Acorn TV Introduces Us to the 'Art Detectives'

Police procedurals and "cozy crime" series have been a staple of television since its inception. Not just Law & Order type series like Dragnet, but Agatha Christie style mysteries based on novels, where small picturesque places find themselves involved in murder. One reason the genre has such enduring appeal is that it is incredibly versatile. People solve crimes just about anywhere, from the beaches of St. Marie to the frozen fjords of Norway. There are also different specializations; Unforgotten's team investigates cold cases; Hidden Assets chases down the offshore accounts of the Irish Mafia. Acorn TV's latest series, Art Detectives, follows the Heritage Crime Unit as they investigate crimes in the art world.

On the face of it, the latest addition to Acorn TV's lineup sounds like it's probably adapted from recent best-sellers, like Blue Ruin by Hari Kunzru, or Scrap by Calla Henkel, both of which were part of the subgenre's return to popularity in 2024. However, Art Detectives is a wholly original concept, one of the many shows on Acorn TV that is not based on a previously existing novel or adapted from another medium.

Art Detectives is, however, a formulaic procedural; it's just not one that's taken from bookshelves. Instead, it follows the same format as Acorn TV's other super popular series, Harry Wild with Jane Seymour, My Life is Murder with Lucy Lawless, Whitstable Pearl with Kerry Godliman, and the most recent addition, Inspector Ellis with Sharon D Clarke. It's a series starring an older actor who was seeking a stable role, playing a quirky detective whose seemingly mad methods turn out to be far better than anyone realizes.