Murder in a Small Town

I liked it as I like the hallmark mysteries and this reminded me of one of those - a romance battling with a murder to be the top story. The sets even reminded me of hallmark movies - very folksy. No, it's not going to be a critic darling show, one that gets the attention of the critics, but I like murder mysteries of all kinds so if you do too, you might like this. It has the vibes of a small town, if the small town was Cabot Cove. I find pilots to not always be the best and I do think there are things that can be improved but will let the first few episodes cook to give them a chance to develop.

Review: Murder in a Small Town - A Missed Opportunity

I wanted Murder in a Small Town to be a great series. The premise had so much potential-a gripping murder mystery set in a quiet town where nothing ever happens, until it does. But after watching it, I couldn't help but feel that the writers missed a crucial opportunity to make this show truly engaging.

The biggest flaw? The pacing and believability of the murders. Instead of crafting a season-long, intricate mystery that keeps viewers hooked, the show opts for a new murder every other week. The result? A small town with an absurdly high crime rate that completely undermines the show's realism. How can we be invested in a "small-town murder mystery" when bodies are dropping at an unnatural rate? It starts feeling more like Murder, She Wrote on steroids rather than a compelling, believable drama.

What Murder in a Small Town should have done is build a single, well-developed murder case over the entire season. This would have allowed for deeper character development, better suspense, and a more immersive storytelling experience. Imagine the tension of slowly uncovering layers of a mystery, the red herrings, the twists, and the final shocking reveal-all building to something truly satisfying. Instead, we get a new case wrapped up every other episode, which makes it hard to care about any of them.

The show has potential, and it could be so much better. The writers need to step back and rethink their approach. A great mystery isn't just about the number of dead bodies-it's about making the audience care about solving the crime. Hopefully, they course-correct in the future, because there's a great show hidden somewhere in here.

At first, I thought this was a tad too gentle with a PBS kind of flavor or a better produced Hallmark flair. But after completing the first episode I was hooked and began to appreciate the characters. It is a procedural crime drama but not overbearing, or tasteless. I find the stories hold my interest and the relationship pieces are developing. I really was unfamiliar with the work of Rossif Sutherland ( Karl) or Kristen Kreuk (Cassandra) but they have good chemistry. This is a Canadian production so I am getting introduced to some good Canadian actors. In my opinion this show is definitely a win for Fox.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Molly's Reach from the old Canadian TV show The Beachcombers. Although I haven't seen any other through-lines beside the town itself yet like with the characters from the old show, it brought me right back! Although i kind of wish they acknowledged this in some way. It does appear that they are trying to make it seem like an American town vs. Canadian. It's a little weird there is no nod to the prior inception of the town of Gibson but whatever.

Now that is out of the way, the show itself has a wonderful cast and am hooked after the first episode. It is a bit of a darker hallmarkesque show as others have stated. However, i dont find it as sacchrine as those shows/movies and I can't wait to watch the rest!

I don't give any real consideration to the notion that "sleepy" when it comes to TV and movies means "boring". Yes there's a small town slow moving vibe to the pilot but what's wrong with that? American TV and films are often frenetic and loud. That also doesn't mean "exciting" or even good. I never pass up a slow moving film, it's gotta brew so the nuances rise to the top. I'm certainly happy to give this one some time. A nice blend of Canadian actors and a somewhat typical plot but I'm intrigued. The Sutherland progeny, well he has the perfect demeanor for this. I knew he was related just from the voice. If you like sleepy at its finest, check out the Jesse Stone films with Selleck. Those are the gold standard.