BBC viewers have been left feeling 'disappointed' just two episodes into the latest series of hit crime drama Ludwig. The murder mystery programme garnered widespread acclaim when it first aired in 2024, earning two BAFTA TV nominations. It has now returned for its second run, with David Mitchell reprising his role as the titular character, John 'Ludwig' Taylor.
Wedding murder mystery criticised
In the second episode of series two, the puzzle-designer-turned-detective is called upon to crack a baffling murder that was witnessed by an entire wedding party. The victim, who was stabbed to death, had several enemies among those in attendance, which muddied the waters of the investigation. Furthermore, detectives suspected the killing had occurred during a big wedding dance, yet somehow nobody had noticed.
Faced with this perplexing case, Ludwig finds himself going round in circles attempting to establish precisely what occurred. Having sat through the episode, viewers at home have said that the murder mystery wasn't very convincing, reports Wales Online.
Fans point to forensic evidence
Posting on Reddit, one viewer wrote: "The deduction in this one felt a bit unnecessary since based on what we saw of the murder there should be an enormous amount of forensic evidence." Another user concurred, responding: "Seemingly, forensics doesn't exist in this world. I'm finding this season more annoying than the first."
It is disclosed in the closing moments of the episode that the murder had in fact taken place before the victim joined the rest of the wedding party. The crime was entirely spontaneous and the perpetrator simply fled after stabbing his victim, which meant plenty of forensic evidence would have been present on the deceased.
Although the detectives uncover certain details based on forensics, fans think they would have been able to uncover the entire mystery because of how sloppy the original crime was. Other viewers chimed in to concur that this particular episode's whodunit failed to match the standard of previous instalments.
Mixed reactions to series two
"This episode wasn't my favourite - purely because the murder of the week wasn't as strong compared to others," one viewer posted. Another fan shared their assessment of the series to date, writing: "So far somewhat disappointed in this series compared to series 1."
However, the programme has also garnered considerable praise, with one X user enthusing: "Another fab episode of #Ludwig this week! The writers of this show are totally knocking it out of the park, I love immersing myself in this world weekly. More of these witty slick shows please." The first three episodes of Ludwig season 2 are streaming now on BBC iPlayer.
