Frankie Drake Mysteries
| Fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Frankie Drake Mysteries |
| Abbreviation(s): | |
| Creator: | Carol Hay, Michelle Ricci |
| Date(s): | November 6, 2017 – March 8, 2021 |
| Medium: | Live Action Television |
| Country of Origin: | Canada |
| External Links: | Wikipedia IMDb |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
This article or section needs expansion. |
Frankie Drake Mysteries is a Canadian drama following the cases of private investigators, Frankie Drake and Trudy Clarke, set in 1920s Toronto.
Canon
Frankie Drake Mysteries primarily follows the lives and investigations carried out by four women: Frankie Drake and Trudy Clarke of Drake Private Detectives, Flo Chakowitz who works as a morgue attendant, and Mary Shaw, a morality officer.
Frequently taking on cases that the police won't, the show draws on historical events and characters for a number of episodes, as the four work together to solve various crimes.
Frankie Drake Mysteries exists in the same universe as Murdoch Mysteries. Two years before season one of Frankie Drake aired, there was a webseries entitled "Frankie Drake Mysteries: A Cold Case" , where Frankie gets word her father could be involved with a cold case from 1905 conducted by Brackenreid and Watts. Each episode was 3-4 minutes long and remain available to watch at YouTube [1]. George Crabtree would later appear as an older, retired detective in the Frankie Drake Mysteries, season one episode, "The Pilot".
After the show's cancellation, there was also a children's cartoon called 'Mary and Flo on the Go' which focused on Mary and Flo, traveling around the world to solve mysteries of their own. It also remains free to watch on Youtube [2].
Cancellation
In February 2021, during the airing of the fourth season, it was announced that Frankie Drake Mysteries would not be returning for season five, leaving the show to end on a cliffhanger[1]. There was some disappointment expressed amongst fans, with a few comparing the ongoing renewals of Murdoch Mysteries (which is on season 17 as of 2023) despite declining quality in some fan's views, to the much shorter run Frankie Drake Mysteries got[2] [3].
Fandom
While the show was discussed on various social media platforms and there was disappointment voiced at its cancellation, in fandom spaces like Archive of Our Own and Tumblr it is definitely a small fandom. As of November 2023, there is 1 work (a crossover) on Fanfiction.net and 89 works on Archive of Our Own, with 77 of them written by two people.
Fan Commentary
So Frankie Drake was hit on by a woman, Flo made friends with a drag queen and punched a homophobic cop, and all the gals went to a gay club. That’s how we fight bigotry in the MMCU.beautifulscreaminglady [4]
Just discovered Frankie Drake Mysteries is on the PBS website. Man, oh man, is this show subtext central. Trudy burst in on Frankie in the bath, and neither one of them comments on it. Frankie and Mary is more of a mentor/mentee situation, but still... potential. Could be a lot of fun!oldschoolvillageidiot [5]
Connections with Other Fandoms
Lauren Lee Smith, who played Frankie Drake, was a main character in both The Listener (TV) and Mutant X, both shows with small fandoms for them as well. Chantel Riley stared in Wynonna Earp (TV series) and voiced Layla Hassan in multiple Assassin's Creed games.
Multiple cast from Frankie Drake Mysteries, including Lauren Lee Smith, Rebecca Liddiard, and Shannon Matthews, made single episode appearances in Murdoch Mysteries, but unlike George Crabtree's cameo, these characters were never linked to the Frankie Drake series.
Shipping
The fandom on AO3 leans mostly sapphic, with 73 of the 89 works marked as F/F.
The most common pairings are:
The only other romantic pairing with more than 1 work is the poly ship: Frankie Drake/Moses Page/Mary Shaw.
Example Fanworks
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
Fanfiction
Fan art
- Frankie and Trudy for AU-ctober by sunshineracoon
- Frankie, Trudy, Flo, and Mary by teaofgan
Archives and Communities
References
- ^ 'Frankie Drake Mysteries' to Conclude with Season 4 - Tellyvisions. March 8, 2021. (Accessed November 9, 2023).
- ^ "tirsu post at Tumblr". Archived from the original on 2023-11-09.
- ^ "thraximunday post at Tumblr". Archived from the original on 2023-11-09.
- ^ "beautifulscreaminglady post at Tumblr". Archived from the original on 2023-11-09.
- ^ "oldschoolvillageidiot post at Tumblr". Archived from the original on 2023-11-09.