lovejoy, series 4: up to his old tricks

Lovejoy (Ian McShane) has always walked a fine line between legitimate and slightly shady deals - such seems to be the nature of the antiques trade. But in Lovejoy, Series 4, the always charming rogue has crossed over to out-and-out swindling - for a good cause, naturally - the saving of his own skin. Lovejoy is a "divvie," someone who has the gift of being able to sniff out a real antique. This feature has both helped and hindered Lovejoy in his life, loves, and business.

Lovejoy Antiques, Inc.: L-R: Tinker (Dudley Sutton), Lady Jane Felsham (Phyllis Logan), Eric (Chris Jury), and Lovejoy (Ian McShane).

As the series opens, Lovejoy Antiques, Inc. has been seized by the authorities - and Lovejoy is not only out of a home, but his livelihood. He starts scrambling immediately, setting up some deals with his friends and sidekicks, Eric (Chris Jury) and Tinker (Dudley Sutton), while trying to keep some of the more gruesome details hidden from Lady Jane Felsham (Phyllis Logan), who will most definitely not approve. Lovejoy and Lady Jane have always had an on-again, off-again flirtation that has sometimes crossed over to romance, but this season sees the Lady's affections sorely tested. Viewers will recognize Phyllis Logan as Downton Abbey's Mrs. Hughes, who has finally found love on that program with the redoubtable butler Mr. Carson. But will her character Lady Jane fare as well with the rascally Lovejoy?

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lovejoy's back for more antiques, crime and fun

Acorn Media has recently released Lovejoy, Series 2, and it is just as much fun as the first series. Based on the books by Jonathan Gash, Lovejoy stars Ian McShane as an antiques dealer who has an eye for authenticity — in antiques and women. The British series was originally filmed and aired in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with the A&E Network showing the series stateside in the 1990s. Fans of McShane and the series should be very happy that Lovejoy is finally available on DVD.

Lovejoy is a British mystery series, but the accent is more on character and story than whodunnit. Frequently Lovejoy and his friends find themselves involved in so many plots and switcheroos that most of the fun comes from trying to figure out who's on top at the moment. When viewers first met Lovejoy last season, he was trying to balance his antiques business with his gifts as a "divvie," a person who can suss out whether an object is the genuine article or a fake. He was frequently plagued by a rival antiques dealer, Charles Gimbert, aided and abetted in his schemes by pals Tinker Dill (Dudley Sutton) and Eric Catchpole (Chris Jury), and becoming friends with the lovely lady of the local manor, Lady Jane Felsham (Phyllis Logan).

Gimbert is gone in the second series, Jane and Lovejoy are now business "partners," and Tinker and Eric are still on hand to run interference whenever Lovejoy needs. Lovejoy is still (almost always) broke. In fact, the first episode of season two, "Just Desserts," finds him being released from prison — after being framed — and he is determined to find out who in the antiques trade set him up. His time in jail has echoes throughout the season, with the local constabulary always suspicious of his movements, and Lovejoy frequently seeking revenge for himself, or justice for other innocent parties. There are some familiar faces from British film and television as guests stars this season, and Lovejoy and Jane even let a few sparks fly between them. ...


Read my complete review on Cinema Sentries