"No hard feelings? Get real, buddy. Just because I believe in second chances doesn't mean I've forgotten how you screwed up the first chance." - Da Vinci

Da Vinci's Inquest is a Canadian crime drama that aired from 1998 through 2005. Although we never hear anyone talk about this show, it is definitely one of our favorites due to the realistic approach that it took towards all of the storylines and the characters. The series ran for 7 original seasons and an additional 8th season called Da Vinci's City Hall.

Da Vinci's Inquest mainly followed the life and work of Dominic Da Vinci, a coroner in Vancouver. Most of the episodes revolved around his cases and also the investigations of the homicide detectives that he worked with. It was interesting because although it was a show that included homicide investigations, the focus was never solely on the individual cases. It was much more about the characters and at times it felt very much like a 'day in the life' type of show.

The best part of the show, in our opinion, was definitely the realism. This show did not wrap up each case by the end of an episode, and some of the longer investigations were never even resolved by the end of the series. The characters were all very human and often made mistakes and bad judgment calls. In several episodes you even wondered if they had gotten the right guy, or if following up on a lead was even the best thing to do in a particular situation. Results from the pathologists took time for the investigators to receive, and not everything worked out in the end. Some of our favorite scenes in the show were just the very real moments between the characters, such as when Mick and Leo would be chatting in the car, or when Dominic kept getting ticketed for not having his coroner's tag displayed in his car. Those types of conversations added nothing to the plot but added so much to the characters, and these types of moments are often excluded from other shows. The writing was also very well done and all of the actors were amazing.

On the flip side, because since it was so real, some of the storylines became increasingly uncomfortable to watch. Mick's downward spiral, for example, showed just how easy it was for someone who had everything together to just crumble. And in the later seasons, the focus on Brian Curtis led the show down a very dark path. We saw the real side of him but the other characters, while they knew what he was doing, were just powerless to do anything to stop him. It was such a contrast to other crime dramas where the 'bad' guy usually doesn't get away with it. And he didn't just get away with everything he did, but he got promoted to homicide detective.

Although we still enjoyed the City Hall season, we felt that the show lost it's way a little there since it was such a departure from the rest of the series. Since Da Vinci was the mayor, his focus on the show became more about playing political games instead of what we preferred, which was watching him work as the coroner. It just got a little boring with him in the different role. We also didn't enjoy the police department scenes as much because they switched up the partnerships we had grown to love. It was weird to see Brian, Joe, and Chick as homicide detectives, and we really missed Leo, Rose, and Sue as a part of the cast.

Overall Da Vinici's Inquest is an amazingly well written and acted series that I enjoy watching over and over. No other show that I've seen has come close to matching the realistic tone or characters. It is just a great series that everyone involved should be very proud of being a part of.

Favorites

	Liz	Jen
Character	Da Vinci, Mick, Leo, Angie, Rose	Dominic Da Vinci, Mick Leary
Season	5	5
Relationship	Angie and Sue, Mick and Leo, Mick/Sunny, Leo and Rose, Da Vinci and Helen	Angie and Sue, Mick/Sunny, Leo and Rose, Mick and Leo