If I am honest, I was quite surprised when David Mitchell announced on X, “the start of a new detective show which I’m in.” The reason is simple: based on his stage persona—which I highly doubt is much different from his real-life self—built over years on shows like Peep Show and Would I Lie to You?, it’s easy to imagine that most of his characters would be more likely to vomit at the sight of a bloodied corpse, let alone examine one.
Yet perhaps it’s no surprise that John Taylor, portrayed by Mitchell, is a solver of puzzles. The show’s title, Ludwig, is the alias under which he’s known in the enigmatic world of puzzles. John finds himself pulled from his cocoon of comfort by his sister-in-law, Lucy Betts-Taylor (Anna Maxwell Martin), after his twin brother, DCI James Taylor, also played by Mitchell, goes missing while pursuing a case entangled with those who can put him and his family in great danger.
Half-persuaded by Lucy and half-irritated by unsolved cases, John slips into his missing brother’s shoes, going undercover to launch a career in cracking record-breaking mysteries. As he tackles each week’s case, John also aids Lucy in solving the clues James left behind—a puzzle that slowly unravels John’s own traumatic past. With their father having abandoned John, James, and their mother long ago, mirroring James’s own sudden disappearance, it becomes clear that puzzles are more than just a passion for John; they are a shield he built to protect himself as a child.
For someone socially awkward and indifferent to motives, there could be no better way for John to solve murders than by relying on his puzzle-solving lateral thinking skills. In certain cases, the show sidesteps the heavy-lifting of explaining exactly how John reaches his conclusions, a decision that may leave hardcore crime fiction lovers unsatisfied. Yet, this lighter approach eases the intensity, as sometimes one does get tired of the endless guessing game when faced with a room full of suspects.
Elevated by Mitchell’s comedic brilliance and moments of unexpected poignancy, Ludwig is a delight that leaves the viewer craving more and eagerly awaiting a second season.
