Murder Call poster
Seen it?

Murder Call

TV·1997–2000·3 seasons, 56 episodes·Nine Network·Drama, Crime·1h·Created by Hal McElroy, Jennifer Rowe

Streaming on (US) Amazon Prime VideofuboTVSee all

An unconventional team of homicide detectives face various cases, as led by Tessa Vance and Steve Hayden. Hayden is an often light-hearted 'man's man' who is moving up the career hierarchy, while Vance is more introspective and no-nonsense, and often solves the murder with intuition and insight. Their team includes boss Inspector Malcolm Thorne, Constable Dee Suzeraine, forensic services expert Lance Fisk, and unorthodox doctor Imogen 'Tootsie' Soames.

Cast

Episodes by season

Season0116Episodes1997AiredSeason avg
  1. S01E01Ashes to AshesAugust 11, 1997A man out for an early morning surf gets more than he bargained for when surf blows a corpse out of the water and into his face. It appears
  2. S01E02The BurialAugust 18, 1997Late night. A voice recites limericks on a moonlit beach. Suddenly, all goes quiet. A grey dawn, and a dog and its owner, the stern Major Ri
  3. S01E03Cat and MouseAugust 25, 1997Wheelchair bound Spinner congratulates himself on finishing a piece of artwork by pouring a cold beer and logging on to his favourite intern
  4. S01E04Dead CleanSeptember 1, 1997While investigating a series of bizarre murders, Steve and Tessa are drawn to the local community centre, a drop in for former mental patien
  5. S01E05Who Killed Cock Robin?September 8, 1997To the outside world former football star Robin Cochrane was a picture of charm, but when he is found poisoned by a chemical solvent, Tessa
  6. S01E06Hot ShotSeptember 15, 1997When Maddie Herman, a paparazzi photographer who made her living out of the gossip and innuendo of the lives of others is found murdered, St
  7. S01E07Black FridaySeptember 22, 1997Steve and Tessa are called in to solve the murder of Trevor Parkin, his body was found one Friday afternoon in a zoo - he was wearing a gori
  8. S01E08Last StopSeptember 29, 1997Abel Jago sits dead in an armchair before his valuable toy railway, on which the train of cars make their rounds. The railway engineer left
  9. S01E09Something WickedOctober 6, 1997Tessa and Steve are confronted with a conspiracy of silence while investigating the death of a man with a history of abuse.
  10. S01E10Drop Dead GorgeousOctober 13, 1997Steve and Tessa are baffled when former football star Wayne Pascall is found stabbed to death in a lift, with a missing woman's handbag next
  11. S01E11Dead and GoneOctober 20, 1997When Krystyan Balzan is found dead at the bottom of the stairs in his house, Steve and Tessa believe he came home unexpectedly and disturbed
  12. S01E12Wages of SinOctober 27, 1997Steve and Tessa investigate the death of a woman found in an area notorious for prostitutes. When they learn the woman was a pregnant nun an
  13. S01E13An Eye for an EyeNovember 3, 1997When a mummified body is found in an empty house, it is identified as that of Karen Diskin, the daughter of police inspector Snowy Muldoon,
  14. S01E14Blood HeatNovember 10, 1997The brutal murder of a video store owner initially appears to be linked to a protest demonstration until other suspects emerge.
  15. S01E15Fall From GraceNovember 17, 1997Tessa suspects an apparent suicide is really an elaborate scam designed to cover a woman's disappearance.
  16. S01E16HeartstopperNovember 24, 1997When the general manager of a department store is found dead during the store's opening, the owner and employees become the main suspects in

Season 1 ranked & reviewed

Season0220Episodes1998AiredSeason avg
  1. S02E01Dared to DeathJuly 7, 1998When a professional stuntman is found dead, hanging in a harness outside the window of his apartment, Steve and Tessa must determine whether
  2. S02E02Many Unhappy ReturnsJuly 14, 1998Steve and Tessa rush to solve the crime of a man who is murdered on his 50th birthday.
  3. S02E03Skin DeepJuly 21, 1998When Dr. Theo Magnus, a leading cosmetic surgeon, is ambushed in his clinic and brutally murdered with a scalpel, his family and staff shed
  4. S02E04Fatal CharmJuly 28, 1998Steve and Tessa investigate when the body of a young women is found, having been killed by a blow to the head before being set alight.
  5. S02E05Short CircuitAugust 4, 1998When a young woman is electrocuted by her twin brother's robot, the subsequent investigation leads Tessa and Steve to uncover a bizarre tang
  6. S02E06Cold ComfortAugust 11, 1998The body of a beautiful women, victim of hit-and-run accident, is taken to the morgue. Tootsie arrives shortly afterwards to find the body m
  7. S02E07Murder in ReverseAugust 18, 1998When the body of a women is found in a local dump, Tessa and Steve discover that her husband received a ransom note two days before.
  8. S02E08More than Meets the EyeAugust 25, 1998A gruesome discovery draws Steve and Tessa into a case that leads them into the dark stormwater tunnels of the city.
  9. S02E09DeadfallSeptember 9, 1998Thorne is convinced he saw a man pushed off a building roof, but cannot locate the body at first. When the body turns up, Steve and Tessa no
  10. S02E10Deadline (1)September 22, 1998A bizarre murder in a city amusement park is the first in a series of horrible killings inspired by an innocent nursery rhyme. Homicide's yo
  11. S02E11Deadline (2)September 22, 1998A bizarre murder in a city amusement park is the first in a series of horrible killings inspired by an innocent nursery rhyme. Homicide's yo
  12. S02E12Something FishySeptember 29, 1998Steve and Tessa uncover a web of blackmail and obsession while investigating the murder of two business partners.
  13. S02E13A Dress to Die ForOctober 6, 1998When the detectives attend an extravagant costume hire shop, they find the shop's young security guard dead.
  14. S02E14Menu for MurderOctober 13, 1998When a food critic drops dead in a restaurant, Tessa finds there is no shortage of suspects as the critic was universally loathed and regula
  15. S02E15Cry WolfOctober 20, 1998Steve and Tessa are called to the murder scene of a woman who had called the police twice the night before she was murdered.
  16. S02E16A View to a KillOctober 27, 1998When Tessa and Steve investigate the death of a museum curator, they soon realise that his public face as a knowledgeable and well liked man
  17. S02E17Blowing the WhistleNovember 3, 1998When the referee at a women's soccer match is murdered in full view of 100 people, the detectives are puzzled when they cannot find a single
  18. S02E18Instrument of DeathNovember 10, 1998The Klein String Quartet is a hotbed of passions and hatreds. When its founder and first violinist is found murdered, the other three member
  19. S02E19Bone DeadNovember 17, 1998Tessa and Steve are drawn into a web of mystery and intrigue when legendary paleontologist Dr. Charlie Minogue is murdered, and his attracti
  20. S02E20Mix 'N' MatchNovember 24, 1998Following the bizzare murder of a medical professor, Tessa and Steve must carefully interpret a series of cryptic clues left by the killer.

Season 2 ranked & reviewed

Season0320Episodes1999–00AiredSeason avg
  1. S03E01Dead OfferingsApril 21, 1999Tessa and Steve investigate when a young blind man is found dead in a swimming pool.
  2. S03E02Evil ChancesApril 28, 1999A sports teacher is found impaled at a boarding school and is found by Fisk's older sister. Tessa and Steve investigate, but Fisk is frustra
  3. S03E03Tongue TiedMay 5, 1999A mutilited body is found near a church, with identical markings to the victims of a serial killer 15 years ago- Thorne's first case. Experi
  4. S03E04Dying DayMay 12, 1999Steve and Tessa investigate when a young woman is found hanging from a tree limb in a popular city park, and Tootsie's preliminary findings
  5. S03E05Death in the FamilyMay 19, 1999A vagrant is found dead at an inner city underpass surrounded by the corpses of poisoned sparrows. When Tootsie diagnoses death by strychnin
  6. S03E06Death Down MarketJune 2, 1999When a woman is found murdered in a neighbourhood that is terrorised by a local gang, Steve and Tessa are called in to investigate.
  7. S03E07A Blow to the HeartJune 16, 1999Tessa and Steve are called in to investigate a series of murders revolving around a prominent bio-chemistry lab.
  8. S03E08Bad BusinessJune 30, 1999Tessa and Steve investigate what appears to be a routine case, but soon uncover a dangerous web of blackmail and righteous fanaticism.
  9. S03E09Hide and SeekJuly 14, 1999Following the suspicious death of an elderly worker, Tessa and Steve must race against time to avert another tragedy growing from the ruins
  10. S03E10Booming BusinessJuly 28, 1999Tessa and Steve uncover a web of intrigue surrounding businessman Brian Hart's horrific death when he is killed as he commutes to work by tr
  11. S03E11Cut and DriedAugust 4, 1999Tessa and Steve investigate a murder where nothing is as it seems.
  12. S03E12A Stab in the DarkAugust 14, 2000When horror novelist Sebastian Tombs is found lying dead with a knife in his back, Tessa and Steve must investigate the four people closest
  13. S03E13Grave MattersAugust 21, 2000As a crypt is opened for an interment, the funeral goers are shocked to discover the sarcophagus already occupied by the corpse of a young w
  14. S03E14Paid in FullAugust 28, 2000A man's body is found floating in a spa, a large roll of cash stuffed into his mouth. Steve and Tessa discover that almost everyone who knew
  15. S03E15Last ActSeptember 4, 2000A busker suffers from hallucinations while performing mime outside a train station. When he collapses and dies, Tootsie's autopsy points to
  16. S03E16Scent of EvilSeptember 11, 2000A woman is ripped to shreds by savage dogs on the grounds of an empty house. Steve and Tessa must determine whether her death was an acciden
  17. S03E17Still LifeSeptember 18, 2000At the opening night of his exhibition, artist Vincent Osborne's head is discovered inside his own death mask.
  18. S03E18Absent FriendsSeptember 25, 2000While attending a school reunion, Tessa is called to a homicide on the school grounds. The victim is one of her friends — stabbed in a reena
  19. S03E19House of SpiritsOctober 2, 2000Tessa and Steve investigate when a psychic conducting a séance in a storm-swept house is shot dead by the ghost of the man he was trying to
  20. S03E20Done to DeathOctober 9, 2000The cleaner at an up-market beauty parlour makes a gruesome find — the proprietor strung up in a tanning booth and roasted like a pig-on-a-s

Season 3 ranked & reviewed

Shows like Murder Call all similar shows

The closest matches on shared genres, ranked by match strength and popularity.

  1. 01Drama·Crime·ThrillerTrue Detective2014–presentStreaming on HBO MaxTouch darkness and darkness touches you back.8.1Compare
  2. 02Drama·Crime·ComedyFargo2014·FXStreaming on HuluFargo is a seasonal anthology crime drama with some dark comical elements, inspired by the film Fargo written by the Coen brothers.8.6Compare
  3. 03Drama·CrimeChicago P.D.2014–present·NBCAlso on Amazon Prime VideoDistrict 21 of the Chicago Police Department is made up of two distinctly different groups.8.0Compare
  4. 04Drama·Crime·ActionNCIS2003–present·CBSStreaming on NetflixNCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) is more than just an action drama.7.9Compare
  5. 05Drama·Crime·ThrillerThe Blacklist2013–2023·NBCStreaming on NetflixThe Blacklist is a crime drama involving a former government agent who turned into a high-profile criminal turning himself in to the FBI offering to help catch criminals.8.1Compare
  6. 06Drama·Crime·ThrillerCriminal Minds2005–present·Paramount+Also on Amazon Prime VideoCriminal Minds revolves around an elite team of FBI profilers who analyze the country's most twisted criminal minds, anticipating their next moves before they strike again.8.1Compare

Head-to-head pick any opponent

Stack Murder Call's full episode-rating history against a rival, on one chart.

Keep exploring top shows