Fox has unveiled its programming lineup for the upcoming 2024-2025 season, featuring a mix of new dramas and an animated series set to premiere in the fall, with additional launches slated for midseason. Among the new dramas introduced is ‘Murder in a Small Town,’ based on a nine-book novel series by L.R. Wright.
‘Murder in a Small Town’ follows Karl Alberg (Rossif Sutherland), who moves to a quiet coastal town to soothe a psyche that has been battered by big-city police work. But this gentle paradise has more than its share of secrets, and Karl will need to call upon all the skills that made him a world-class detective in solving the murders that continue to wash up on his shore.
Aside from leads Sutherland and Kristin Kreuk, the cast also includes guest stars Paula Patton, James Cromwell, Stana Katic, Mya Lowe, Savonna Spracklin, Aaron Douglas, and Fritzy-Klevans Destine. Additionally, Crystal Balint will guest star in three episodes as Dr. Olive Duval
The series hails from head writer Ian Weir (Edgemont), director Milan Cheylov (The Cleaning Lady), and Canada’s Sepia Films in association with Fox Entertainment and Future Shack Entertainment, the company of former USA Network President Jeff Wachtel.
In the series, Patton will play Dr. Elizabeth Lewis, a brilliant and successful psychiatrist who arrives at the Gibsons Police Station offering insights that can help Karl Alberg (Rossif Sutherland) apprehend a dangerous fugitive murderer (one of Lewis’ former patients) who is believed to be hiding in the area.
Sutherland stars as Karl Alberg, a detective who moves to a quiet coastal town in search of peace of mind but finds “this gentle paradise has more than its share of secrets.” Kreuk plays Cassandra, a local librarian who becomes Alberg’s “muse, foil, and romantic interest.”
Cromwell plays George Wilcox, a retired history teacher devoted to his beloved garden. The recent loss of Myra, his wife of nearly 50 years, dealt a heavy blow, but George is determined to carry on. He and Cassandra are friends from his many visits to the Gibson’s library. Then there’s his old “acquaintance” – 80-year-old Carlyle Burke. Beneath that connection is a secret grief that extends many decades into the past.
Destine is Constable Andy Kendrick, a capable cop who is a charming jackass.
Katic plays Zoe, who has a gorgeous home outside town and generally keeps to herself, but her cool exterior hides a personality that can explode in sudden fits of temper.
Lowe plays criminology grad Corporal Edwina Yen, a new arrival to the coast and a cop on the fast track. Spracklin plays Isabella Harbud, the civilian receptionist with a dry sense of humor. Douglas plays Sergeant Sid Sokolowski, Alberg’s second-in-command.
The project marks Fox’s first scripted series co-produced with an international studio.