'Father Brown' Season 13 First Image Summers By The Seaside

There's something comforting about a show that can turn over its entire supporting cast and keep on ticking. While it's easy to marvel at shows like Murdoch Mysteries, which has had nearly the same core quartet for almost two decades, or Grantchester, where the supporting cast remains the constant around which vicars come and go, there's something to be said for a series where almost the entire supporting cast exits over two seasons, and has to be replaced wholesale around the series' original star without a drop in popularity. That's the case with Father Brown, which has now settled into its new version as if it's always been this way.

Based on the G.K. Chesterton novels from the early 20th century, which feature a crime-solving vicar set in the Cotswolds, the 2013 debut of Father Brown was the franchise's second hit TV series adaptation, following the 1974 hit version starring Kenneth More. The new version starred Mark Williams in the titular role, who is now the only actor who has appeared in every season. (John Burton and Tom Chambers, who play the requisite policefolk, joined in Season 2.) However, nearly the entire supporting main roster all turned over right around the show's 10th anniversary in 2022, leaving Williams with new sidekicks to help him solve crimes.

Perhaps it was the timing of the turnover, or the blossoming of a romance for Chamber's longtime character, but the show hasn't lost a step as it rounds into Season 13.