Murder in a Small Town

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.

Murder in a Small Town piqued my interest due to Kristin Kreuk, and lo and behold, she is paired with another Sutherland lad. I love small-town settings, and a murder mystery makes for a great combination. The first episode started out nicely: there's a murder, and the next-door elderly neighbor seems to be the culprit, but how and why? I liked that they elaborated on the characters and gave them a good backstory. I also liked that the show doesn't feel like the usual flashy, slick murder-mystery theme. But what intrigued me the most is the chemistry of the two leads: two 40-somethings with past experiences and baggage, trying love for the second time. Kreuk's Cassandra is feisty and bubbly, while Sutherland's Karl is this two-shirt type of detective. Together, they turn this small-town mystery into a slow-burn romance that's worth every twist.

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 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.

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!