Acorn TV offers great whodunit series and more from Britain and beyond
Author Agatha Christie was called “the Queen of Crime” thanks to her mega-popular British murder mysteries (selling about two-billion novels to date). Christie gave people an appetite for whodunit stories, especially those set in quaint little villages in the English countryside. Now Acorn TV, which offers the “Queens of Mystery” series, is taking that appetite and offering a big buffet of tasty treats to satisfy anyone’s crime-solving cravings.
Acorn TV is a fab streaming service (owned by AMC Networks) presenting world-class mysteries, dramas, and comedies, many great ones from Britain. Now they are becoming must-see TV in the U.S.
Thanks to Acorn TV’s relationship with PBS stations, U.S. viewers tune in weekly to some of their wonderful shows, such as the top-rated Doc Martin. But Acorn’s streaming allows impatient viewers to binge a whole season, and offers other shows from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Mexico, and more. The best series from those countries are creating a rabid fan base for Acorn TV. “We even garnered an Emmy nomination for one of our first commissioned series, ‘Queens of Mystery,’” Matt Graham, General Manager of Acorn TV, proudly announced at the Television Critics Association (TCA) winter 2020 press tour.
“We have a rich slate of dramas and mysteries, shows distinguished by their storytelling craft where the writing makes you think, the acting makes you feel, and the production transports you to another place. It’s this focus that has made Acorn TV North America’s premiere destination for the best television from Britain and beyond,” Graham reported.
Fan favorites include “Murdoch Mysteries” Season 13 airing now starring Yannick Bisson as the dashing detective solving crimes in Toronto at 1900s turn of the century.
Plus, “Agatha Raisin” Series 3 (an Acorn TV original) has three new mysteries debuting throughout February (Feb. 10, 17 and 24). It stars Emmy-nominated actress Ashley Jensen (“Extras,” “Ugly Betty”) as the sassy detective in the adaptations of M.C. Beaton’s best-selling novels. Jensen was at TCA last month to talk about playing the very comical Agatha and said, “I get quite excited by physical comedy, like Charlie Chaplin and Lucille Ball. I’ve got quite an expressive face. I’ve had no work done, so it moves.”
She admits that Agatha’s a little man hungry. “Yeah. I don’t think she would say no if something that’s pleasing on the eye is going to come up and make her an offer. And Agatha just doesn’t take no for an answer.” Would she be best friends with Agatha? Jensen revealed, “I think I would be a wee bit scared of her to be honest.”
The comedy-drama series follows a London PR maven turned amateur sleuth, who becomes entangled in mischief and murder in the Cotswolds. Agatha becomes an official private investigator this season and continues with her wild adventures as she explores the lighter side of murder. And her love life is a mystery too, with British history author, James Lacey (Jamie Glover) as her on-and-off-again beau.
At TCA, it was announced that “Blood” Series 2 (Acorn TV Original Series co-production) premieres March 9 with its first two episodes. It’s been compared to “Broadchurch” by critics and called “a dark, addictive and unmissable crime drama.” The top-rated Irish psychological mystery stars Adrian Dunbar (“Line of Duty”) as Jim Hogan, a doctor from a small Irish town with a family full of secrets. In Series 2, Hogan returns home a year after the suspicious death of his wife, determined to reconnect with his family. But when eldest daughter Fiona (Gràinne Keenan, last seen in “Victoria”) is in an accident, a disturbing discovery threatens to tear them apart again.
A real roaring ’20s hottie is coming March 23 streaming on Acorn TV with the premiere of the feature film “Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears” starring Essie Davis. The movie was a hit at January’s Palm Springs International Film Festival and it’s also in theaters this spring.
“The Crypt of Tears” continues the “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries” which aired for three seasons (2012-15) and was a mega-popular Australian series worldwide. Essie Davis (“Game of Thrones”) embodies the sexy detective role that made her a star. Filmed on location in Morocco and set in the stylish Jazz Age, the story follows the stunning Miss Phryne Fisher on a Saharan adventure in search of an ancient treasure. She has help with Detective Inspector Jack Robinson (Nathan Page) in hot pursuit of sizzling and seductive Miss Fisher.
Tune in and find out whodunit streaming on acorn.tv.
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