Whodunnit — The best TV mysteries

Wedding of the century has finally arrived ... Nolan rose (played by Gabriel Mann) and Emily Thorne (Emily VanCamp) in Revenge. Source: Supplied

TELEVISION loves a whodunnit — and if there's a chance of death or serious injury wrapped up in the intrigue, all the better for the ratings.

Hit drama Revenge reaches its mid-season nexus tomorrow night, with audiences who have managed to avoid spoilers finally discovering who pulls the trigger on avenging leading lady Emily (Emily VanCamp).

Revenge specialises in the classic whodunnit — giving the result (in this case, Emily Thorne toppling off a boat to a presumably watery grave, the blood from two gunshots blooming against her wedding dress) — long before it fills in the blanks.

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The classic whodunnit elements are a long lost of suspects, a school of red-herrings, and — even when the end game seems inevitable — a twist in the tale.

Here, we revisit some other classic television mysteries:

1 WHO SHOT JR?

Famous TV episode ... Actor Larry Hagman as JR Ewing in Dallas. Source: News Limited

THE grand-daddy of them all, this is the whodunnit which became television folklore.

When evil oil baron JR Ewing (played with merciless aplomb by the late Larry Hagman) was shot twice by an unseen assailant in April, 1980, it kickstarted seven-months of water-cooler speculation around the world.

The "Who shot JR?' campaign took on a life of its own — with T-shirts, bookmakers odds on who had done it, and international debate. References to the mystery popped up in other TV shows, the US presidential campaign of that year, and Hagman's smirking alter-ego gained cult status.

The "Who Done It' the episode that exposed the assailant (JR's mistress and sister-in-law Kristin Shepard, played by Mary Crosby did the deed in a fit of anger) was watched by an estimated worldwide audience of 300 million. It has been endlessly parodied, lauded, and used as a cliffhanger/mystery drama model ever since.

Efforts to revive Dallas with the 2012 sequel series were not nearly as successful — despite Hagman reprising the role of the Texas oil magnate, until Hagman's death in November, 2012.

2 WHO KILLED MAGGIE DOYLE?

Australia's sweetheart ... Lisa McCune played Maggie Doyle in Blue Heelers. Source: News Corp Australia

AT the height of Blue Heelers' popularity, the role of police officer Maggie Doyle had Lisa McCune labelled as Australia's sweetheart. Everyone loved the cop from Mount Thomas, including her colleague, PJ (Martin Sachs) and viewers lapped up the pair's blossoming romance over six seasons.

The case the killed her came in season seven in 2000, with an investigation gone horribly wrong, and Maggie opting for witness protection, which also went desperately pear-shaped. Her faithful PJ turned up in time to see her taken down in a hail of bullets, and she died in his arms.

The hunt for the killer (PJ was arrested, then had to prove he was famed before Maggie's brother Mick was unmasked as the killer) and the Maggie Doyle farewell episodes were some of the most-watched moments in Aussie TV history.

3 WHO KILLED LAURA PALMER?

Celebrated drama ... Cheryl Lee as Laura Palmer was found wrapped in plastic in Twin Peaks. Source: News Corp Australia

TWIN Peaks posed this mystery over two unsettling seasons from 1990 in 1990, in what became a cult hit. Audiences were enthralled with the mystery of Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) the homecoming queen whose body was found wrapped in plastic beside a river in the opening episode.

As her double life was exposed, a cast of suspects was thrown up, and the show spiralled into an addictive mix of supernatural meets serial killer meets 'suspect everyone and second-guess everything' which was as addictive as it was frustrating.

But the show's surreal appeal — and the value of the 'who killed Laura Palmer' merchandise — waned mid — season in series two, when the killer was revealed as her father under the influence of an evil spirit.

4 WHO PUSHED PR?

Pushed and left fighting for his life ... Stefan Dennis played Paul Robertson in drama series Neighbours. Source: Supplied

AUSSIE drama stalwart Neighbours marked its 6000th episode with its own take on the 'Who shot JR" model, with its resident villain Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis) front and centre.

Robinson, an original character in the show, found plenty of enemies on Ramsay Street thanks to his dodgy dealings.

So there was no shortage of suspects for 'Who pushed PR?' in 2010 when he was left fighting for his life after being pushed from the mezzanine level of Lassiter's Hotel as Neighbours chalked up 25 years on air.

On set, the guessing game was as real, with Dennis told only just before the scene was shot who would be doing the pushing. The pusher — who incidentally, would have been a shooter, except for the show's 'G' rating — was ultimately unmasked as Jane Hall's Rebecca Robinson.

REVENGE, MONDAY, 9PM, CHANNEL SEVEN

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