While working at station house four, Detective Watts becomes involved in an ongoing missing persons cases, assisted by Constable Slugger Jackson, which eventually leads Watts to his long-missing older sister, who abandoned him when he was a child. After Inspector Brackenreid's return, Watts remains working with station house 4. In "Murdoch Schmurdoch", while investigating the murder of a Jewish man, Watts recognises a Jewish lullaby as the same one as the one his late mother used to sing to him; he's told that, if his mother was Jewish, then he's Jewish, too.Unlike Murdoch, Watts prefers performing his investigations outdoors and on the streets. He is extremely well-read and philosophical, approaching his cases with objective analytical logic in the vein of Sherlock Holmes. 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.
Minor recurring characters
Harry Murdoch (Harry Smith)
Portrayed by Stephen McHattie, he is the father of Detective William Murdoch. When Murdoch meets his father for the first time after a long estrangement, for most of the case, he believes his father to be a killer and primary suspect based on his own prejudice that Harry had indirectly caused his mother's death by hitting her; after his innocence was proven, at William's request his father tells him that, as flawed and a drunk as he may have been, he never hit either his mother or him. Harry leaves Toronto, telling his son that he has plans to settle in the West. Murdoch later goes to British Columbia to investigate a case with a fellow Mounted Policeman, where he meets up with his father. His father reveals to William that he has a half-brother. Harry only found out about this son in the past five years. Harry also explained why his other son believes his name is "Smith". In season 12 Harry Murdoch was killed due to his involvement in the kidnapping of an infant child 30 years earlier.Terrance Meyers
Portrayed by Peter Keleghan, he appears in twelve episodes, once in each of the series' twelve seasons. He worked for Rouge Valley Lands Ltd. in the final episode of Season 1. The company planned to dam the Rouge River and create an electrical station. He also worked for the government in a high-level position, forcing Murdoch to pull off a case, making it Murdoch's third unsolved case. Terrance appeared in episode 7 of Season 4. like his boss Sir Wilfrid Laurier, he is very much disliked by station house four and always shows up at the most suspicious times. Most of his projects revolve around ensuring Canada receives air superiority. In Season 5, he and Murdoch infiltrate a visiting anarchist organization, following a bombing that took place in the streets of Toronto. In Season 6, Meyers attempted to appropriate an airplane before its inventor, James Pendrick, pushed it into Niagara Falls. Meyers also appeared in Season 7, where he first claimed to be assigned to assisting the U.S. in tracking down an anarchist cell. In season 8, episode 17, Meyers adds to the confusion over a corpse's identity by claiming that the man was one of his secret agents.Constable Augustus Jackson
Portrayed by Kristian Bruun. Constable Augustus "Gus" Jackson first appeared in season 5 as a baseball player for station house five and was nicknamed "Slugger" for his impressive athletic abilities. He later appeared as a constable for station house four in season 6 and became a recurring character beginning in season 7. He would occasionally join Crabtree and Higgins during investigations. During Detective Watts' missing women investigation for station house four, Jackson reveals that he had a wife who died in his arms from dropsy and encourages Watts not to give up for the sake of other women. In the finale of season 10, Jackson, Higgins, and Crabtree walk into a trap set by Chief Inspector Davis, at the orders of the ruthless businessman Robert Graham; the three constables are all shot by Graham's men. When they are found by Detective Watts, Jackson is taken to the hospital with Higgins, though Jackson succumbs to his wounds. His funeral occurs at the beginning of season 11; when the constables attempt to place his portrait at the station house to honour him, corrupt councilman Franklin Williams takes it down. When station house four returns to control of Inspector Brackenreid, he restores the portrait of Jackson and he, Crabtree, and Higgins, drink in honour of their fallen comrade.Reginald Poundsett
Portrayed by Jeff Douglas, he was Dr. Julia Ogden's boyfriend throughout episode 12 and the finale episode 13. These dates occurred when Murdoch was dating Enid Jones. It was believed that Dr. Ogden was seeing Reginald Poundsett only to make Detective William Murdoch jealous.Nikola Tesla
Portrayed by Dmitry Chepovetsky. The famous inventor, Nikola Tesla, helps Murdoch solve the case in the very first episode. He really likes inventing things and improving things as he was working on transmitting wireless phone calls throughout the episode. Later in the episode he feels that his work will not make him rich, so he explores new options. He reappears in a later episode.He re-appears in season 13, episode 11, "Staring Blindly Into the Future".
Arthur Conan Doyle
Portrayed by Geraint Wyn Davies. He follows Murdoch, trying to get a grasp on detective work for a future book and personal detective skills. He refers to Murdoch and himself as "similar people", because of their fathers both being alcoholics. He appeared in season 6 to help with the matter of a man with a personality disorder that led him to believe he was Sherlock Holmes. Because Arthur Conan Doyle is the creator and authority on Sherlock Holmes he was brought to assist the detectives in tricking the man into revealing his true self. However, to Doyle's surprise, the man was an impeccable likeness to his character, offering all logical answers to his questions. Doyle even asked him how "Sherlock Holmes" could've survived his death at the Reichenbach Falls, as there was no footprints leading away from the cliff, but the man replies he retraced his own footprints. Doyle is startled and admits that's a good idea. It is suggested that the man gave the ideas that made it possible for Doyle to bring his character back to life.Sarah Pensell
Portrayed by Maria del Mar, a spiritualist medium who helps Murdoch with his case. Originally Murdoch did not trust her, but bad luck with his case caused him to change his mind and ask Ms. Pensell for help. In episode 11, Bad Medicine, after having had a vision of Murdoch's apparent death, she returned to assist him in solving a series of murders; after the case's successful conclusion, she left Toronto to travel to Prague.Enid Jones
Portrayed by Sarah Allen, a romantic interest of Murdoch appearing 5 episodes over the 2nd part of season 2. She often does not get along with Dr. Julia Ogden because she suspects that Murdoch still has feelings for her.Alwyn Jones
Portrayed by Dakota Goyo, he is the son of Enid Jones. He appears in 3 episodes in the 2nd season.Ruby Ogden
A free-living journalist, portrayed by Sarah Gadon. She is the sister of Dr. Julia Ogden, and encourages Julia to be with Detective Murdoch. She also flirts with George Crabtree and Murdoch, making her sister Julia very jealous. She is first seen with Harry Houdini. She later has an affair with H.G. Wells. She tells Dr. Ogden to not let Murdoch slip away from her.Dr. Isaac Tash
A doctor known for having an illegal abortionist business. He is a friend of Julia Ogden, having known her since their medical school days. When Julia went to him for an abortion due to a relationship she had with another man, he refused due to personal and legal reasons. When Julia almost died as a result of his decision, Isaac resolved never to allow another woman suffer as his friend did and has performed abortions in order to save the lives of other women. Due to Isaac being aware of Julia's abortion and his decision to keep it a secret, Murdoch misinterprets Isaac and Julia's relationship as romantic. Appears throughout the series twice.Anna Fulford
Portrayed by Lisa Faulkner. Murdoch's former love from Bristol, England, during season 3. She also appears in season 4, where it is revealed that she is engaged to another man. Murdoch later finds out that her fiancé was a member of the Black Hand, a criminal organization and forerunner of the Mafia, who chose to elope with Anna with the counterfeit money he was smuggling. This forced the Black Hand to kill him and put a hit on Anna, assuming she was complicit. This causes Anna to change her name. Murdoch later finds her working in a library where one of Anna's colleagues was murdered. Murdoch fears for her safety because the Black Hand still has a price on her head. By the end of the two-part episode, Murdoch fakes Anna's death, so the Black Hand would stop chasing her.Mick O'Shea
Portrayed by Jonathan Llyr. A Toronto dock worker, strongly dislikes Inspector Brackenreid to the point where he brutally beats him in an episode in season seven. He dies in a later episode.Freddie Pink
Portrayed by Alex Paxton-Beesley, Winifred "Freddie" Pink is a private detective in Montreal. She first met Murdoch when they were children as Governor General Young Scholars, where they were rivals. Tough and capable of protecting herself, she possesses a keen eye and mind, but little regard for her own personal safety. Freddie and Murdoch meet again as adults years later, when Murdoch is investigating a murder in Montreal and Freddie is investigating a divorce case. Realizing the common denominator between the cases was their attendance at the same camp, they work together to solve the murder. She later establishes her private detective business in Toronto, where Julia approaches her to investigate the actual parentage of the Murdochs' adopted son, Roland.Dr. Roberts
Dr. Roberts is a practicing psychiatrist who assists William Murdoch on a number of cases, first introduced in Season 2, played by Paul Amos. Dr. Roberts, who was recently removed from his position at the Provincial Lunatic Asylum because his research on the workings of the criminal mind ruffled too many feathers. He is quite forward-thinking and is practicing at a private hospital in Etobicoke, the Toronto Hospital for the Incurables.In "Twentieth Century Murdoch", Murdoch and the station were baffled by a supposed time machine and he consulted with Dr. Roberts on the psychiatric nature of those holding it. Dr. Roberts dropped his glass, cutting himself, and his hand trembles.
Later, George discovered it was Dr. Roberts who planted the fake Santa suit with the finger mark to prove it. Leaving to arrest him, they instead discover that Dr. Roberts was frozen by his stepbrother as he had been dying from a genetic disease. He hypnotized Murdoch into believing he had travelled in time, along with the other people who entered the "time machine". Unsure of what to do, the policemen leave him as he is, and Dr. Roberts is left in his sleeping state.