The Famous Pulp Detective Book Series Come to Life (to Solve Cases About Death)

What:

A man’s mid-life crisis and impulsive career change … gone right?

It’s 1970’s Mexico City. Héctor Belascoarán Shayne suddenly leaves his stable but lifeless engineering job and loveless marriage to pursue his exciting dream of becoming a private investigator. He orders a detective kit via a magazine advertisement and rents an office shared with a plumber to start his business.

His first case? Catching Mexico City’s strangler serial killer by going on a famous TV quiz show and offering himself as alluring bait.

Eventually joined by the thrill-seeking race-car driver Irene, he throws himself fully in his cases as he learns the ropes of detective work, soon clashing with the city’s police force and its corrupt head, who shadily warns Belascoarán to stay out of trouble.

Why:

The show is pulpy and self-aware, which makes its mix of mystery and action extremely fun. The storylines from Paco Ignacio Taibo II have great bits of detail, and Luis Gerardo Méndez plays the balance of goofy but serious protagonist well.

Each episode plays like a mini-movie which is fitting since the runtimes hover around 80 minutes, so the show is perfect for when you want something bigger than a typical show but not as mentally draining as a full-length movie.

Overall, this is an excellent show for a high intermediate learner. I highly recommend it as your next watch.

How:

Belascoarán, PI has one season with three episodes (1 hour and 20 minutes each) available to stream through Netflix in the USA.