'Shetland' Season 9's First Images See DI Calder Settle In

ITV is wrapping up Vera with Season 14, ending the series based on the Ann Cleeves novels after fifteen years. But over on the BBC, the other Cleeves adaptation, Shetland, is still going strong despite having a rough few years since the pandemic hit. Filming delays pushed the series, which aired in February-March for its first five seasons, down the calendar to its new November position; meanwhile, the show's longtime lead, Douglas Henshall, who played the novels' detective, Jimmy Pérez, decided to retire from the series, forcing the BBC to either cancel or recast. The production chose the latter, adding Ashley Jensen in Season 8 as DI Ruth Calder, and the first Season 9 images suggest she's settling in nicely.

Jensen's Calder brought a major change in the show's overall feel, especially since her chemistry with co-star Alison O’Donnell, who played Perez's partner-in-crime-solving Alison "Tosh" McIntosh since the show's debut, is far more equitable than Tosh's evident junior status to her old boss.

With the core cast now on solid footing this season, viewers can go back to focusing on the mystery that kicks off the new season and the usual roster of highly-anticipated guest stars who will show up for it, including Ian Hart (Mr Bates vs The Post Office) and Vincent Regan (Luther: The Fallen Sun).