The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (2008– )

A woman opens her own detective agency in Botswana.

Stars:

Jill Scott, Anika Noni Rose, Lucian Msamati

Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 3 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Jill Scott	...	Precious Ramotswe (7 episodes, 2008-2009)
Anika Noni Rose	...	Grace Makutsi (7 episodes, 2008-2009)
Lucian Msamati	...	JLB Matekoni (7 episodes, 2008-2009)
Desmond Dube	...	BK (7 episodes, 2008-2009)
Thabo Malema	...	Charlie (5 episodes, 2008-2009)
Tau Maserumule	...	Fanwell (5 episodes, 2008-2009)
Lebogang Motubudi	...	Richard Makutsi (4 episodes, 2009)
Harish Patel	...	Mr. Patel (3 episodes, 2009)
Brenda Ngxoli	...	Florence Peko (3 episodes, 2009)
Dipshika Mahajan	...	Nandira Patel (3 episodes, 2009)
Mosako Mogara	...	Wellington (3 episodes, 2009)
Kgomotso Delia Tshwenyego	...	Rose (3 episodes, 2008-2009)

Storyline

After her father's death, sensible and cheerful Mma Precious Ramotswe sells her inherited cattle and opens the country's only female-owned detective agency. She hires Botswana Secretarial College graduate (97% in the final exams!) Grace Makutsi as her assistant. Together they solve problems big and small with their wisdom, big hearts, and endless cups of red-bush tea. Meanwhile, Mma Ramotswe's best friend, mechanic Mr. JLB Matekoni, hopes for a chance to win her heart... Based on Alexander McCall Smith's best-selling book series.

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Plot Keywords:

orphan | friendship | sick brother | secretary | africa | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Family | Mystery

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Details

Official Sites:

BBC [uk]

Country:

UK USA South Africa Botswana

Language:

English Tswana

Also Known As:

A Agência Nº1 de Mulheres Detectives

Filming Locations:

Botswana

Company Credits

Production Co:

Weinstein Company, The, Home Box Office (HBO), British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When cast, both of the lead actresses in this series were a little better-known for their professional singing than for their film or TV acting careers. Jill Scott was most famous as a Grammy-winning R&B and soul singer, though she had also been a spoken-word performer and poet and a stage actress. Anika Noni Rose won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for the Broadway show "Caroline, or Change," and also appeared in singing roles in Dreamgirls and (after starting The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency) The Princess and the Frog.

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Connections

Referenced in Breaking and Entering (2006)

User Reviews

A home run for HBO

When one is fond of a book it can be with a certain amount of trepidation to watch that story be turned into film.

This transformation was of epic proportion. The production is beautifully filmed, very well acted and the stories are fantastic. The series is being filmed in Botswana which adds immeasurably to the visual 'feel' of the story.

I don't want to spoil one millimeter of film by telling what happens, all I can say is WATCH or you will miss the boat! Watch this with your kids, your mom, your grandma and your bestest ever friends.

I look forward with great anticipation to the rest of the series.