ITV Midsomer Murders fans brand series finale 'worst ever' as Neil Dudgeon addresses being replaced

The season finale of 'Midsomer Murders' aired last Sunday, and it's fair to say it hasn't gone down well with the show's fans. The popular detective series concluded its 23rd season with the episode "Dress to Kill" on ITV, leaving viewers feeling underwhelmed.

In the season's final chapter, DCI John Barnaby (played by Neil Dudgeon) and DS Jamie Winter (Nick Hendrix) investigated a complicated case intertwining with a charity drag event meant to benefit a teenager facing terminal illness. Yet, the same night's anticipated dominoes competition brought untold strife.

However, a wave of fan discontent emerged on social media following the episode with some fans claiming to "switch channels". One dissatisfied viewer remarked on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter: "It's got nothing to do with who's wearing what. It's got to do with awful GCSE drama acting," reports Nottinghamshire Live.

Echoing the sentiment, another chimed: "Well, that's two hours of my life I won't be getting back."

Another viewer further critiqued the episode, resolving, "Well, this is an episode I won't be watching again," while yet another voiced their disappointment, "The worst episode I've seen, and I've seen many more than once."

Grievances about the characters and plot of the show persist, with viewers airing their frustrations on social media: "Bad acting and poor story ...sort it out @itv. Winter is wooden, and Fleur is a cliche," while others lamented, "This episode is so bad the writing, the acting everything," highlighting a divide in fan reactions.

Despite the criticisms, there were those who took joy in the latest installment, turning to Twitter to share their sentiments: "Well, I really enjoyed that!"

Ahead of the series finale, Neil